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Captains Courageous

  • 1937
  • G
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
10K
YOUR RATING
Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous (1937)
Trailer for this nautical tale
Play trailer2:27
1 Video
46 Photos
AdventureDramaFamily

A spoiled brat who falls overboard from a steamship in the 1920s gets picked up by a New England fishing boat, where he's made to earn his keep by joining the crew in their work.A spoiled brat who falls overboard from a steamship in the 1920s gets picked up by a New England fishing boat, where he's made to earn his keep by joining the crew in their work.A spoiled brat who falls overboard from a steamship in the 1920s gets picked up by a New England fishing boat, where he's made to earn his keep by joining the crew in their work.

  • Director
    • Victor Fleming
  • Writers
    • Rudyard Kipling
    • John Lee Mahin
    • Marc Connelly
  • Stars
    • Spencer Tracy
    • Freddie Bartholomew
    • Lionel Barrymore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Victor Fleming
    • Writers
      • Rudyard Kipling
      • John Lee Mahin
      • Marc Connelly
    • Stars
      • Spencer Tracy
      • Freddie Bartholomew
      • Lionel Barrymore
    • 111User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    Captains Courageous
    Trailer 2:27
    Watch Captains Courageous

    Photos46

    Freddie Bartholomew and Melvyn Douglas in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Lionel Barrymore, Freddie Bartholomew, Mickey Rooney, and Melvyn Douglas in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Lionel Barrymore and John Carradine in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Freddie Bartholomew and Melvyn Douglas in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Spencer Tracy, portrait for "Captain Courageous," 1937. Modern silver gelatin, 14x11, estate stamped. $600 © 1978 Ted Allan MPTV
    Spencer Tracy in "Captain Courageous," 1937. © 1978 Ted Allan MPTV
    Lobby Card, 14" x 11"
    Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous (1937)
    Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous (1937)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Spencer Tracy
    Spencer Tracy
    • Manuel
    Freddie Bartholomew
    Freddie Bartholomew
    • Harvey Cheyne
    Lionel Barrymore
    Lionel Barrymore
    • Captain Disko
    Melvyn Douglas
    Melvyn Douglas
    • Mr. Cheyne
    Charley Grapewin
    Charley Grapewin
    • Uncle Salters
    Mickey Rooney
    Mickey Rooney
    • Dan
    John Carradine
    John Carradine
    • 'Long Jack'
    Oscar O'Shea
    Oscar O'Shea
    • Cushman
    Jack La Rue
    Jack La Rue
    • Priest
    • (as Jack LaRue)
    Walter Kingsford
    Walter Kingsford
    • Dr. Finley
    Donald Briggs
    Donald Briggs
    • Tyler
    Sam McDaniel
    Sam McDaniel
    • 'Doc'
    • (as Sam McDaniels)
    Bill Burrud
    Bill Burrud
    • Charles
    • (as Billy Burrud)
    Norman Ainsley
    • Robbins
    • (uncredited)
    Wally Albright
    Wally Albright
    • Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Betty Alden
    Betty Alden
    • Bit Role
    • (uncredited)
    C.E. Anderson
    C.E. Anderson
    • Fisherman
    • (uncredited)
    William Arnold
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Victor Fleming
    • Writers
      • Rudyard Kipling
      • John Lee Mahin
      • Marc Connelly
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When production finally wrapped in late February 1937, Spencer Tracy was relieved. "Well, I got away with it," he said later. "Want to know why? Because of Freddie, because of that kid's performance, because he sold it 98 per cent. The kid had to believe in Manuel, or Manuel wasn't worth a quarter. The way he would look at me, believe every word I said, made me believe in it myself. I've never said this before, and I'll never say it again. Freddie Bartholomew's acting is so fine and so simple and so true that it's way over people's heads. It'll only be by thinking back two or three years from now that they'll realize how great it was."
    • Goofs
      It does not make sense that Harvey's teachers could expect him to be independent if he is only ten. In the novel he was fifteen.
    • Quotes

      Harvey: I bet I know a lot of things you don't know. I know that's not French you're singing.

      Manuel Fidello: That's right. About ten million people know it Portuguese.

      Harvey: I bet you can't speak French.

      Manuel Fidello: Right now, I sorry I speak *English*.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits are letters on planks, like the lettering on the side of ships, and between screen-fulls, a foaming wave of water splashes over it and then runs off. In the initial sets of credits, these appear to be actually letter-forms attached to the wood, as the water gets deflected by some of the letters; in later sets of credits, this effect is harder to see and the sets may be credits superimposed upon wood.
    • Connections
      Edited into Catalogue of Ships (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Ooh What a Terrible Man
      (1937) (uncredited)
      Lyrics by Gus Kahn
      Music by Franz Waxman

    User reviews111

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A warm and wonderful film the subject of which is timeless.
    This is my favorite movie of all time. I have seen thousands of movies but none can come near Captains Courageous for its warmth, compassion, drama and meaningfulness. A wonderful story of single-parent bonding and hero worship.

    Spencer Tracy as Manuel the Portugese fisherman was absolutely fantastic. Just looking at the sparkle in his eyes when mentoring Harvey (Freddie Bartholomew) was beautiful. I have shown this film to my senior class in Strategic Management and they all loved it. And what a supporting cast, Lionel Barrymore, Melvin Douglas, Mickey Rooney, John Caradine. It was also one of the first Hollywood movies to treat a black character with dignity and respect. The ship's cook was even bilingual, speaking both English and Portugese, and was a respected member of the crew, not just an Uncle Tom.

    They don't make them any better than this--and not a single word of profanity, no sex or sexual episodes, must a wonderful story, well acted, sad but uplifting.
    helpful•73
    10
    • xalf18
    • Nov 28, 2002

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 25, 1937 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
      • Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous
    • Filming locations
      • Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $1,645,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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