Saratoga (1937)

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Anita Loos (story) and
Robert E. Hopkins (story) ...

Release Date:

23 July 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A Tribute and a Triumph that the world demanded to see . . . ! !

Plot:

Carol Clayton is the daughter of a horse breeder at Saratoga. Though engaged to wealthy Hartley Madison...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Bookie | Horse Race | Millionaire | Real Estate Deed

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Duke Bradley
Jean Harlow	...	Carol Clayton
Lionel Barrymore	...	Grandpa Clayton
Frank Morgan	...	Jesse Kiffmeyer
Walter Pidgeon	...	Hartley Madison
Una Merkel	...	Fritzi
Cliff Edwards	...	Tip
George Zucco	...	Dr. Harmsworth Bierd
Jonathan Hale	...	Frank Clayton
Hattie McDaniel	...	Rosetta (as Hattie McDaniels)
Frankie Darro	...	Dixie Gordon
Henry Stone	...	Hand-Riding Hurley
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pat West	...	Horse Owner (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #3534)

Filming Locations:

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

In May of 1937, with the film about 90% completed, Jean Harlow collapsed on the set and died about a week later, reportedly of uremic poisoning. Her remaining scenes were shot with double Mary Dees being filmed only from behind. Paula Winslowe supplied the voice.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In opening credits, last name of Hattie McDaniel is listed as "McDaniels."

Quotes:

Duke Bradley: Why, honey, you look sharp as a razor.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome (1996)

Soundtrack:

My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night

Mediocre movie

Jean Harlow's final movie boasts a top-notch cast which is, unfortunately, let down by a mediocre storyline and script. Harlow died while this movie was being filmed, and Mary Dees stood in for a number of scenes so that filming could be completed. Unfortunately, the scenes in which Harlow is missing are fairly obvious, and she disappears almost completely for the last twenty minutes, which severely weakens what is already nothing more than average.

While the movie itself is nothing to write home about, there are some things to enjoy: the racing scenes are excitingly shot for the period, the camera choosing to get close to the action instead of filming from distance as was the norm in those days, Hattie McDaniel makes the most of a larger – yet no less stereotypical – role than usual, dear old Frank Morgan fluffs his lines with gusto and aplomb, a sharp, wisecracking Clark Gable is in his prime, Lionel Barrymore, in the year before arthritis finally consigned him to a wheelchair, gives an entertainingly crusty performance, and a sympathetic role from a young Walter Pidgeon are among some of the highlights.

More famous – and successful – than it deserves to be because of Harlow's untimely death, SARATOGA is worth a look as nothing more than a vintage curiosity.