The 1979 film "The Black Stallion" is based on the 1941 novel of the same title written by Walter Farley. The story is about a young American boy who survives a 1946 shipwreck off the northern coast of Africa. A black race horse also survives the wreck and the two become friends. After the pair are rescued, both are brought to a town in the eastern United States where, with the help of a former horse trainer, the horse is trained and entered in a champion horse race. The first scenes are set on a merchant ship sailing off the North Coast of Africa. Several men are playing cards and there is a "pot" of money on the table including various United States and foreign coins. The film displays US silver dollars, British pennies, and other coins.

A prologue states "Off the coast of North Africa - 1946." Mr. Ramsay and his son Alec Ramsay are passengers on a merchant ship, the "Drake" of Liverpool. Alec likes to wander around the ship and his father likes to play cards. While walking around the ship Alec sees a large black horse taken into a cabin.

There a a few men at the table.

A "pot" of miscellaneous items sits on the table.

The coins include a US Morgan silver dollar, a Washington quarter, a British farthing, penny, sixpence, and a Portuguese coin. Some of the British pennies have Queen Elizabeth II on them which would be a numismatic anachronism as these were minted starting in 1953.

Another view of the "pot." The currency note is a British Libya "Military Authority in Tripolitania" 10 lire undated 1943 note.

A British penny of King George V is visible. A small antique figure of a horse is added to the pot. The figure becomes important later. Mr. Ramsay wins the game and gives a pocket knife and the horse figure to his son.

The ship catches fire and sinks.

Alec and the horse land on a desert shore where alec wanders around and then sleeps. The horse runs off but stays in the area. Alec encounters a snake.

The horse runs over, kills the snake, and runs away. Alec finds that the seaweed is edible and offers some to the horse which he has named "Black."

Alec and Black become friends and Alec is seen riding him around. An Italian fishing boat arrvies and the crew spot Alec on the shore.

Alec refuses to leave without his friend and the crew then hoist Black onto the ship.

Alec lives with his mother in a small town in the eastern United States. Black lives in the back yard, tolerated by Mrs. Ramsay as he had saved Alec's life. A garbageman frightens Black and he takes off.

Black ends up at a farm. A man tells Alec where Black can be found and he goes out to the farm and meets Henry Dailey.

Henry Dailey is a former champion jockey and horse trainer.

Henry offers to train Black as a race horse and invites some horse experts to watch him run.

The men see Black run fast enough to compete in a championship horse race against two top horses, Sun Raider a red horse, and Cyclone, a gray horse. Henry enters Black in the race as the "Mystery Horse."

It takes some time for Alec and Henry to convince Mrs. Ramsay to allow her son to ride as a jockey in the race.

Alec's identity is kept secret also, probably because of his age. The race is held at the Santa Anita Race Track in Southern California.

Alec rides Black and removes his mask.

Black manages to catch up with the other two horses and pass them.

Alec holds up the horse figure and remembers his time in the desert.

Kelly Reno as Alec Ramsay
Hoyt Axton as Mr. Ramsay, Alec's father
Teri Garr as Mrs. Ramsay, Alec's mother
Mickey Rooney as Henry Dailey
Director: Carroll Ballard
Writers: Melissa Mathison, Jeanne Rosenberg, William D. Wittliff, Walter Farley (novel)