The Great Dan Patch

This feature is a solid drama based loosely on the career of the famous race horse Dan Patch, with a good emphasis on the lives of the persons who owned and trained him. Although it certainly emphasizes what a unique and nearly unbeatable horse Dan Patch was, it looks even more closely at the dramas taking place among the human characters.

Much of the story focuses on the son (played by Dennis O'Keefe) of the horse's original owner, who is torn between a successful career and an ambitious wife on the one hand, and his passion for horses and attachment to old friends on the other. The supporting cast does a good job, with Henry Hull as the father, John Hoyt as the old-time horse trainer, and Gail Russell as the trainer's daughter. Ruth Warrick also succeeds in the thankless role of O'Keefe's wife.

Although most of the production is done in a very straightforward manner, it still works all right because the issues faced by the characters are easy to identify with. Aside from being somewhat predictable and sometimes a bit plain-looking, it's a solid feature.