Watch Thoroughbreds Don't Cry For Free

Simply A Masterpiece

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

hyped garbage

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Not quite up to snuff with Judy's upcoming films, but she's still very good actress as a young girl living in a boarding house with horse jockeys. The main character in this film is actually Ronald Sinclair's as an English boy who has sailed ship to America with his family and his horse, Pooka. Ronald first sees Mickey at the race tracks and immediately admires him for his excellent racing abilities. He then goes over to the boarding house where Mickey and the other jockies and Judy stay. At first, Mickey and the other jockies really don't like him, ridicule him, and Mickey punches him in the eye. He only ends up trying to straighten out his attitude towards Ronald, with Judy's persuance, due to Ronald's grandfather giving Mickey his prized horse stick. They start to become friends. Ronald really wants Mickey to ride Pooka in his next race. I won't say any more so not to spoil the plot. But there is tragedy in this film, some quirky moments, Judy starts to fall for Ronald. One scene with Judy talking to a negro stable worker may be taken as her talking to him in a rude and racist way, but he is also rude and unhelpful to her right from the start. But she still shouldn't have called him "boy". There is one very embarrassing scene, actually two. A very suggestive vision when Mickey and Ronald are riding the horse together, which I found quite disturbing and not funny. It just didn't fit in with the family style type of film this was. Judy showed some more of her brilliance in this film with her singing "Got a pair of new shoes". That I liked because Judy's great in all of her films with her wonderful acting and singing from the late 1930s all the way through to 1950.

The first film to feature Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland came up short in the music department as there was only one song written for the film Got A Brand New Pair Of Shoes and it was Judy's. I've a feeling that a lot might have been left on the cutting room floor because Sophie Tucker was also in this film as Judy's grandmother and she sung not a note. Thoroughbreds Don't Cry features Mickey as a jockey famous for his daring come from behind wins in the stretch and Judy the granddaughter of Sophie Tucker who runs a jockey's boardinghouse where Mickey resides. Into their lives comes C. Aubrey Smith and his young grandson Ronald Sinclair who are titled, but cash poor with only one asset, a prize winning stakes horse called The Pooka. Yes, I do believe it is named for that spirit who manifested himself as a six foot white rabbit in Harvey.Mickey's the best there is at his profession, but he's fatally compromised because of a no-good gambler of a father in Charles D. Brown who pretends he's on death's door. That's to extort a pledge from Mickey to throw the race The Pooka is running in. Mickey does it and finds out he's been framed. He's put everybody in a jackpot because of this and there is one death that results from it.Ronald Sinclair substitutes nicely for Freddie Bartholomew who this role was originally intended. But the chemistry with Mickey and Judy was readily apparent and MGM would team them several more times until Words And Music in 1948 which was Mickey's last film for MGM. But I like more singing and dancing when I see Mickey and Judy and I think more was originally intended. Just the mere fact that Sophie Tucker was in the film leads me to believe she must have had a number that ended up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps one day we'll see a director's cut.The racing sequences at Santa Anita were handled well, the track was only a few years old at the time and the movie land crowd were frequent visitors and owners of race horses out there. I've seen newsreel footage of Mickey Rooney enjoying the sport of kings there when he was not on a shooting schedule.Thoroughbreds Don't Cry is a good start for a most auspicious star team, but a whole lot better was to come.

I don't suppose MGM thought this was going to be such a memorable movie. Mickey Rooney was not yet a top star - he was still stealing movies from other stars, ie "Little Lord Fautleroy", "Captain's Courageous", "A Mid Summer Night's Dream". Judy Garland had her voice but MGM still didn't know what to do with her (she was still "Just an In-Between"). The other young actor in the cast was Ronald Sinclair, a Freddie Bartholomew clone (Bartholomew, I suspect was at one of his court appearances and Sinclair was substituted). But when Mickey and Judy came together something special happened. The confrontation, when Mickey has decked the snotty little English kid and Judy dares him to sock her as well and then gives him a piece of her mind.Roger and his grandfather (C. Aubrey Smith) arrive in America to race their horse "The Pookha" in the cup. At the track they see Timmy Donovan (Mickey Rooney) - "the best jockey on the track - but a swellhead" - and convince him to ride their horse. In the meantime Timmy's father has sent for him, claiming to be dying, and to get him to throw a race so they can collect $5,000 and buy an iron lung. Timmy does throw the race and discovers his father is not sick and is up to his old crooked tricks.He gets another chance to ride the horse in the big cup but because he has been found out over throwing the race, he is barred from the track. Roger then rides "The Pookha" to victory.Sophie Tucker is wonderful with her glib come-backs and one-liners - she plays Aunt Edie. Frankie Darro (who seemed to spend his time in films playing jockeys and fighters) plays "Dink" the crooked jockey. Elisha Cook Jnr, also has a role (uncredited) as a jockey, "Boots" MacGuire, sitting around the boarding house dinner table.Henry Kolker, a great film "heavy" plays "Doc" Godfrey.Judy is just wonderful as Cricket West - her first big role. She is such a natural, very bubbly and full of fun and also gets to sing a very catchy tune "Gotta Pair of New Shoes" that really shows off her beautiful voice.

Mickey Rooney truly shines in this film. Outshining top billed Judy Garland. If you are a fan of Mickey and Judy you will love this movie. And of course, if you love horses you will be thrilled. Mickey Rooney playes a tough Jockey who can really win those races. That is until his father pretends to be sicks and tricks Mickey into throwing a race. His father will make you angry throughout the entire film. Mickey Rooney will break your heart and Judy will bring joy as she sings Got A Pair Of New Shoes. Mickey Rooney, in my opinion, is probably the most talented actor to ever live. This is a very enjoyable film to watch and is highly recommended. Catch it on TCM the next time it's aired. You'll love it!