Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

HOME IN INDIANA

Lon McCallister and Jeanne Crain
HOME IN INDIANA (1944). Director: Henry Hathaway. 

"If you'd been a boy we'd have been the greatest pals!" 

Orphaned "Sparke" Thornton (Lon McCallister), who got into some unspecified trouble in the big city, comes to live on his aunt and uncle's farm in Indiana. His first impulse is to run out the back door but then he discovers there's a stables and track -- and two pretty girls -- next door. His Uncle "Thunder" Bolt (Walter Brennan) himself has only one old and blind filly left, but Sparke contrives to secretly mate this animal with the neighbor's prize stallion, resulting in a possibly champion racing horse. It isn't long before Sparke, with the help of Thunder, "Char" (Jeanne Crain) and the more glamorous "Cri-Cri" (June Haver) -- not to mention stable boy Mo' (Willie Best) and employee Tuppy (George Reed) -- is off to the races! 

Charlotte Greenwood with McCallister
The performances -- by those named as well as a wonderful Charlotte  Greenwood as Aunt Penny -- greatly help put over this somewhat entertaining but unriveting horse drama. It seems Lon McCallister was too often teamed up with horses (The Boy from Indiana) and mules (Scudda Hoo!, Scudda Hey!, which reteamed him with Haver and Brennan) as often as he was with the ladies. He's earnest and appealing in that "gosh oh golly" way of his. He, Haver and Crain, although all three had had bit parts in previous films, were "introduced" in this movie.  McCallister plays very well with both Crain and Haver, although his switching his affections from one to the other occurs rather abruptly and without any real explanation. The girls' fathers are played by Ward Bond and Charles Dingle. Remade as April Love with Pat Boone.

Verdict: Horse lovers will get more of a kick out of this. **1/2. 

2 comments:

angelman66 said...

Good cast. I only remember McCallister opposite Haver in Scudda Hoo. Have never seen him do anything else that I can remember. Jeanne Crain was beautiful but don't recall any standout role I should remember her from.
-Chris

William said...

McCallister did too many films with horses so unless one adored the animals they probably didn't get to know him too well. Too ad as he was attractive and talented. Crain's best roles were in "Letter to Three Wives" and playing a black gal in "Pinky," among others. Mankiewicz always derided her talent but I think he was unfair. More likely she just didn't "play ball" with him, if you know what I mean.