Irish-accented Shirley Temple (as Margret O'Hara) arrives in the small, bluegrass town of Paris, Kentucky with her horse training uncle Barry Fitzgerald (as Shawn O'Hara). He will nurture the famous racehorse "Seabiscuit" while Ms. Temple studies nursing. Soon, they relocate to a ranch near Southern California's famed Santa Anita racetrack. Because Temple's brother "Danny" died tragically in a horse race, Temple is reluctant to become involved with jockey Lon McCallister (as Ted Knowles), although they are mutually attracted...
This film somehow manages to be unappealing despite having several advantages. It's photographed in Technicolor and effectively incorporates some footage of the real "Seabiscuit". When the available footage is in black-and-white, so goes the movie; it's nicely done. And Shirley is lovely...
Although she has been appearing as a "grown-up" for years, Temple is still a distracting actress. Moreover, in this one, she plays her character with an Irish brogue. The script could have easily been re-written to begin with Mr. Fitzgerald arriving to join Temple in the US, following the death of a parent (instead of her brother), so perhaps Temple wanted to essay the accent. The story is more about her romance than the horse, and Mr. McCallister is an asset as Temple's leading man. The African and Asian stereotypes are grotesque.
***** The Story of Seabiscuit (11/11/49) David Butler ~ Shirley Temple, Barry Fitzgerald, Lon McCallister, Rosemary DeCamp
This film somehow manages to be unappealing despite having several advantages. It's photographed in Technicolor and effectively incorporates some footage of the real "Seabiscuit". When the available footage is in black-and-white, so goes the movie; it's nicely done. And Shirley is lovely...
Although she has been appearing as a "grown-up" for years, Temple is still a distracting actress. Moreover, in this one, she plays her character with an Irish brogue. The script could have easily been re-written to begin with Mr. Fitzgerald arriving to join Temple in the US, following the death of a parent (instead of her brother), so perhaps Temple wanted to essay the accent. The story is more about her romance than the horse, and Mr. McCallister is an asset as Temple's leading man. The African and Asian stereotypes are grotesque.
***** The Story of Seabiscuit (11/11/49) David Butler ~ Shirley Temple, Barry Fitzgerald, Lon McCallister, Rosemary DeCamp