Captains Courageous (1937)

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

Rudyard Kipling (novel)
John Lee Mahin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 June 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family

Tagline:

The Most Exciting Picture Since "Mutiny On The Bounty"

Plot:

Harvey Cheyne 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...

Plot Keywords:

Sea Rescue | Boat Accident | Fishing | Spoiled Child | Sailing

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Freddie Bartholomew	...	Harvey Cheyne
Spencer Tracy	...	Manuel Fidello
Lionel Barrymore	...	Captain Disko Troop
Melvyn Douglas	...	Frank Burton Cheyne
Charley Grapewin	...	Uncle Salters
Mickey Rooney	...	Dan Troop
John Carradine	...	Long Jack
Oscar O'Shea	...	Captain Walt Cushman
Jack La Rue	...	Priest (as Jack LaRue)
Walter Kingsford	...	Dr. Finley
Donald Briggs	...	Bob Tyler
Sam McDaniel	...	'Doc' (as Sam McDaniels)
Bill Burrud	...	Charles Jamison (as Billy Burrud)

Also Known As:

Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #2051) | USA:TV-G | New Zealand:G | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Norway:A (1937) | UK:U | Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Was the first MGM film to be shown on television, in 1955.

Goofs:

Continuity: Harvey's position, and his hat, change after being hit by the captain.

Quotes:

Manuel Fidello: Wake up, Little Fish. Hey, wake up, wake up! Somebody think you dead, they have celebrations.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Another Romance of Celluloid (1938)

The golden age of child actors

A movie like this could only have been made in the early days of cinema. Before the days when fancy camera angles, careful editing, and computer-effects combine to make any pretty-boy a big star, movies had to rely on genuine talent on the part of child actors.

Nowhere is this more evident than with Freddie Bartholomew. The character he plays is a spoiled rich-kid, used to getting his own way and obnoxious with everyone he meets. Yet he plays the role in such a way that we can sympathize with him, rather than detest him. We understand the character, but we do not hate him.

Watch any similar movie made today, and the child actors will whine and sneer and have smart-mouthed replies to everything. In this movie, however, the character is not taken to that extreme, and when he makes his transition in the film we are able to love him, and are able to forget how horrid he was before.

The boy can truly act. When he cries for his loved ones, we cry with him. When he is happy, we are able to smile. And when he does something foolish, we do not get the urge to punch him in the face. The character is attractive by the end of the film, and that is a quality which few (if any) child actors possess today.

If you want to see a touching movie with superb acting and genuine emotion, this is the one.