Kentucky Pride

John Ford directed this sentimental horse opera set among the racing crowd in Kentucky. Henry B. Walthall, of Griffith's Birth of a Nation fame, starred as Beaumont, a horse breeder losing everything he owns on the horse Virginia's Future. His upwardly mobile wife (Gertrude Astor) having deserted him in favor of a more financially stable neighbor (Malcolm Waite), Beaumont can only watch as trainer Mike Donovan (J. Farrell McDonald) nurses Virginia's Future back to health and then is forced to sell her colt, Confederacy, to a foreign junk dealer, who mistreats him. When Confederacy enters the Kentucky Futurity with young Danny Donovan (Winston Miller) in the saddle, Beaumont and Mike bet every thing they own on the horse, which wins handsomely. Using part of his winnings to buy back Virginia's Future, a satisfied Beaumont puts the horse out to pasture. Among the racehorses featured in this film was the famous champion Man o' War. (Hans J. Wollstein)

We went to Kentucky to do a little story about horse racing, and we put a lot of comedy into it. There was one little filly just a beautiful thing and she had a terrific crush on me. Shed leave the herd and run over and play with me take my cap, run away with it and look at me then shed come back and drop it, and when Id reach down to get the cap, shed pick it up again and run away. The fellow who owned her said, «Why dont you name her shes crazy about you.» So I named her Mary Ford, and she went out and won her first three races easy, then broke down broke a tendon in her leg or something and they put her to stud. Im not a horse racing fan, but I know her get has been famous. I always remember her she just loved me very unusual for a horse; Id be directing the actors or something and shed come and stand by my chair. Or wed be leaving the rest of the herd would be half a mile away and shed walk along the fence, following the cars, as far as she could go.
Henry B. Walthall was one of the greatest actors of all time a personality that just leaped out from the screen. He had nothing to do in that picture but he had such a presence like Barrymore had, but Walthall was a much better actor.<i>
</i>John Ford talking with Peter Bogdanovich, 1966