Runtime: 68 minutes
Directed by: Robert Florey
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Raymond, Genevieve Tobin, John Eldridge, Phillip Reed
From: Warner Bros.
Barbara Stanwyck versus snooty people. It was time to hit the DVR again; this was recorded early last month on TCM. I’m not a “horse boy,” mind you. Rather, it was the star, the brief length (68 minutes) and the foreknowledge that she portrayed an equestrienne (yes, that’s the female form of “equestrian”) who married into snobby upper-crust society and of course some in that sect despise her only due to her lower-class status.
It's a world of polo and other equestrian events that Stanwyck’s Shelby Barret is a part of. She is hired to ride horses rather than being either new money or old money. Her and Johnny fall in love, despite the presence of others that love either Shelby or Johnny-in addition to stuck-up relatives wishes that Shelby wasn’t of common class-naturally leading to conflict. Then, an accidental drowning occurs… it’s a standard programmer in an interesting world which will be of particular interest to the horse-girls (and the horse-boys).
There are various charms throughout-including a nice love story-but of course Stanwyck is a highlight; she never accepts the crap dished to her by the rich folk. Finally in the final act she yells at those SOB’s. This is what I’ll remember the most from a film that isn’t a must-see except for those that are huge fans of Babs and want to do a deeper dive into her filmography. As for the Gene Wilder film from the 80's that this shares a title with--if that had ever been viewed by me, some sort of comparison would be made. As it hasn't...
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