The Story of Seabiscuit (1949)

Director:

David Butler

Writer:

John Taintor Foote (writer)

Release Date:

12 November 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Plot:

Horse trainer Shawn O'Hara and his lovely niece, Margaret, come to America to escape the memory of an accident involving Margaret's brother...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Kentucky | Jockey | Seabiscuit | Horse Trainer

Cast

Shirley Temple	...	Margaret O'Hara / Knowles
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Shawn O'Hara, Seabiscuit's Trainer
Lon McCallister	...	Ted Knowles, Jockey
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Mrs. Charles S. Howard
Donald MacBride	...	George Carson, Head Trainer at Milford Farms
Pierre Watkin	...	Charles S. Howard, Seabiscuit's Owner
William Forrest	...	Thomas Milford, Owner Milford Farms
Joe Hernandez	...	Race Commentator
Hal J. Moore	...	Race Commentator (as Hal Moore)
Clem McCarthy	...	Race Commentator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sugarfoot Anderson	...	Walkin' Murphy, Milford's Boy (as 'Sugarfoot' Anderson)
Seabiscuit	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gertrude Astor	...	Oscar's Wife (uncredited)
Claudia Barrett	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Herman Cantor	...	Gus, the $8K Bidder (uncredited)
Bill Cartledge	...	Jockey George Woolf (uncredited)
Ray Erlenborn	...	Cameraman (uncredited)
Alan Foster	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	Oscar, Spectator (uncredited)
Lew Harvey	...	Buyer (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	The $15K Bidder (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Spectator in Howards' Box (uncredited)
Jack Lomas	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Buyer (uncredited)
Spec O'Donnell	...	Freckled Dice Game Participant (uncredited)
James Simmons	...	Swipe (uncredited)
War Admiral	...	Himself (match race with Seabiscuit) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gil Warren	...	Fred Baker, Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Jack Wise	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Joe Wong	...	Wong the O'Hara's Cook (uncredited)

Directed by
David Butler

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Taintor Foote		writer

Produced by
William Jacobs	....	producer

Original Music by
David Buttolph

Cinematography by
Wilfred M. Cline

Film Editing by
Irene Morra

Art Direction by
Douglas Bacon

Set Decoration by
Lyle B. Reifsnider

Costume Design by
Leah Rhodes

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist
Karl Herlinger	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Myrl Stoltz	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
C. Carter Gibson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Philip Quinn	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oliver S. Garretson	....	sound

Special Effects by
Roy Davidson	....	special effects
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	special effects (as H.F. Koenekamp)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Flanagan	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Charles Harris	....	grip (uncredited)
Mac Julian	....	still photographer (uncredited)
George Gordon Nogle	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator
Howard Jackson	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Sam Perry	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Sonny Greenburg	....	technical advisor
Mitchell Kovaleski	....	technicolor color consultant
Jean Baker	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (????) (France) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Pride of Kentucky (UK)

Runtime:

98 min | USA:93 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

France:U | Australia:PG | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Burns Ranch, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

In the close-ups, Seabiscuit was played by Sea Sovereign, his son.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the final scene at the winner's circle, an apparent newsreel cameraman is filming while cranking his camera - backwards. He pauses for a few seconds, starts to crank one way, then the other. Finally, he resumes cranking, this time in the correct direction.

Quotes:

Thomas Milford, Owner Milford Farms: I agree with you, Margaret, he should get to a warmer climate.
Margaret O'Hara: Where should I be taking him for a warmer climate?
Thomas Milford, Owner Milford Farms: You'll go with him?
Margaret O'Hara: Oh, indeed'n I will, sir.
Thomas Milford, Owner Milford Farms: Well, what about your nursing?
Margaret O'Hara: I'll be nurse to him and him alone until he's well.
Thomas Milford, Owner Milford Farms: Well, then. I think we'd better make it California. Charlie Howard bought a stock farm out there. He could use a man like Shawn.

Movie Connections:

Edited from National Velvet (1944)

Soundtrack:

Hush-a-Bye, Wee Rose of Killarney

Plodding horse story is slow getting to the finish...

A grown-up Shirley Temple is the only reason for interest in this weak horse story that is certainly not in the league with films like 'National Velvet' or 'My Friend Flicka'. Only interesting aspect is provided by Shirley Temple in one of her last films as a an adult actress, a nurse with bitter feelings about racing due to the death of a brother in the sport. She's pleasant enough, nicely photographed in technicolor and sporting an Irish brogue. Barry Fitzgerald provides a few amusing moments and Lon McCallister is on hand as a jockey who falls for Shirley--but tedium sets in early on and it never quite manages to pick up any steam for what is supposed to be a rousing finish. I caught this one on Turner Classic Movies when they had a tribute to Shirley's birthday and was impressed by her charm and assurance in a basically sub-standard role. Too bad the script didn't provide her and the others with more challenging material. It's a passable film and according to Shirley, did well enough at the box-office at time of release--probably due to her personal popularity.