Racing Blood

Poverty Row Conn Pictures put out this cheaply made independent race track film. It concerns two brothers and a sister, James Eagles, Frankie Darro and Gladys Blake all connected with the Sport of Kings. Blake is involved with Kane Richmond. Eagles is a jockey that gamblers frame because he wouldn't throw a race.

Meanwhile Darro develops a race horse with the prophetically name Trouble who looks like a winner. But like in the TV Fury series he will only let Darro ride him.

Those same gamblers now target both the horse and Darro. In the end Darro pulls off a rather stupid and potentially lethal stunt at the big race.

This one was shot on jump change with lots of racetrack footage to beef it up. Arthur Houseman as the perpetually soused gangster henchman is the highlight of the film.

Aspiring teenage jockey Frankie Darro (as Frankie Reynolds) buys a crippled colt for $4.85 and nurses him back to health. "Racing Blood" has been in young Darro's family for generations, and he will eventually run his horse "Trouble" professionally. Guess you could call him the little colt that could. After six months, Darro cures "Trouble" with mud packs and begins training him to be in the Big Race. Eventually, Darro wins a race against his older brother James Eagles (as "Smokey") and his horse "Dancing Boy"...

The brothers are honest jockeys, but crooked Matthew Betz (as Tex O'Donnell) and his gang want the races "pulled" (meaning fixed) in order to rake in the dough. In a romantic subplot, Darro mentor Kane Richmond (as Clay Harrison) romances the jockeys' sister Gladys Burke (as Phyllis). As if to illustrate how routine everything seems, perpetually inebriated Arthur Houseman (as Legs) shows how his drunk act steals scenes, and superstitious Fred "Snowflake" Toones (as Sam) finds the name "Trouble" frightening.

**** Racing Blood (11/15/36) Victor Halperin ~ Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, Arthur Houseman, Gladys Burke