Follow the Sun

I gave this movie a 10 rating, not because it was that good of a film (it wasn't), but because to me it brings back memories of my teenage years. I saw this movie when it was released in 1951. I was 15 at the time and interested in nothing but golf. I watched the movie three times. I would have watched it over and over had it not been removed from the local theater. Even at that young age, I was a student of the game. I was intimately familiar with Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and all the other great names in golf at that time. I had even seen most of them play in person in tournaments. I even fantasized about becoming a golf pro. I played golf whenever I could. Unfortunately, in the 40's and 50's, money was tight. And parents didn't pay a lot of attention to their children's career goals, especially if they involved becoming a sport's figure. My dreams were dashed early. Thank goodness, I can still watch FOLLOW THE SUN and relive my teenage fantasies.

Many sports movies get sports so wrong that they are not enjoyable for people who actually consider themselves fans. In this movie it did not happen.

The positives to this movie are the actors, Ford and Banecroft, are great. It has a quick paced story.

The down side is at times it was a little corny and the relationships too simplistic, but that is a true of alot of the docu dramas of this era.

It is certainly a good watch and would recommend it not only to golf fans, who would really enjoy it, but to classic movie fans.

Although Ford couldn't play golf worth a lick, Hogan himself supervised the golf scenes (and much else). He slyly inserted rare golf lessons into the film, but as with anything Hogan you've got to look very carefully. Also, there is rare footage of Hogan colleagues Demaret, Snead, and Middlecoff. Forget the fact that the film is Hollywood treacle. This is a treasure for modern-day golfers attempting to understand Hogan's mastery of the golf swing.

The film still hasn't been released on DVD or Blu-Ray, and is rarely if ever seen on cable. The greatest golf film ever made gathers dust as Hogan's legions desperately search for more information about the man who understood more about golf than anyone has ever known about any sport (except, perhaps, for Ted Williams).

I have seen this movie several times since owning it and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, golf, Ben Hogan, or generally being entertained.

Upon creating any movie about a real person, Hollywood may choose to cast a light in a certain manner and in the vein of entertainment, what is the harm? Some may indicate that Mr. Hogan was not as cheerful and compassionate as Glenn Ford's version but that is simply opinion. The bottom line is that Follow the Sun is very well made and acted and if you are a fan of Ben Hogan, you will love it as I do.

I am looking forward to a DVD release.

When the film began, I noticed that although it was supposed to be in the late 1920s, hairstyles were right from 1951. This isn't uncommon...and it's a minor complaint about an otherwise very good biopic. I say very good because although it took some liberties with the truth (such as creating the Chuck Williams character who did NOT exist), it stuck closer to his life story than most biopics seem to do!

The film follows Ben Hogan's life from his teens through his recovery from a near death auto accident. It's all very nice and inspiring and although the film never excited me, it did keep my interest. Worth seeing...especially if you love golf.