Stablemates

This is one film which needs only to be described by its title and the co-stars' names, "'Stablemates' - starring Wallace Beery and Mickey Rooney!" is all you really need to know. Both performers play their regular on-screen personalities; no "acting" stretch is required (or needed). Mr. Rooney is an orphaned teenaged jockey with an ailing racehorse named "Lady Q". Mr. Beery is an alcoholic veterinarian who needs to clean-up. The inevitable happens.

They decide to become father and son, "'til death do us part." But, the relationship is challenged by the bottle and the big race. Rooney gets to show off his trim physique in some shirtless scenes. Marvelous Margaret Hamilton (as Beulah Flanders) has a small, but sweet, supporting role. The industry standard "Quigley Poll" of box office stars had Rooney at #4 and Beery at #12 for the year 1938, and this film was, as Rooney says within, "made to order."

****** Stablemates (10/7/38) Sam Wood ~ Mickey Rooney, Wallace Beery, Margaret Hamilton, Arthur Hohl

Neat little film about an orphaned teen who loves a horse and the old stew bum who befriends him.

Mickey Rooney (at age 18) stars as the kid who hangs around race track stables and who earns a broken down horse in lieu of pay. Wallace Beery is the drunken drifter who happens upon the stable where Rooney tends his horse.What a pleasure to see these two great pros working together.

The film is too sentimental for today's audiences but really packs a wallop with a simple story, humor, and great acting.

Margaret Hamilton gets a good supporting role as "the widow," and also good are Arthur Hohl, Marjorie Gateson, Minor Watson, Spencer Charters, and Oscar O'Shea.

Beery is a total delight as the rumpled bum who still has a spark within him. Rooney is so spontaneous and fresh faced it's impossible not to like him. Oddly there is a scene of Rooney riding his horse in the ocean surf that presages a similar scene in The Black Stallion (with Kelly Reno) 40-odd years later.

Why the Hollywood producers of today continue to insist on regurgitating a very stale action/adventure CGI (computer generated imagery) formula to equate to box office success is pure stupidity. Since all Hollywood producers are competing for the abundance of entertainment dollars from the same (what seems to be) stunned audience, I would suggest that these same Hollywood producers should learn a basic film development lesson by sitting down and viewing this now 80 year old film "Stablemates". If even one of these so called Hollywood producers took 90 minutes to watch the film Stablemates they would be enlightened on a very simple formula that works to put bums in movie theater seats.

The formula that has proved to work time and time again is to put together on the large screen a young up and coming actor with a seasoned veteran actor, and provide them with a story that includes light humor, hard knocks, and of course an animal that needs tender loving care. In essence, we the audience are smarter than today's Hollywood producers think we are. Today's Hollywood producers seem to think that they can wow an audience with more and more of the same crap CGI, instead of encouraging their audience to turn off their cell phones, stop texting, and to listen to the conversation taking place on the silver screen, and the emotional interactions of the film stars such as in this film Stablemates.

Wallace Beery and Mickey Rooney had such great on screen chemistry in this film Stablemates and if it were not for Wallace Beery's unfortunate demise at a relatively young age (64) I am quite sure we would have a series of films starring these two remarkable warm and loving entertainers. They also starred in the 1935 film Ah, Wilderness! I was also pleasantly surprised to see the harsh and bombastic character Beulah Flanders, (played superbly by Margaret Hamilton better known for her role as Miss Gulch / The Wicked Witch of the West, in the 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz) who in this film was a widower five (5) times over and she insists on marrying Wallace Beery's character, the has-been drunkard veterinarian, Doc Thomas 'Tom' Terry, played to be her sixth (6th) husband.

I don't believe I am an old soul who is unique in the opinion that Stablemates is an underrated film classic. Rather, i implore families of all ages and all generations to watch this film Stablemates that uses a simple formula of utilizing great actors, a small cast, a hard knocks life background, an injured animal, the sport of kings, horse racing, and overcoming long odds to bring to the silver screen what all human beings have in them, hope and inspiration.

This is a truly under rated classic that deserves your full attention, so put down those cell phones, laptops, and gameboys and sit back and enjoy a film classic from the year 1938.

Stablemates is a classic family story about a boy, his horse, and his "Pop". It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. Stablemates is a sweet little film that leaves you with an all around good feeling. If you have a soft spot for older movies, you will enjoy this one. Watching this oldie, but goody reminds us that the world isn't such a dreary place after all. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Really one of Mickey Rooney's best parts. Full of emotion and comradee with him and Wallace Beery as the washed up drunk Veterinarian. Beery always worked well with young actors...Jackie Cooper in the Champ. Also one of Beery's great roles. Mickey sure was cute back then.