King of the Turf (1939)

Mason is a former race-horse owner who gave up everything and started to drink after the death of one of his jockeys. One day he meets Goldie who has run away from home, hoping to find a ... See full summary »

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writer:

George Bruce

Stars:

Adolphe Menjou, Roger Daniel, Dolores Costello

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adolphe Menjou	...	Jim Mason
Roger Daniel	...	Goldie
Dolores Costello	...	Eve Barnes
Walter Abel	...	Robert Barnes
Alan Dinehart	...	Nick Grimes
William Demarest	...	Arnold
Harold Huber	...	Santelli
George McKay	...	Murphy
Lee Moore	...	Carr
Oscar O'Shea	...	Bartender
Cliff Nazarro	...	1st Tout
George Chandler	...	2nd Tout
Milburn Stone	...	Taylor
Robert Homans	...	Sgt. Brannigan
William Bakewell	...	Intern

Storyline

Mason is a former race-horse owner who gave up everything and started to drink after the death of one of his jockeys. One day he meets Goldie who has run away from home, hoping to find a job around horses; his biggest hobby. When he finds out the real identity of Mason, Goldie takes care of him. The two find an occasion to buy a horse for only two dollars, and start entering competitions. Goldie is an instant celebrity, but his mom reads the newspapers and tracks him down. Mason is very surprised to see her, his ex-wife, and even more astonished to hear that Goldie is his own son. However, Goldie must go back to school and so they decide to keep the secret. Since Goldie does not want to leave Mason behind, he goes to the bookies and fixes the next race, hoping to disappoint Goldie by asking him to lose on purpose.

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Plot Keywords:

horse

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

La apuesta era su hijo

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edward Small Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Milton Bradley Company released a board game called King of the Turf, with graphics on the box stating it is "based on the motion picture 'King of the Turf,' an Edward Small production starring Adolphe Menjou with Roger Daniel as 'Goldie.'"

User Reviews

Sentimental film is saved by Menjou's powerful screen presence

This film suffers from not so well written and too sentimental dialogues. Although the improbabilities within the plot are quite acceptable given the melodramatic cliche's, some of the scenes that should have been the most important ones, get so sentimental that they make you feel uneasy. One big question for me left unanswered throughout the picture; why does Goldie not want to go back home? Anyway, the presence of Menjou is rather impressive and he really carries the whole story which otherwise would be uninteresting.