Three Men on a Horse (1936)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Writers:

John Cecil Holm (play) and
George Abbott (play) ...

Release Date:

21 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A meek salesman with an uncanny ability to pick horses is virtually kidnapped by a trio of gamblers.

Plot Keywords:

Gambler | Jealousy | Nurse | Beautiful Woman | Horse Racing

Cast

Frank McHugh	...	Erwin Trowbridge
Joan Blondell	...	Mabel
Guy Kibbee	...	Mr. J. G. Carver
Carol Hughes	...	Audrey Trowbridge
Allen Jenkins	...	Charlie
Sam Levene	...	Patsy
Teddy Hart	...	Frankie
Edgar Kennedy	...	Harry, the Bartender
Paul Harvey	...	Clarence Dobbins
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Moses, the Elevator Operator (as Eddie Anderson)
Virginia Sale	...	Chambermaid
Harry Davenport	...	Williams
Ottola Nesmith	...	Miss Hillary, Head Nurse (as Tola Nesmith)
Eily Malyon	...	Miss Burns, a Nurse

Also Known As:

3 Men on a Horse (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #2506)

Filming Locations:

Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

The original play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA at the Playhouse Theater on 30 January 1935 and closed on 9 January 1937 after 835 performances. Teddy Hart and Sam Levene originated their movie roles in the play, and the cast also included Shirley Booth as Mabel, and Millard Mitchell as Charlie. The popular play had Broadway revivals in 1942, 1970 and 1993.

Quotes:

Frankie: [Betting on Irma Kay, a longshot] Ain't she got a chance?
Gus, a Bookie: Any horse has a chance in a race.
Frankie: Yeah, that's right.
Gus, a Bookie: Except Irma Kay. It ain't moved faster than a trot since it was frightened by the first Model T.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Bewitched: Three Men and a Witch on a Horse (#8.13)" (1971)

Soundtrack:

Untitled

One of those fast moving comedies Warner's did so well in the 30's

In the 1930's Warner Bros. had a group of supporting players that they largely cast in the manic comedies that they did so well in those days. Three of those players - Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, and Joan Blondell - all show up in this often forgotten little film. What is so odd here is Joan Blondell, after several starring roles, is playing in support of Frank McHugh. McHugh had been an excellent supporting player in all kinds of Warner Bros. pictures for several years - an eccentric choreographer in Busby Berkeley's "Footlight Parade", a kind-hearted neer-do-well in the melodrama "Lily Turner", etc. However, here McHugh is the center of attention, and he handles it well.

Here Warners has managed to combine comedy with crime after the production code was in full effect with no danger of violating the code yet with great comic effect. McHugh plays a mild-mannered man who writes greeting card slogans and lives in a house on a street where every house looks the same. One morning, after a fight with his brother-in-law, he stops in at a bar rather than going to work. There he makes the acquaintance of three hoods who are trying to pick a winning horse without much success. The key to this new friendship is that McHugh has a gift for picking the winning horse in every race every day as long as he doesn't bet himself.

If you ever run across this film I strongly recommend it for an amusing way to spend eighty or so minutes.