Carroll O'Connor was two years away from Archie Bunker when he signed for the minor Disney effort Ride a Northbound Horse. O'Connor plays second fiddle to teenaged John Shea, an orphan who journeys to Texas in hopes of growing up to be a cattle rancher. En route, Shea meets a glib con man (you know who) who gets the boy mixed up with racetrack intrigue. John Ford veteran Ben Johnson is on hand for western lagniappe. Ride a Northbound Horse was adapted from a two-part Wonderful World of Disney TV presentation.