08/24/2026
🐎 The Rounders (1965): When Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda Were Upstaged by a Horse
Hollywood Westerns usually make their cowboys the heroes. But in 1965, Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda found themselves sharing the screen with a four-legged scene-stealer who practically walked away with the movie. 🎬🐴
The film was The Rounders, a lighthearted Western comedy directed and written for the screen by Burt Kennedy, based on Max Evans’ 1960 novel. Ford plays Ben Jones, while Fonda portrays his laid-back partner Howdy Lewis. Together they're aging bronc busters trying to earn a living in the modern American West.
Their biggest problem isn't a gunslinger or outlaw gang.
It's a horse. 😆
🐴 Meet the Real Star: Ol' Fooler
The troublesome roan—often called Ol' Fooler—is virtually impossible to ride. Ben repeatedly attempts to break him, only to discover that this horse seems determined to remain independent.
Eventually, Ben and Howdy realize that Ol' Fooler's stubbornness might actually make them money. 💰 They take him to a rodeo and bet other cowboys that nobody can stay aboard him.
The plan works beautifully—at least for a while. Cowboy after cowboy gets thrown, and their supposedly worthless horse suddenly becomes their greatest asset.
But what really makes the movie memorable is the developing relationship between the cowboys and their equine nemesis. Beneath all the bucking, arguments and slapstick is an unexpectedly affectionate story about men becoming attached to the very animal driving them crazy. ❤️🐎
🎥 Even Contemporary Critics Noticed the Horse
The idea that the horse stole the movie isn't just modern nostalgia.
A 1965 review in the New Zealand Listener praised Ford and Fonda's Western credentials but concluded that the movie's most satisfying performance belonged to the horse. That's quite an achievement when your human co-stars include two Hollywood legends! 🌟
TIME magazine likewise described the picture as revolving around the cowboys' love-hate relationship with the difficult roan, while noting that Ford and Fonda appeared to enjoy poking fun at the heroic Western personas they'd played so many times before.
And the horse apparently wasn't merely troublesome on screen.
According to the AFI Catalog, filming began around Sedona, Arizona, in May 1964, with hundreds of locals recruited as extras. During production, Kennedy reportedly suffered two broken toes after the horse playing Ol' Fooler kicked his foot. 😳🐴
Talk about method acting!
🌵 A Different Kind of Western
Rather than gunfights and grim revenge, The Rounders offers friendship, rodeos, gorgeous Western scenery and two veteran stars cheerfully accepting that their characters aren't exactly conquering heroes.
That's part of its enduring charm.
Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda may have received top billing, but once that unpredictable roan appears, it's hard to watch anybody else. 🤠🐎
In The Rounders, the cowboys got the dialogue—but Ol' Fooler got the laughs, the attention and arguably the movie.
Sometimes the biggest star in a Western doesn't wear a Stetson. ⭐🐴
