Determined to join a stellar MGM-curated cast, Taylor lobbied and trained for, and then excelled in, the title role of Velvet Brown, an indomitable British girl who wills upward trajectories for self-doubting Mickey Rooney and untamed steed The Pie—played by King Charles, whom she kept in real life. Setting the bar for movies teaming young adults and horses, Clarence Brown’s stirring film won Oscars for Anne Revere (as Taylor’s wise mum) and editor Robert Kern.