Cricket West is a hopeful actress with a plan and a pair of vocal chords that bring down the house. Along with her eccentric aunt, she plays host to the local jockeys, whose leader is the cocky but highly skilled Timmie Donovan. A young English gentleman comes to town convincing Donovan to ride his horse in a high stakes race.
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Not quite up to snuff with Judy's upcoming films, but she's still very good actress as a young girl living in a boarding house with horse jockeys. The main character in this film is actually Ronald Sinclair's as an English boy who has sailed ship to America with his family and his horse, Pooka. Ronald first sees Mickey at the race tracks and immediately admires him for his excellent racing abilities. He then goes over to the boarding house where Mickey and the other jockies and Judy stay. At first, Mickey and the other jockies really don't like him, ridicule him, and Mickey punches him in the eye. He only ends up trying to straighten out his attitude towards Ronald, with Judy's persuance, due to Ronald's grandfather giving Mickey his prized horse stick. They start to become friends. Ronald really wants Mickey to ride Pooka in his next race. I won't say any more so not to spoil the plot. But there is tragedy in this film, some quirky moments, Judy starts to fall for Ronald. One scene with Judy talking to a negro stable worker may be taken as her talking to him in a rude and racist way, but he is also rude and unhelpful to her right from the start. But she still shouldn't have called him "boy". There is one very embarrassing scene, actually two. A very suggestive vision when Mickey and Ronald are riding the horse together, which I found quite disturbing and not funny. It just didn't fit in with the family style type of film this was. Judy showed some more of her brilliance in this film with her singing "Got a pair of new shoes". That I liked because Judy's great in all of her films with her wonderful acting and singing from the late 1930s all the way through to 1950.
In a role obviously intended for an absent Freddie Bartholomew, British teenager Ronald Sinclair (as Roger Calverton) arrives in the United States with his grandfather's potentially prize-winning horse "Pookah". At the race-track, young Sinclair admires brash jockey Mickey Rooney (as Timmie Donovan) and wants him to ride "The Pookah" to victory. Sinclair meets perky Judy Garland (as Cricket West) at Mr. Rooney's boarding house, which is run by her assertive aunt Sophie Tucker...Rooney is typically commanding and Sinclair is a good stand-in for Bartholomew. Accurately predicting she will be a successful singer and actress, Ms. Garland shines in support. Of the other jockeys, tough Frankie Darro (as "Dink" Reid) stands out; he will try to beat Sinclair in the climactic big race. The ending suggests the three leads, plus Ms. Tucker and funny Forrester Harvey (as Wilkins) were on their way to a potential series. The title "Goin' to Town" would have fit nicely...The most interesting scene has Rooney ardently massaging Sinclair's upper thighs while Garland, outside the bedroom, sings about "Goin' to Town". If director Alfred E. Green asked Rooney to try and avoid Sinclair's buttocks, the advice was ignored. Also, Rooney repeatedly pulls down Sinclair's pants and throws him on his bed. This comes after an unintentionally sexual scene with Rooney teaching Sinclair how to ride a horse. Today, this sort of horseplay is interpreted differently.****** Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (11/25/37) Alfred E. Green ~ Ronald Sinclair, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Sophie Tucker
Mickey Rooney truly shines in this film. Outshining top billed Judy Garland. If you are a fan of Mickey and Judy you will love this movie. And of course, if you love horses you will be thrilled. Mickey Rooney playes a tough Jockey who can really win those races. That is until his father pretends to be sicks and tricks Mickey into throwing a race. His father will make you angry throughout the entire film. Mickey Rooney will break your heart and Judy will bring joy as she sings Got A Pair Of New Shoes. Mickey Rooney, in my opinion, is probably the most talented actor to ever live. This is a very enjoyable film to watch and is highly recommended. Catch it on TCM the next time it's aired. You'll love it!
Left insolvent in America by the death of his grandfather, a young English lad learns that THOROUGHBREDS DON'T CRY. Now it's time for his new buddies, an irrepressible girl & an excitable jockey, to help him make his race horse a winner.This little film, with a horse race plot both contrived & convoluted, is mere entertainment fluff. Its real significance is that it was the first movie to co-star Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland. Rooney is hyper-energetic & Garland exhibits her wide-eyed exuberance; together they hint at much better films to come in the future. Ronald Sinclair receives equal billing with them, and he does a good job with his role, but up against the Dynamic Duo he never really stood a chance. His celebrity would prove to be rather transitory.Forrester Harvey does fine in a small performance as a jolly horse trainer. Wonderful old Sir C. Aubrey Smith lends a touch of class to his role as an English gentleman. But it is the inimitable Sophie Tucker who steals the film as Garland's mother, a big sharp-tongued woman you wouldn't want to trifle with. For some unfathomable reason, the script gives her no chance to sing. Unbelievable! At the very least, a Tucker/Garland duet could have made the film truly memorable.Movie mavens will recognize Lionel Belmore as a butler & Elisha Cook, Jr. as a jockey, both unbilled.A `pookah', by the way, is an Irish ghost horse.
