‘Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry’ from 1937: A Boy and His Horse

Cropped poster for the 1937 film "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry." Public Domain

Commentary

The concept of a story about a child and a horse is a time-honored one. The bond between any young person and a beloved pet, such as a dog in the “Lassie” movies or any number of wild animals in 1960s live action Disney movies, is a touching premise for a film. Add to that man’s long affinity for his trusted horse, and you have a recipe for success. Long before “Black Beauty” (1994) and “War Horse” (2011), there was “Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry” (1937).

This MGM film stars Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Ronald Sinclair. The three youngsters are supported by popular MGM character actors C. Aubrey Smith, Forrester Harvey, Charles D. Brown, Henry Kolker, and Helen Troy. Judy’s aunt is played by 1910s-20s singing star and comedienne Sophie Tucker, “The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas,” in one of her few feature film appearances. The movie’s premise is similar to that of a later, much more famous Mickey Rooney film, “National Velvet” (1944). In both movies, Rooney plays a bitter jockey who helps a younger friend train a horse.

This is not one of the most prestigious films of its two stars. It’s not a famous title, and none of its songs went on to become big hits. However, it’s a wonderful example of the early work of these talented performers, offering insight into their pre-stardom days and showing glimpses of the celebrities they would become. It also is a delightful, heartfelt, and moving story which is very enjoyable in its own right.

Screenshot of Ronald Sinclair in "They Made Me a Criminal" from 1939. Public Domain

An Emotional Story

Roger Calverton (Sinclair) lives with his grandfather, Lord Peter Calverton (Smith), in England. Although they have a prestigious ancestry, they don’t have much money. Their greatest asset is a prize racing horse, The Pookah, so Lord Peter decides to take the thoroughbred to the United States for some races. His grandson helps the horse’s faithful groom, Wilkins (Harvey), stow away on the ship to America. In the states, Roger and his grandfather watch a race, and the lad is greatly impressed by young jockey Timmie Donovan’s (Rooney) risky but effective racing style.

Roger tries to talk to the adolescent rider afterward, but the older boy brushes him off. Undeterred, the British boy goes to the jockey boarding house where Donovan lives. There, he meets Cricket West (Garland), a perky girl around his age who wants to be a famous actress and singer. Her aunt, a boisterous woman known affectionately as Mother Ralph (Tucker), runs the boarding house. Cricket is disgusted by the sarcastic behavior of the jockeys, particularly Timmie Donovan, so she finds Roger’s gentlemanly manners very refreshing. When Timmie finally arrives, he is rude to Roger, prompting the younger boy to leave with hurt feelings. Cricket makes Timmie go after him. After a brief fight, the two boys make friends, and Roger brings his new pal to meet his grandfather.

Sir Peter tells the jockey about his riding hero, whom the nobleman knew, and gives the lad his riding crop. Using reverse psychology, Sir Peter and Roger soon have Timmie begging to ride The Pookah! Everything is great until Timmie receives word that his father, a no-good gambler, is dying. Little does he know the wily Click Donovan (Brown) and his fake doctor friend (Kolker) are staging an elaborate scheme to get him to throw a race and win them a pile of money.

Publicity photo of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland for film "Love Finds Andy" Hardy from 1938. Public Domain

Young Talent

This musical was the first pairing of the adolescent Garland and Rooney, who would go on to make three Andy Hardy films, four stand-alone musicals, and two cameo film pairings together. It also was the first time Judy received top billing for a movie and the only time she was billed above Mickey. Their onscreen friend was to be played by Freddie Bartholomew, a British lad who was a huge star at the time and who made five movies with Rooney between 1936 and 1942. However, the popular child star was replaced on the film because of contract disputes over his salary between his aunt and MGM.

As a 1937 article in The Evening Independent noted, Freddie Bartholomew was originally slated to be replaced with the Scottish Douglas Scott, but eventually New Zealander Ronald Sinclair got the role of Roger Calverton. Nevertheless, according to the American Film Institute, the dispute between Metro and Bartholomew was patched up by October 1937, so “the star of ‘Captains Courageous’” opened this film’s original theatrical trailer. In common practice of the day, he spoke directly to the audience and introduced his “friend” and onscreen replacement, MGM newcomer Sinclair. Although Sinclair never achieved the fame of Bartholomew, he appeared in several successful films before enlisting in World War II.

This film can be classified as a musical, although it features only one song. Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, those gifted songwriters of “Singin’ in the Rain” fame, wrote two songs for Judy Garland to sing in this movie, but “Got a Pair of New Shoes” is the only one that made it into the finished film, while “Sun Showers” hit the cutting room floor. Unlike the later Rooney and Garland musicals, there are no big musical numbers. This isn’t surprising, since Judy is the only cast member to show off her musical talents. Mickey Rooney sticks to acting instead of singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument. Even Sophie Tucker doesn’t get to sing a specialty number in her distinctive style, as she did in Judy Garland’s breakout film, “Broadway Melody of 1938.” The one song Judy does sing is blended into the plot, since she sings it during the opening and closing credits and in one funny scene while strumming a guitar. For that reason, I would recommend this movie to people who don’t usually like musicals.

Mickey Rooney watching Judy Garland put handprint in cement at Grauman's Theatre during the "Babes in Arms" film premiere, 1939. Public Domain

A Great Start

“Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry” was a great start to the beautiful partnership of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Interestingly, they aren’t a couple in this film, as they are in most of their other movies. In fact, Cricket acts like she doesn’t even like Timmie, and the young jockey appears to have no time for girls, a rare thing for Mickey. Instead, the hinted youthful romance is between Cricket and Roger, since they playfully talk of perhaps getting married one day. However, if you read between the dialogue, you can see the intangible chemistry which Judy and Mickey already had. I even suspect Cricket and Timmie fight so much because they really like each other. It’s no wonder MGM quickly paired the duo again.

What does the title mean? It’s actually a line Sir Peter says to his grandson that you hear in the trailer but was deleted from the finished film. Nevertheless, the spirit behind it drives the film, which is far from a fluffy little comedy. It’s a serious coming-of-age tale about two boys who have to learn to take care of themselves and be men at a very young age. Both Roger and Timmie must learn to be self-reliant, honorable, honest men, despite the temptations to do otherwise. The message of friendship, perseverance, and self-sacrifice is a beautiful one and an excellent example for today’s youth.