''Racing Lady'' is a 1937 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
produced by
RKO Radio Pictures
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...
, which premiered in New York City on January 12, 1937, and was released nationally on January 29. Directed by
Wallace Fox, the screenplay was written by
Dorothy Yost,
Thomas Lennon, and
Cortland Fitzsimmons
Cortland Fitzsimmons (June 19, 1893 – July 25, 1949) was an American writer and screenwriter, and author of crime fiction.
Biography
Fitzsimmons was born on June 19, 1893, in Richmond Hills, Long Island, located in the New York City borough of ...
, based on a story by
Damon Runyon, which had been further expanded by
J. Robert Bren
J. Robert Bren (July 23, 1903 – October 1, 1981) was a Mexican-American screenwriter and producer who was active from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s. He wrote either the story or screenplay for thirty feature films, as well as producing at ...
and
Norman Houston.
While more than 25 of Runyon's stories and novels have been used as the basis for films, this was one of only two films (the other being ''
George White's 1935 Scandals'') in which Runyon was directly involved with the story, it being based on his unpublished work "All Scarlet." The film stars
Ann Dvorak,
Smith Ballew, and
Harry Carey.
Plot
Longtime thoroughbred breeder and trainer Tom Martin has a mare, Pepper Mary, he's about to enter in a big race. After the owner of another contender fails to bribe Tom to lose on purpose, his jockey causes Pepper Mary to stumble and fall during the race, causing a career-ending injury to the horse.
Tom's disappointed daughter Ruth concentrates all her efforts on Pepper Mary's filly, Katydid, hoping she, too, can become an outstanding racehorse. Steve Wendel, an automobile mogul who has a stable of horses, buys the victorious horse after Ruth enters her in a
Santa Anita claiming race.
To stay with her horse, Ruth reluctantly accepts Steve's offer to come work for him. They travel the racing circuit abroad, where Ruth matures from a tomboy into a sophisticated young woman. She falls in love with Steve, and after a misunderstanding over the disappearance of Katydid before a race, they celebrate as their horse races to another triumph.
Cast
*
Ann Dvorak as Ruth Martin
*
Smith Ballew as Steve Wendel
*
Harry Carey as Tom Martin
*
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...
as Abby
See also
*
List of films about horse racing
References
External links
*
*
1937 romantic drama films
American romantic drama films
American black-and-white films
Films based on short fiction
Films directed by Wallace Fox
American horse racing films
RKO Pictures films
Films with screenplays by Dorothy Yost
Films produced by Samuel J. Briskin
1937 films
1930s American films
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