Disney bought the rights to French novelist Paul Berna's 1954 A Hundred Million Francs (original Le Cheval sans tête), but though it was set in a Parisian suburb, he filmed it primarily at Pinewood Studios in England. For the exteriors, the art department built a French village, one of the largest sets in British film history, on the back lot. French star Jean-Pierre Aumont has top billing as the police-inspector on the thieves' trail, but the rest of the principal cast are from various corners of the British Commonwealth, including Australian Leo McKern and child star Pamela Franklin, who was born in Japan where her father worked as an exporter. The only other European in a key role was Herbert Lom, who plays the head of the criminal band. The Austrian actor had started making British films in 1940, when he immigrated to escape the Third Reich. The screenplay was handled by another Brit, T.E.B. Clarke, who had written such classic British films as Dead of Night (1945), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), for which he won an Oscar® and Sons and Lovers (1960).
In his four-decade-plus career, British director Don Chaffey first made his name with cynical views of social issues like The Man Upstairs (1958) and Lies My Father Told Me (1960), now considered ahead of their time. He then went to work for Disney, creating such acclaimed family films as Greyfriar's Bobby (1961) and The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963), along with this feature. His most famous film, however, is the fantasy adventure Jason and the Argonauts (1963). He also directed some of the best episodes of such cult British series as Secret Agent, The Avengers and The Prisoner. In later life he relocated to the U.S., where he continued his Disney association with Pete's Dragon (1977) and more episodes of The Wonderful World of Disney.
Aside from Aumont, who was an established star in France and the U.S., where he appeared in the family classic Lili (1953), and Franklin, who had made her film debut as one of the haunted children in The Innocents (1961), most of the cast were little known in the U.S. at the time. Lom would enjoy his greatest fame as Charles Dreyfus, Inspector Clouseau's boss in the Pink Panther films, starting with A Shot in the Dark (1964). McKern would do solid character work in numerous films before becoming a household name as star of the popular British TV series Rumpole of the Bailey. In a small role as the local police sergeant is Peter Vaughan, who would work with director Terry Gilliam on Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985) before finishing his career as Master Aemon on Game of Thrones. One of the children, Vincent Winter, was actually an Oscar® winner, having received a special award for his performance as a child in The Little Kidnappers (1953). This was his next to last performance (the last was in The Three Lives of Thomasina, 1963), though he would return to filmmaking as an adult, working as an assistant director and production manager on pictures like Superman (1978) and Henry V (1989).
The Horse Without a Head was never given a U.S. theatrical release, but instead aired in two parts as the season opener of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on September 29 and October 6, 1963. Gold Key published a comic book adaptation in 1964. In 1977, it was serialized on The New Mickey Mouse Club. Though little seen since then, the film has a devoted following among people who watched the original U.S. airings as children.
Director: Don Chaffey
Producer: Walt Disney
Screenplay: T.E.B. Clarke
Based on the novel A Hundred Million Francs by Paul Berna
Cinematography: Paul Beeson
Score: Eric Rogers
Cast: Jean-Pierre Aumont (Inspector Sinet), Herbert Lom (Schiapa), Leo McKern (Roublot), Pamela Franklin (Marian), Vincent Winter (Fernand), Lee Montague (Mallart), Michael Gwynn (Gendarme), Peter Vaughan (Police Sergeant)
By Frank Miller
