Down the Stretch (Warner Bros.) (1936)

Publicity (Lead-Off Story) Down the Stretch Horse Race Film Coming to Strand “Down the Stretch,” First National’s thrilling romance of the race tracks, has been booked as the feature attraction at the 2 eigen eo 5 eee Theatre, beginNING o/s next, with Mickey Rooney, Patricia Ellis and Dennis Moore in the leading roles. Miss Ellis, as owner of famous Kentucky stables visits night court with her husband (Dennis Moore) when Snapper Sinclair, a boy she recognizes as having been a jockey for her father, is about to be sent up for vagraney. She has Snapper paroled to her and sends him to her stables. Snapper Sinclair is played by Mickey Rooney. The manager of the stables objects to taking Snapper in beeause of his father’s bad reputation—but when he rides an unmanageable horse to victory he accepts him. He wins race after race afterward, until he is framed and suspended. Snapper is brokenhearted but gets a chance to go to England where he is finally chosen to ride the Maharajah’s nag for the gold cup at Ascot. He discovers that his boss has lost all her horses but one, Faithful, which she has entered for the gold cup. Snapper has the race cinched with Faithful running third when he fouls the second horse to let Faithful go under the wire first. For this he is disbarred from the English tracks, but is happy when Miss Ellis visits him at the hospital where he is recuperating. She tells him she is taking him shack to the U.S. A. Others in the cast are Virginia Brissae, Gordon Hart, Gordon Elliott, Joseph Crehan, Mary Treen, Edward Keane, Raymond Brown, Andre Beranger, Bob Tansill, Frank Faylen and Robert Emmett Keane, William Clemens directed the picture from the original story and screen play by William Jacobs. G Opening Day Story) Smashing Drama of Race Tracks At Strand Today A new First National drama dealing with the sport of kings, “Down the Stretch,” opens at the Theatre, today, with Mickey Rooney, Patricia Ellis and Dennis Moore in the leading roles. The story is built around a boy who is unable to get a job with any stable because his father, a famous jockey had thrown a race, but is finally taken under the wing of a woman owner of a famous Kentucky racing stable. Even then he is given no opportunity to ride because of the prejudice of the trainer. He has made friends with a colt considered bad but pleads in vain to race it. But when the horse depended on to win the Derby has been injured, a chance is taken on the youthful jockey and the horse as the last chance. The two streak under the wire to win, upholding the traditions of the stables for which they run. Mickey Rooney has the part of the jockey and Miss Ellis that of his sponsor while Dennis Moore is cast as her husband. Others in the cast are William Best, Gordon Hart, Gordon Elliott, Virginia Brissac, Charles Wilson, Joseph Crehan and Mary Treen. William Clemens directed the production from the original story and screen play by. William Jacobs. Page Six Lady Luck Is With Them! Mickey Rooney (left), Patricia Ellis and Dennis Moore, principals in First National’s sensational romance of the race tracks — in which the famous boy-actor plays the part of a jockey — and a hero. “Down the Stretch” comes to the. Theatre. next. Mat No. 202—20c (Review) ‘Down The Stretch’’ Vivid Drama Of Horse Racing Thrilling Track Scenes Almost Lift Audiences From Their Seats One of the most thrilling pictures of horse racing ever filmed, ‘‘Down the Stretch,’’ a First National production, was shown at the.......... — Theatre yesterday for the first time locally. Audiences literally rose and cheered in exciting finishes, when thoroughbreds shot under the wire to win by a nose. Mickey Rooney, Patricia Ellis, Dennis Moore and William Best have the leading roles. Though the races represent the running of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Handicap, the Arlington Classic and the Gold Cup at Ascot, in England, the scenes actually were filmed at the famous Santa Anita track in California and at the training stables and track at Encino with all the warmth, color and excitement of the real races is found in the scenes. Mickey Rooney, who made such a hit as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and in many other films, has the principal role, that of.a jockey whom no one will engage because of his father, a famous jockey, who was disbarred for throwing a race. He is given an opportunity by a woman owner of a famous Kentucky stable. He finally makes good, winning the Derby and many other races, and winning them with a horse that had wings on its feet, but a mean streak in its heart, like its sire—a horse that but one jockey could handle. Mickey proves to be a brilliant rider as well as an accomplished actor. This fifteen year old boy gives a finished performance in a role that would task a far more experienced actor, although Mickey himself has been playing since he was four years old. Patricia Ellis has the role of the owner of the stables for which Mickey rides. She picks him up in the night court, after recognizing him, and persuading the judge to turn him over to her instead of sending him to a reformatory for vagrancy. Miss Ellis, trained on both stage and screen, shows more finesse and poisa in her work than many an older actress and gives a fine performance throughout. Dennis Moore, who makes his pieture bow in this film, plays oppo site Miss Ellis as her husband. He is a handsome and athletic youth and his work is excellent. William Best, negro stable boy for Mickey, adds no inconsiderable amount of comedy to the thrills of the picture. Others in the cast deserving special mention are Gordon Hart, Gordon EIliott, Virginia Brissac, Charles Wilson, Joseph Crehan and Mary Treen. William Clemens has done an excellent job of directing, maintaining the suspense throughout. The original story and _ screen play are by William Jacobs. Mickey Rooney Falls Off Horse, Is Saved By Hay Mickey Rooney has developed almost as much fondness for hay as the horses he rides in the First National film “Down the Stretch,” Whith comes to the ............ Theatre on next. But not for eating purposes. He was saved from injury by a thick mound of it after falling from a horse in one of his riding scenes as a jockey at location at a stable and race-track in Encino. Instead of turning the sharp curve in the small track, his horse balked and sent him sailing over the fence. While the company gasped, Mickey picked himself up from his spongy landing place and ran back to grab the bridle of his mount. But Director William Clemens didn’t want to take any more chances. He had a double finish the scene. “Down the Stretch” is a thundering drama of the race tracks by William Jacobs, Beside Rooney the cast includes Patricia Ellis, Dennis Moore, William Best, Gordon Hart, Gordon Elliott, Virginia Brissac, Charles Wilson and Joseph Crehan. Mickey Rooney Plans Ages Of Study With Reinhardt Star of “Down the Stretch” Will Make Films Between Visits to Salzburg So that he will be able to study in Salzburg under Max Reinhardt who first discovered him, Mickey Rooney, fifteen year old child actor, is industriously studying German. While working at First National studios for the first time since he scored his great success as Puck in ‘‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’’ Mickey was visited by Reinhardt Dennis Moore’s Fingers Broken in Racing Film Dennis Moore emerged from two airplane crashes without a scratch. He brushed himself off after being thrown by broncos on his father’s ranch in Texas and found that he was still in one piece. But he walked through a simple scene in the First National pieture, “Down the Stretch,” which Comes. to these <.d.44 ee ee Theatre on next, tripped and broke two fingers. So is carried on the tradition of the man who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel and then tripped on a banana peel and broke his neck. It never fails. Moore continued with the scene and got medical attention when he was through. The airplane crashes occurred when he was a transport pilot in Texas before he became an actor. “Down the Stretch” is a dynamie drama of the race tracks by William Jacobs. Besides Dennis Moore the cast includes Mickey Rooney, Patricia Ellis, William Best, Gordon Hart, Gordon Elliott, Virginia Brissac, Charles Wilson and Joseph Crehan. William Clemens directed. Race Horse Playing in Film Has Stand-In “Faithful,” a thoroughbred race horse that has an important part in the First National film, “Down the Stretch,” which comes to the Theatre on Ste ae aed 22k » received the same consideration that Patricia Ellis, Mickey Rooney and the other human actors did. He had a stand-in, too. Intelligent and high-spirited, he fretted when kept under the lights too long. So William Clemens, the director, substituted a more stolid nag of the same color when the preparations were being made. PORES Sw We 6 fe ae) Sea ie Mickey Rooney Aims to Be Youngest Director To be the youngest director in the business is the goal sought by Mickey Rooney, young actor who has a leading role in the First National picture “Down the Stretch,” which comes to the Saoe hile ee ee cee a ee Theatre on next. Now fifteen, he is studying con tinually so he will be qualified to direct by the time he is twentyone. He had his first part at the age of four. Patricia Ellis Wants To Be Just ‘“‘Pat’’ Patricia Ellis wants to be known merely as “Pat.” She unsuccessfully besieged executive offices to have her official billing on her latest First National picture, “Down the Stretch,” which Comes “CO=the 4:2)... oe ee Theatre on changed to “Pat Ellis.” “Everyone I know calls me Pat,” she explained. OM Od 48 Bae ne on the set of “Down the Stretch” which production comes to the Theatre on next. The German director emphatically declared that the child actor has the greatest native acting ability of anyone that he has yet seen in Hollywood. He also feels that he is one of the few children on the screen who will be able to undertake adult roles with even greater success. When he has the language perfected, he will spend several seasons under the tutelage of Reinhardt. He will keep up his screen work between trips abroad to the Austrian festival. Although his selection as Puck brought Mickey new recognition, he had been a well-known stage and screen actor almost since birth. He made his first appearance in the vaudeville acts of his parents, Joe Yule and Nell Brown, when only eleven months old. He became a regular member of the act at two years when he crawled out on tha stage from his station in the wings and sneezed. His father picked him up, gave him a French harp to play and he was an instant hit with the audience. Since then he has appeared in vaudeville, musical comedies and any number of pictures. Now that he realizes he probably will be an actor the rest of his life, he plans to study intensively under the “Wizard of Salzburg” so that his adult career is a success. “Down the Stretch” is a dynamic drama of horse racing written by William Jacobs. Besides Mickey Rooney, the cast includes Patricia Ellis, Dennis Moore, William Best, Gordon Hart, Gordon Elliott, Virginia Brissac, Charles Wilson, Joseph Crehan and Mary Treen. William Clemens directed. Mickey Rooney Boy-actor who plays the heroic jockey in the exciting First National racetrack picture, “Down the Stretch,” which comes to the <Scncreel fees NEOEORE, 4 oe . ORT. Mat No. 108—10c