Kentucky (1938)
1h 36m | PG-13
Young lovers Jack and Sally are from families that compete to send horses to the 1938 Kentucky Derby, but during the Civil War, her family sided with the South while his sided with the North--and her Uncle Peter will have nothing to do with Jack's family.
Director: David Butler
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Drama, Romance
Video: 720p
Cast
Loretta Young
as Sally Goodwin
Richard Greene
as Jack Dillon
Walter Brennan
as Peter Goodwin
Douglass Dumbrille
as John Dillon - 1861
Karen Morley
as Mrs. Goodwin - 1861
Moroni Olsen
as John Dillon - 1938
Reviews
We start at the outset of the American civil war when the Yankee "Dillon" family seize the thoroughbred horses of the Confederate sympathising "Goodwin" family. It's during this operation that young "Peter Goodwin" sees his father gunned down. Spool onwards 70-odd years and the feud is still alive and well. "Peter" (Walter Brennan) is now an old curmudgeon with an amazing eye for the horses, but whose family are a bit down on their luck. When their nemesis "Dillon" family, who control the local bank, refuse to give them a loan to invest in a new cotton plantation; young "John Dillon Jnr." (Richard Greene) decides to help them out by getting his father to honour a bet allow them to give the lately bereaved, and pretty broke, daughter "Sally" a pick of their two-year olds. The skilful eye of uncle "Peter" picks an untried black colt "Blue Grass" and some special training from Greene (who adopts an alias to avoid familial suspicions) turns the horse - and the ladies head - ahead of the Kentucky Derby. This is essentially a good looking reworking of "Romeo and Juliet" with an engaging performance from Oscar winning Brennan and some beautifully shot equine photography to support the otherwise unchallenging, feel good melodrama. It passes the time.