| Thoroughbred | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ken G. Hall |
| Produced by | Ken G. Hall |
| Written by | Edmond Seward |
| Starring | Helen Twelvetrees Frank Leighton John Longden |
| Music by | Hamilton Webber |
| Cinematography | George Heath |
| Editing by | William Shepherd |
| Studio | Cinesound Productions |
| Distributed by | British Empire Films |
| Release date(s) | May 1936 (Australia) July 1936 (UK) |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤20,000[1] |
Thoroughbred is a 1936 Australian race-horse drama directed by Ken G. Hall, partly based on the life and career of Phar Lap.
Contents |
A Canadian horse trainer, Joan (Helen Twelvetrees), buys an unwanted thoroughbred colt named Stormalong which she trains with the help of Tommy Dawson (Frank Leighton). Stormalong starts winning and attracts the attention of a gambling syndicate who try to kill the horse before the Melbourne Cup. Stormalong manages to participate in the race, and although is mortally wounded by a sniper, lives long enough to come first place.
The film was the first made by Cinesound after Hall visited Hollywood for a number of months in 1935, where he signed an American star (Helen Twelvetrees) and writer (Edmond Seward) to work on the film. He also purchased a rear-projection unit which was used extensively in the film.
Twelvetrees was paid a reported ₤1,000 a week.[2]
This was the first movie with Cinesound for actor Ron Whelan, who joined the company as assistant director and also worked as an actor in several films.[3]
The climax is similar to the 1934 Frank Capra film, Broadway Bill. Hall claimed he was unaware of this and blamed it on Seward.
The film was popular at the box-office. It received a release in the UK, but was subject to cuts from the censor on the grounds of scenes depicting cruelty to animals.[4] A novelised version of the screenplay sold out within three days, at a rate of 1,000 copies a day.[5]
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