''Boots Malone'' is a 1952 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- ...

directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...

. It stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck sports agent and Johnny Stewart as a rich runaway who wants to become a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Plot

Down on his luck, jockey agent "Boots" Malone is at a diner with his friend "Stash" Clements when teenage runaway Thomas Gibson Jr. tries to pay for his meal with a hundred dollar bill. When the cook asks him to come back in the morning for his change, Boots steps in (the diner is a portable trailer and will be somewhere else by that time). Interested in the money himself, Boots takes the boy under his wing. Tommy is eager to become a jockey, so he offers to pay Boots to train him. He is soon doing various chores around the stables. Meanwhile, Boots, Stash, and "Preacher" Cole have their eye on a promising horse, White Cargo. They fix it so that it performs badly at its next workout. As a result, owner Howard Whitehead puts it up for auction. When another bidder offers more than they have, Tommy produces another hundred dollar bill, and they have their horse. One day, White Cargo is startled and bolts with Tommy on his back, showing that the boy has some talent. Boots begins to really train him. He lets the lad ride in a race, but does not tell him that they have secretly weighed White Cargo down (so they can get better odds for their bets in a later race). The horse does poorly in the race, upsetting the boy. To restore Tommy's confidence, Boots has him ride in another race with a different horse; he wins. As the big race approaches, complications arise. Boots tangles with a private detective hired by Tommy's mother, a wealthy businesswoman, to find her boy. Boots reluctantly calls her and tells her where to collect her son. Disapproving of Boots, she convinces Tommy that Boots turned him in for the $5000 reward. (Later, she refuses to pay Boots.) Despite this, Tommy runs away again and returns to Boots in time for the race. The two reconcile. When Mrs. Gibson calls, Boots warns her that she will lose the love of her son if she prevents him from racing. Meanwhile, Matson, a gangster to whom Boots owes a lot of money, tells him to throw the race, as he has bet heavily on another horse. Boots tries to convince Tommy to go along, but in the end, does not have the heart to spoil what may be the boy's last ride, and White Cargo wins. Afterwards, Tommy boards a train to go back to school. When Boots is warned that Matson and his men are waiting for him, he jumps on the train.

Cast

* William Holden as "Boots" Malone *Johnny Stewart as Thomas Gibson Jr. * Stanley Clements as "Stash" Clements *

Basil Ruysdael Basil Spaulding Millspaugh (July 24, 1878 – October 10, 1960), known as Basil Ruysdael, was an American actor and opera singer. Early life Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, as Basil Spaulding Millspaugh, Ruysdael was the son of Dr and Mrs Char ...

as "Preacher" Cole *

Carl Benton Reid Carl Benton Reid (August 14, 1893 – March 16, 1973) was an American actor. Early years Reid was born in Lansing, Michigan. He used his full name professionally because when he worked in radio, four other people in the business were named Ca ...

as John Williams *

Ralph Dumke Ralph Ernest Dumke (July 25, 1899 – January 4, 1964) was an American comedian and actor who had an active career from the early 1920s up until his death in 1964. He rose to fame as part of a comedy duo with Ed East, performing nationally in ...

as Beckett, Whitehead's adviser * Ed Begley as Howard Whitehead, a wealthy, but inexperienced horse owner *

Hugh Sanders Hugh Howard Sanders (March 13, 1911 – January 9, 1966) was an American actor, probably best known for playing the role of Dr. Reynolds in the movie ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. Biography Born in Illinois, Sanders graduated from Northwestern ...

as Matson * Harry Morgan as "Quarter Horse" Henry (as Henry Morgan) *

Ann Lee Ann Lee (29 February 1736 – 8 September 1784), commonly known as Mother Ann Lee, was the founding leader of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, or the Shakers. After nearly two decades of participation in a r ...

as Mrs. Gibson * Anthony Caruso as Joe * Billy Pearson as Eddie Koch, a rival jockey. Pearson was a real-life thoroughbred jockey. * Emory Parnell as Evans (uncredited)

References

External links

* * {{William Dieterle 1952 films 1952 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by William Dieterle Gambling films American horse racing films Columbia Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films