Checkers
Cast & Crew
H. Bruce Humberstone
Jane Withers
Stuart Erwin
Una Merkel
Marvin Stephens
Andrew Tombes
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
"Checkers," an orphan whose real name is Judy, travels with her Uncle Edgar Connell, who prefers a life on the road racing horses to settling down with his longtime fiancée, Mamie Appleby, who takes care of Checkers during the school year. After they hire Jimmy Somers, a rough, woman-hating adolescent, to ride their prize colt, Blue Skies, they enter the colt in a claiming race, hoping to raise enough money to repay Mamie for Checkers' room and board. Ed discounts the risk that someone will claim Blue Skies, whom they have purposely held back in previous races to build good odds, but George F. Green, whom Ed earlier swindled, recognizes the horse and puts in a claim for $1,000. During the race, Blue Skies falls and breaks a leg. Green is about to shoot the horse, but Checkers pleads for his life, and Green offers to return the horse for a refund of his money. Ed's initial refusal of the offer provokes such a torrent of tears from Checkers that he acquiesces. When Ed, Checkers and Jimmy arrive at Mamie's farm, they find Tobias Williams, a widowed banker, courting her. Mamie, who loves Ed, but will not marry him until he gives up racing, is angry that they have brought the injured Blue Skies, but she gives Ed one more chance to settle down. While Blue Skies' leg heals, Jimmy falls for Tobias' snooty daughter Sarah and works after school in Tobias' bank. When Ed learns from Checkers, who is extremely jealous of Sarah, that Tobias has practically proposed to Mamie, he plants oil on Mamie's land and arranges for Tobias to find out about it. Mamie is then outraged when Tobias proposes without letting on that he knows about the oil, and she breaks his proffered vase of flowers over his head. Tobias fires Jimmy, who now forgets Sarah and joins Checkers to prepare Blue Skies for the upcoming State Fair Derby. Upset by the close call with Tobias, Ed has decided that if Mamie will have him, he will give up Blue Skies. However, when he learns that Mamie has borrowed $10,000 to proceed with drilling for oil, Ed agrees to race the horse to win the $10,000 first prize and sells Nellie, Blue Skies' mother, to Green for the entrance fee. Meanwhile, Mamie, after learning that the oil was a ruse, is angry with Ed and perplexed because Tobias now threatens to take over the farm. To keep Blue Skies from winning, Tobias has Jimmy arrested on a trumped up charge. Learning of this, Mamie connives with Checkers to get Jimmy out of jail. At the start of the race, Blue Skies, who has been nervous and balky since Nellie was sold, is last. Checkers, however, rides Nellie onto the track, which stimulates Blue Skies to win. After Mamie collects much money from betting on Blue Skies, she and Ed embrace and plan their honeymoon.
Director
H. Bruce Humberstone
Cast
Jane Withers
Stuart Erwin
Una Merkel
Marvin Stephens
Andrew Tombes
June Carlson
Minor Watson
John Harrington
Spencer Charters
Francis Ford
Jack Trent
Sid Jordan
Ivan Miller
Stanley Andrews
Tom Mcguire
Richard Allen
Edward Keane
Rita Owin
Wilfred Lucas
Wilbur Mack
Howard Hickman
Landers Stevens
Vester Pegg
George Chandler
Paul Kruger
Carey Harrison
Larry Wheat
Crew
William H. Anderson
Robert Chapin
Daniel B. Clark
Gordon Cooper
Karen De Wolf
Frank Fenton
Frank Fenton
Chester Gore
Bernard Herzbrun
Samuel Kaylin
Jack Murray
Helen A. Myron
Lynn Root
Lynn Root
John Stone
E. Clayton Ward
Sol M. Wurtzel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although Fox Film Corp. previously owned the the rights to the play Checkers by Henry Martyn Blossom (New York, 28 September 1903), which was based on Blossom's novel of the same name (Chicago, 1896), according to a Variety news item, Twentieth Century-Fox purchased the rights on August 2, 1937 as a vehicle for Jane Withers and assigned Lynn Root and Frank Fenton to work on the script. (According to the Twentieth Century-Fox Records of the Legal Department at the UCLA Theater Arts Library, Fox had purchased the rights in 1932, and at various times between 1932 and 1935, had assigned writers to develop screenplays based on the property.) The plot of the completed film differs significantly from that of the play. The film's screen credits make no mention of the play or novel by Blossom and state that the film was "based on an original story by Lynn Root and Frank Fenton." Variety, in reviewing the film, states erroneously that it was based on Rida Johnson Young's play. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, some scenes were shot in Pomona, CA. Marcia Mae Jones is listed as a cast member in Hollywood Reporter production charts, but her participation in the final film has not been confirmed. Following the preview screening in Los Angeles on December 3, 1937, Jane Withers was introduced to the audience as "the charming little lady who ranked eleventh among the screen box office stars last year and has now moved up to ninth position." Motion Picture Herald commented concerning the milieu of the film, "there have been race track pictures of every description in the last few months." Other films based on the Blossom novel or play were the 1913 All Star Feature Corp. production, directed by Augustus Thomas and starring Thomas W. Ross, the 1919 Fox production, directed by Richard Stanton and starring Thomas J. Carrigan and Jean Acker, and the 1924 Fox production entitled Gold Heels, directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Robert Agnew and Peggy Shaw (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1911-20; F1.0656 and F1.0657 and AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.2158).
