''Casey's Shadow'' is a 1978

Metrocolor Metrocolor is the trade name used by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for films processed at their laboratory. Virtually all of these films were shot on Kodak's Eastmancolor film. Although MGM used Kodak film products, MGM did not use all of Kodak's pro ...

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Martin Ritt Martin Ritt (March 2, 1914 – December 8, 1990) was an American director, producer, and actor, active in film, theatre and television. He was known mainly as an auteur of socially-conscious dramas and literary adaptations, described by Stanley K ...

and starring

Walter Matthau Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...

. The film is based on an article in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' by

John McPhee John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American author. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourt ...

("Ruidoso", published April 29, 1974). Much of the exterior shooting was done in the city of Carencro, Louisiana, 20 miles north of Lafayette.

Plot

Down-on-his-luck Louisiana horse trainer Lloyd Bourdelle dreams of winning the All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. He has three sons: Buddy, Randy and young Casey. Buddy helps his father train horses, and Randy is a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

. Lloyd takes Casey and Randy to a small bush track to try to make some money by racing Casey's pony, Gypsy. They find a match race with Mr. Marsh and his daughter Kelly but play a trick on Marsh by tying a live chicken to Gypsy's saddle. Gypsy wins the race but Marsh does not pay, complaining that Lloyd cheated by not having a rider on Gypsy. Lloyd had sent Buddy to buy a racing

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to . ...

for Calvin LaBec (the man for whom Lloyd trains racehorses), but Buddy returns with an old

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. Calvin is angry and threatens to take his horses out of Lloyd's barn until it is revealed that the mare is in

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt (horse), colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. Whe ...

to a

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

called Sure Hit. Calvin is placated by this information. The mare gives birth to a colt, then dies. Casey suggests letting Gypsy nurse the colt. She has just weaned her own foal and accepts the colt, who grows into a strong two-year-old. Lloyd names the horse Casey's Shadow after his son. A woman named Sarah Blue offers Lloyd a large sum of money for the colt. They tell her that they will not sell until after the All American, so Sarah agrees to pay $5,000 for an

option contract An option contract, or simply option, is defined as "a promise which meets the requirements for the formation of a contract and limits the promisor's power to revoke an offer". Option contracts are common in relation to property (see below) and ...

, against a future negotiated purchase price, if she exercises the option. The option money gives the Bourdelles the funds to enter the colt in the race, so they take the horse to the local track to gallop him. While they are there, Casey runs into Mr. Marsh's daughter, who goads him into having a match race. During the race, Shadow is spooked and runs onto asphalt, hurting his legs. The vet tells Lloyd and Buddy to rest the horse for six weeks. Calvin finds out that the horse is injured but allows Lloyd to enter him in the All American. Shadow runs in a qualifying race for the All American in which he gets the fastest time. Mr. Marsh realizes that Shadow can beat his horse and puts poison in the food bucket. However, he has poisoned the wrong horse, and Gypsy dies. Lloyd, realizing that Marsh was responsible for the pony's death, beats him up. The next day, Shadow wins the All American but comes up lame. Sarah Blue wanted to buy the colt in sound condition and is no longer interested. Calvin LaBec initially agrees with the vet that the horse should be destroyed, but Lloyd says that he will give up his share of the winnings to treat the horse. Reluctantly, the vet agrees to try to mend Shadow's legs. The operation is a success, and Lloyd and his sons take Shadow home.

Cast

as Lloyd Bourdelle *

Alexis Smith Margaret Alexis Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress, pin-up girl and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Aw ...

as Sarah Blue *

Robert Webber Robert Laman Webber (October 14, 1924 – May 19, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in dozens of films and television series, including as Juror No. 12 in the 1957 film '' 12 Angry Men''. Early life Webber was the son of Robert Webber, ...

as Mike Marsh *

Murray Hamilton Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen and television character actor who appeared in such acclaimed films as '' The Spirit of St. Louis'', ''Anatomy of a Murder'', '' The Hustler'', ''The Gradu ...

as Tom Patterson * Andrew Rubin as Buddy * Stephan Gerard Burns as Randy Bourdelle * Susan Myers as Kelly Marsh * Michael Hershewe as Casey Bourdelle * Harry Caesar as Calvin Lebec * Joel Fluellen as Jimmy Judson *

Whit Bissell Whitner Nutting Bissell (October 25, 1909 – March 5, 1996) was an American character actor. Early life Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell and Helen Nutting Bissell. He was educated at the Allen-S ...

as Dr. Williamson * James M. Halty as Donovan * William Pitt as Dr. Pitt * Dean Turpitt as Dean * Sanders Delhomme as Old Cajun

Reception

The movie was received generally well. ''Casey's Shadow'' holds an 80% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 10 reviews.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Casey's Shadow 1970s American films 1970s English-language films 1978 drama films 1978 films American adventure drama films American horse racing films Columbia Pictures films Films about horses Films based on newspaper and magazine articles Films directed by Martin Ritt Films produced by Ray Stark Films scored by Patrick Williams (composer) Films set in Louisiana Films set in New Mexico Films shot in Louisiana Films shot in New Mexico Films with screenplays by Carol Sobieski

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links