Off to the Races
Cast & Crew
Frank R. Strayer
Slim Summerville
Jed Prouty
Shirley Deane
Spring Byington
Russell Gleason
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
As the Jones family prepares for the big county fair, Louise Jones's brother-in-law, George Baxter, and his daughter, Winnie Mae, arrive to pay their annual visit to the family and to enter their horse, Jerry B., in the harness race. Uncle George, impecunious and extraordinarily devoted to his horse, boards Jerry B. in the Jones's garage, until John Jones, father of the family, objects, and the horse is sent to a stable. Bonnie Jones, the eldest daughter, invites her boyfriend Herbert Thompson, a horticulturist who lives out of town, to her family's home for the fair. As the two hypothetically discuss weddings, the meddlesome Winnie Mae overhears and then announces their engagement to the assembled guests. Jones and Louise congratulate the pair, who then reluctantly admit their intent to wed, though Herbert worries about his income and his meager savings account. Uncle George, a slacker, encourages his family members to invest in his horse racing venture with the promise that they'll receive five percent of his winnings. Herbert, worried about his fiancée's spending habits, agrees to bet his every last penny on Jerry B., hoping that he'll get a handsome return. At the track, Jerry B. wins the first heat, but loses the second due to a lost shoe. As Uncle George prepares for the third and final race, his ex-wife Rosabelle shows up and demands that he produce all his missed alimony payments. When he tells her that he's penniless, she calls a police officer, who arrests him. Roger, Jones's son, begs Jones to ride Jerry B. in Uncle George's place, as most of the family has invested money in or betted on the horse. Jones at first refuses, as he had earlier proven himself inept on horseback, but when Winnie Mae tells him that if the horse loses, Uncle George would have to stay in jail and she would then have to live with the Jones family forever, Jones plucks up his courage and rides. After an ungraceful and erratic performance, Jones wins the race but refuses to pose for a picture in the winner's circle, as he has lost the seat of his pants.
Director
Frank R. Strayer
Cast
Slim Summerville
Jed Prouty
Shirley Deane
Spring Byington
Russell Gleason
George Ernest
June Carlson
Florence Roberts
Billy Mahan
Ann Gillis
Fred Toones
Chick Chandler
Ruth Gillette
Edward Gargan
Billy Taft
Edward E. Williams
Wilbur Mack
Frank Shannon
Ivan Miller
Eddy Waller
Crew
Felix Bernard
Lewis Creber
Robert Ellis
Bernard Freericks
L. Wolfe Gilbert
Max Golden
Herschel
Samuel Kaylin
Harry M. Leonard
Helen Logan
Barney Mcgill
Sol Michaels
Alex Troffey
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The plot summary was based on a screen continuity in the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Theater Arts Library. The working titles of this film were The Jones Family at the County Fair and At the County Fair. The film was also known as The Jones Family in Off to the Races. According to Variety, the studio borrowed Slim Summerville for this film and gave him top billing. Carleton Griffin and Lynne Berkeley are listed as cast members in Hollywood Reporter production charts, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed. For information about the Jones Family series, please see the entry above for Every Saturday Night and consult the Series Index.
