The rugged but properly G-rated "Man and Boy" gives Bill Cosby (as producer and star) an impressive showcase in a rare dramatic role. Cosby's just right as a former cowboy and Union Army "blue-belly" who, in 1871, must defend his Arizona homestead against resentful white bigots. When his plow horse is stolen, he sets out to retrieve the animal with his 12-year-old son (played by George Spell, one of the finest child actors of the early '70s), and their desert ordeal places them in the crossfire of a long-standing feud between a crazed thief and a vengeful sheriff. The routine plot plays like a Western rehash of "The Bicycle Thief", and veteran TV director E.W. Swackhamer handles the action with a generic absence of style. Cosby and Spell make a terrific father-son team, however, while costars Yaphet Kotto and Henry Silva add another element of threat. Solid family entertainment, especially if you're ready to explain horse studding to your children. "--Jeff Shannon"