The Great Dan Patch

This 1949 movie is based on the true story of the legendary race horse Dan Patch, who in eleven years of racing remained undefeated. "Great Dan Patch" is certainly no masterpiece, but it's nevertheless an enjoyable movie with a great cast. Arthur Hunnicutt, whom you'll recognize from "The Red Badge of Courage", adds a lot here in a suporting role. Chemist David Palmer (Dennis O'Keefe) has just married a snobby socialite, Ruth Treadwell (Ruth Warrick), and is also the owner of race horses. When he purchases Dan Patch he knows he's gotten a very special horse, and the trainer Ben Lathrop (John Hoyt), along with his daughter Cissy (Gail Russell), takes good care of Dan Patch. Cissy has had a crush on David for a long time, but his marriage to Ruth has crushed her hopes.Finally, David realizes that he can no longer tolerate his obnoxious wife, and he leaves her and heads for the lovely Cissy. Meanwhile, David sales Dan Patch for $60,000 and the horse becomes a major success touring the country. Of course the story of Dan Patch is in the background throughout the film as the main focus is on Cissy's love for David, but that was okay with me. I never was a fan of horse racing anyway! The reason I purchased this dvd was because I'm a big fan of beautiful Gail Russell, who unfortunately died on August 26, 1961, from an alcohol induced heart attack. She was only 36 years old and had appeared in only 23 films, yet she left behind a legacy of exceptional performances.This dvd from Alpha has an acceptable picture and sound quality, considering that the print used is the public domain unrestored version. All things considered, this movie is well-worth watching and is recommended for any fan of Gail Russell or Dennis O'Keefe.

I initially bought this film because of my interest in Gail Russell. She plays the main female lead and is convincing in her role as an unsophisticated and undereducated daughter of a hard scrabble trotting horse trainer. I was not disappointed in her screen time, character portrayal, or any other aspect of her performance. If you are a Gail Russell fan, you should consider adding this film to your collection. I was surprised that the film was also very interesting in the glimpse into the life and times of its setting. The film made clear the difference in the life-style of the rural poor and the urban and more wealthy. What is more, I was also motivated to learn about the horse, Dan Patch, himself. That was a pretty amazing animal! The film quality is less that I expected. Hence the four stars. I think this is due to marginal production quality and very poor lighting. The night scenes were especially difficult to discern what was happening. Some of the interior shots of the stable were likewise difficult to watch. Like many films of its day, the acting is amateurish by modern standards, the continuity suffers somewhat, camera locations for most interior scenes were less than ideal. Well, so what? It stars Gail Russell!!

True, inspiring story of the greatest pacer of them all -- Dan Patch. Filmed with sincerity and fine personal touches, this is one of the best familyfilms you will ever see. Exciting race scenes and good characterizations. Denis O'Keefe is as always, very good in the title role. Gail Russell is touching and most sensitive throughout. Her devotion to O'Keefe is noticeable from her his moment on-screen. Fine character performances by Henry Hull, Arthur Hunnicutt, Charlotte Greenwood and John Hoyt. This is the way they used to make films...nostalgia and great human technique.

Nice story. I bought this without ever having seen the movie because Gail Russell was in it. After learning of her troubled life, cut short by her demons, and having enjoyed her character so much in John Wayne's "The Angel and the Bad Man" I went ahead and ordered it. For me, it is worth having in my DVD movie collection.

Great Family movie. A breath of fresh air with no foul language. Did not care if it was a bit "corny" at times. Even my 12 year old niece and nephew watched it and were not "bored." They had fun looking up this horse on the Internet after watching the movie. What a nice change from the foul language and violence they usually see on regular tv these days.....

My dad was a fan of trotters so I grew up hearing stories of the great Dan Patch. I was so excited when I ran across this movie.I had seen it as a little chile & never dreamed I be able to own it. He was a big part of our history but most would not even know his name today & in my book that's just wrong. I would recommend it to everyone not just horse lovers.

This is a black and white film. Not that it tells you that anywhere The cover of the DVD is in color so one assumes... Still a good story, but the picture quality isn't very good. But after watching awhile, you forget it's blurry and in black and white because it's a good story for a good price.

As a horse owner and breeder for years, I am very familiar with the story of "Dan Patch" ~ was disappointed in the quality of the film, seemed to be a poor quality copy, complete with a cut in of some commercial in the middle of the movie. It was cheap and not worth returning, but was very disappointed in it.

This Is a classic hard to find Movie, All about the great horse Dan Patch. There are as Pointed out by others here some Fiction beyond Fact. That's probably for Drama reasons more than anything. There Is supposed to be a Colour Version of this to. Not found It yet.

Great film. Father in law very pleased and if you love horses and horse racing the story is a great one. Kept the whole family entertained.

EXCELLENT

The first one I bought would not play in my dvd. the second one seemed to have a segment missing from it. Could be due to its age! I love the horse Dan Patch. He was a great pacer!

The story was a great story and it held personal family history for me. My Grandfather did the leather work for the horse in this movie.