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      Sporting Blood

      1931 1h 23m Drama List
      Reviews Horse breeder Jim Rellence (Ernest Torrence) grows attached to colt Tommy Boy and initially resists selling him, but eventually must. Tommy Boy is a success on the track, and is sold twice more, ending with crooked and abusive gambler Scanlon (Lew Cody). When Scanlon must flee gangsters, Tommy Boy falls to card dealer Rid Riddle (Clark Gable) and his girlfriend, Ruby (Madge Evans), who rejects Rid's hope to race Tommy Boy honestly and instead tries to reunite the horse with Jim. Read More Read Less

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      Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews This is the flick that earned the up-and-coming Gable top-billing. Rated: B- Aug 5, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

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      Steve D The young Clark Gable makes this a lot of fun. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/27/23 Full Review ashley h Sporting Blood is a decent film. It is about the saga of thoroughbred Tommy Boy, born in a rain puddle, and his various owners as he evolves into a champion stakes horse. Clark Gable and Ernest Torrence give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Charles Brabin did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama and romance. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Minor drama, horse lovers would probably give it another star, that would be totally forgotten if Gable wasn't in it. He exudes more presence and star quality than the entire rest of the cast combined. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member the pic that made gable a star in this pre-code talkie Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Sporting Blood (1931) This is a racehorse picture, with an homage to the horse, who treats humans a whole lot better than the humans treat them back. Jim Rellence (Ernest Torrence) raises thoroughbred race horses on his huge Kentucky mansion. He babies them and loves them like his own children and has a hard time selling them. Tommy Boy was born in the mud where his champion mother broke her leg and needed to be put down. He was lovingly raised by Rellence's help, Uncle Ben (John Larkin) and his son, Sammy (Eugene Jackson), but is eventually sold through a series of owners who mistreat poor Tommy Boy, over-racing him, and even doping him up for the track. One of his owners, Tip Scanion (Lew Cody) has a girlfriend, Ruby (Madge Evans) who has the hots for a young casino dealer, Rid Riddell (Clark Gable), but she's a kept woman and it isn't meant to be. She slowly takes up drinking instead. Tip transfers Rid to his stables where he's well away from Ruby. Rid keeps telling Tip that Tommy Boy can be a great racehorse if they only give him some better care. Tip doesn't listen. Tip has signed over Tommy Boy to Ruby so he won't get into trouble with some big gamblers that he has conned into betting on Tommy Boy. Tip gets his just deserts anyway. Ruby takes the horse back to Jim Rellence to get well again, and also to dry-up herself. Will Tommy Boy have a chance at the big race, and will Rid and Ruby get back together? This movie was really kind of interesting as it spent a great deal of time with the black characters. There was a fair share of step-n-fetch-it stereotype stuff, but you also really felt the love they had for Tommy Boy. This was really a nice little movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Sporting Blood

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Horse breeder Jim Rellence (Ernest Torrence) grows attached to colt Tommy Boy and initially resists selling him, but eventually must. Tommy Boy is a success on the track, and is sold twice more, ending with crooked and abusive gambler Scanlon (Lew Cody). When Scanlon must flee gangsters, Tommy Boy falls to card dealer Rid Riddle (Clark Gable) and his girlfriend, Ruby (Madge Evans), who rejects Rid's hope to race Tommy Boy honestly and instead tries to reunite the horse with Jim.
      Director
      Charles Brabin
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jul 26, 2011
      Runtime
      1h 23m