Jour de chance

...when he remade Broadway BILL (1934) as RIDING HIGH (1950). Recasting Bing Crosby as DAN BROOKS did not help a screenplay that was 'dated' in 34 let alone 50. This sad film has entire scenes lifted from the original with many of the supporting cast repeating their roles, unless they were dead. Though being older did not seem to matter to the Director. Nor that the Cars and Clothes in the background plates from 1934 did not match up too 1950s' standards. Not even 'der Bingel' singing can redeem this effort.

We rated both the original and the remake IMDb Four****Stars. Frank's touch was long gone and all that was left was CAPRA-CORN. That did not stop Mr. Capra though. After floundering around the 50's making some educational documentaries he wound up his career remaking LADY FOR A DAY (1933) as POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES (1961). Again a fine cast was let down on that IMDb Six******Star effort compared too the originals Eight********Stars. Sometimes it is better to quit while you were still ahead, right after STATE OF THE UNION (1948).

As a big Laurel and Hardy fan, I rented "Riding High" out of curiosity: Oliver Hardy makes a rare solo appearance here. Ollie is funny in his short cameo role, but his appearance is certainly not the only reason to see this film. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit.

Of course, I shouldn't have been too surprised. "Riding High" is directed by Frank Capra ("It's a Wonderful Life") and stars Bing Crosby. Briefly, Bing is a down-on-his-luck horse trainer trying to hit the big time with his one last chance: A horse named Broadway Bill. Yes, in many ways this is your typical sports underdog movie. There are, however, twists along the way. In fact, what happens in "the big race at the end" may very well take you by surprise.

A warning: This is the year 1950 and the "traditional" roles of men and women, not to mention blacks and whites, are clearly defined. If you can look beyond that, "Riding High" is a fun time.

I have fond memories of seeing Frank Capra's "Riding High" on the late show and when it came available on DVD I wanted to share it with my fourteen year old daughter. A girl of great taste, my daughter is already a Bing Crosby fan and "Riding High" is a marvelous way to introduce youngsters to great character actors. Frank Capra always used the best actors to tell his stories and this time out he reached back to his original filming of the story ("Broadway Bill") for a fabulous cast. Raymond Walburn, Margaret Hamilton, Clarence Muse are pros who always delight. What great fun to see Oliver Hardy. William Demarest cracked us up as "Happy". Irving Bacon as the lunch counter man, Percy Kilbride, Ward Bond, Dub Taylor, Gene Lockhart. A who's who of the people who made the golden age of movies truly golden. "Riding High" has heart, songs and laughs. Gather the kids and have a great time.

i had heard of Riding High but never saw it until TCM presented the film a few weeks ago. thoroughly entertaining. thoroughly capra, with a few songs thrown in. thoroughly bing. what a combo. some stock capra personnel such as clarence muse, bill demarest (his usual grouchy self),charles lane (when i last heard, he passed his 100th b'day a few years ago). douglas dumbrille, jimmy gleason and etc. etc. "sunshine cake", camptown races", "the horse told me" round out the story musically. colleen gray was nice as the younger sis who won bing in the end. the big race was exciting; had me rooting as if it were for real. you can tell the scenes borrowed from "broadway bill", the grandstand showed the gals in early 30's garb in a 1950 movie. no wonder capra made another pic with bing, "here comes the groom".

A lovely remake of the director's own Broadway Bill, Riding High is full to the brim with comedy, action and romance. We don't get Myrna Loy this time (shame!), but Capra's handling is as adept as ever and he even allows Bing to sing a handful of trackside standards! Whilst the film cannot match the very best Capra/Riskin collaborations, it is nevertheless great fun, with Bing perfectly cast in the lead. My only complaint is in the over-abundance of stock footage from Broadway Bill (presumably due to financial constraints).

Sheer escapism, with a decent moral and lovely performances all round. Leave your cynicism at the door and you should have a ball!