Absolutely brilliant

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

The success of "National Velvet" just a few years before brought a slew of movies about horse racing. If it wasn't fictional stories written by Damon Runyon or starring the Bowery Boys, it was real life hero horses with semi-fictional variations of Seabiscuit or Black Beauty or Dan Patch, the off-spring of the equally famous Joe Patch who became even more of a legend. This drama tells more of the owner's story, here played by Dennis O'Keefe.A scientist by career, he becomes distracted from his promising career when his father bequeaths him the young colt he christens Dan and turns into the biggest champion of his day. This causes issues with his haughty wife (Ruth Warrick) and creates a bond with the sweet Gail Russell. Charlotte Greenwood is wise and loving as O'Keefe's aunt. Warrick had already played several variations of the cold fishwife, and unlike her daytime role of matriarch Phoebe Tyler, this character lacks humor and the heart that Warrick instilled in the usually pompous queen of "All My Children". She has an amusing opening scene where she is being fitted into a dress with open windows at ground level, and keeps getting interrupted by intruders who stop by to tell her that her old beau, O'Keefe, has returned. Rather slow moving and unremarkable, this is rather standard late '40s fare that was better served in the same year's " The Red Pony" which had the advantage of color photography. Russell adds some spirit as the sweet but earthy girl who helps bring O'Keefe out of his shadow as the husband of a character identical to Joan Crawford's Harriet Craig, complete with a racist attitude towards some farmhands she encounters much to her disgust. It is moments like that which really make you think, but I really wanted to see more of the horse. After all, he's the titled character, and he is basically supporting.

David Palmer (Dennis O'Keefe) has graduated from college as a chemist but returns to his father's horse farm in Indiana to sort things out. He has been engaged to a beautiful schoolteacher (Ruth Warrick) and they will probably wed soon. David's father raises harness-racing horses and is very excited about a stallion named Joe Patchen. Training the horse is his longtime employee and his teenage daughter, Cissy (Gail Russell). But, at his first race, Joe P has an unfortunate accident and ruins one his legs. Undeterred, Mr. Palmer Sr. decides to breed the horse and see what happens. Fast forward three years. David is married and far wealthier, due to an invention. His wife couldn't be happier but, David feels something is missing. He begins spending more time with Joe's son, horse Dan Patch, who is even swifter than his sire. Cissy, too, has blossomed into a beautiful, sweet young lady who secretly loves David. With Dan Patch winning race after race, David gets caught up in the excitement, as does the entire country. But, could his personal life with his wife suffer? Does he truly love Cissy, too? This 1949 film highlights the true story of a horse, Dan Patch, who set many records for harness racing and was well-loved throughout the whole USA. Few have heard of him today, unfortunately, but many viewers will love watching his "tale". The cast is quite nice, with O'Keefe a dignified, handsome leading man and Russell unusually pretty. Watch out for Warrick, who went on to fame in the soaps! She makes a darn good "villianess". All of the supporting actors are very fine as well. Naturally, the film's look is the standard of the times but the editing and camera shots are interesting. Costumes, sets, script, and direction are worthy. Of course, there is some obvious political "incorrectness", as the horse farm's workers are African-American and shown in a mostly subservient role. Likely it is historically accurate to their positions but, they are shown here as stereotypically "step-and-fetch-its" without much intelligence. That's too bad but the story is still a good one and worth watching, despite its problems. If you love horses, you should try to find dear Dan P. I got mine at the Dollar Tree store, for a buck, and it brought much more pleasure than it cost.

Yes, generally this was a "nice" classic-era tale, the kind you don't often see post-1960s film but as a big, big fan of horse racing, I was disappointed.Since "Dan Patch" has such a famous name in his sport, I was hoping to see all the details on film. Instead, what I got was mainly melodrama, a story about a guy (Dennis O'Keefe as "David Palmer") married to a social- climbing wife (Ruth Warrick as "Ruth Treadwell") but really more interested in another woman. The latter, "Cissy Lathrop," is a nicer, warmer lady whom the male lead should have married in the first place, but, she didn't come along early enough in the man's life. He had already committed to the annoying and too ambitious "Ruth."Anyway, the only good thing about the romance angle was seeing the pretty face of Gail Russell (Cissy), but I'd rather have witnessed a lot more horse racing story in here than what was found. By the way, has there ever been a stable hand that looked Russell? I doubt it. At least she, the old harness racing buggies, a few of the racing scenes and fairgrounds-type atmosphere were all nostalgic. But, it really wasn't much of a "sports film," which was I hoped to see.

Dripping with repressed emotions, recrimination and loaded with both implied and explicit misogyny, is can barely offer enough action and suspense to keep the viewer from spewing their lunch.Dripping with repressed emotions, recrimination and loaded with both implied and explicit misogyny, is can barely offer enough action and suspense to keep the viewer from spewing their lunch.Dripping with repressed emotions, recrimination and loaded with both implied and explicit misogyny, is can barely offer enough action and suspense to keep the viewer from spewing their lunch.XXXXXXXXXXXXXX:) :D