Classic Movie Wednesday

Captains Courageous (1937)

Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew) is a spoiled brat used to having his own way. When a prank goes wrong onboard an ocean liner Harvey ends up overboard and nearly drowns as hilarity ensues. Fortunately he's picked up by a fishing boat just heading out for the season. He tries to bribe the crew into returning early to collect a reward but none of them believe him. Stranded on the boat he must adapt to the ways of the fishermen from Manuel (Spencer Tracy) and learn more about the real world.

Trivia: Was the first MGM film to be shown on television, in 1955. Spencer Tracy was initially reluctant to take on the part of Manuel, mainly because he had to sing in several scenes and get his hair curled. His new curly locks provided a lot of amusement to his friends and fellow actors. Joan Crawford, for instance, referred to him as Harpo (after Harpo Marx, the curly-haired Marx Brother). This was one of the final films Lionel Barrymore made before his degenerative arthritis crippled him. The following year, he was hobbling around on crutches in Frank Capra's "You Can't Take It with You" (1938); after that, he was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Welcome to a new feature on Hilarity Ensues. Classic Movie Wednesday where I will review a classic movie on, well, Wednesday. Now what is a classic movie? Actually, it is just an old movie and Old Movie Wednesday didn't sound as good. I am going to say pre 1990 (well I had to pick a year), and yes, I know that is not very old, but this way I can pick up some of the great 80's flicks, although most will be older. And now to this film. Spencer Tracy won the Best Actor Oscar for this little gem. Freddie Bartholomew was great as the spoiled brat with a machiavellian bent who has to come to terms with his mostly absent father. Tracy becomes a surrogate father to Bartholomew and really has some great scenes. The rest of the cast is also pretty high powered with Lionel Barrymore as the captain and Mickey Rooney as the captain's son. The movie still has relevance today with it's look at fatherhood and growing up.

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