In Old Kentucky (1935)

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Charles T. Dazey (play)
Sam Hellman (writer)

Release Date:

28 November 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Horse trainer Steve Tapley is caught between the feuding Martingale and Shattuck families. He sides...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Cast

Will Rogers	...	Steve Tapley
Dorothy Wilson	...	Nancy Martingale
Russell Hardie	...	Dr. Lee Andrews
Charles Sellon	...	Ezra Martingale
Louise Henry	...	Arlene Shattuck
Esther Dale	...	Dolly Breckenridge
Alan Dinehart	...	Slick Doherty
Charles Richman	...	Pole Shattuck
Etienne Girardot	...	Pluvius J. Aspinwall, the rainmaker
John Ince	...	Sheriff
Bill Robinson	...	Wash Jackson
Greyboy the Horse	...	Greyboy

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Santa Anita Park - 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Final movie performance of Will Rogers. Released posthumously.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lest We Forget (1937)

A great Rogers, Sellon, Robinson show!

Commendably pampered by director George Marshall, it's Charles Sellon who almost steals the show from Rogers in what turned out to be the final movie appearances of both comedians. Sellon even enjoys the first shot in the movie and practically closes the curtain as well, allowing Rogers only the briefest of brief fade-outs. Rogers also has competition from Bill Robinson who is handed a number of well-polished solos in addition to a delightful routine in which he teaches Rogers how to high-step (an amusing talent that comes in handy for Rogers in a couple of later scenes).

The rest of the support cast also rates as decidedly strong. Lovely Dorothy Wilson gets plenty of welcome camera attention (although the wonderfully exotic Louise Henry is allowed to outshine her at the ball). John Ince as the pushy sheriff, Etienne Girardot as the maladroit rainmaker, and Charles Richman as the villain also deservedly receive a nice innings. So does Esther Dale. Only Alan Dinehart seems a little short-changed. But you can't accommodate everyone and George Marshall deserves a hearty round of applause for balancing his players so equitably. And this of course is what makes In Old Kentucky so enjoyable. It's not a one-man show, but a divertingly assorted ensemble of talented actors, each pulling their weight to breathe life and vivacity into what was basically even in 1935 a rather hackneyed plot. True, there are enough clever variations on the old story to make the action exciting even in 2007. Even more importantly, however, it's because we identify so much with the characters, that the film becomes so involving. George Marshall is a much under-rated director.

As might be expected, production values are top-drawer, with lots of extras milling around in both elaborate studio and location scenes—and all beautifully photographed by that unsung lensman, Bill O'Connell, whose talent for shooting fast, yet super-effectively, kept him in the "B" league for most of his career.