Henry King – Maryland (1940)

adminSeptember 26, 2021

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Synopsis: Charlotte Danfield (Fay Bainter), a member of an old Maryland family with horse breeding in its blood, orders her entire stable sold after her husband meets his death in a hunting accident. She also forbids her son Lee (John Payne) to ride again, but when the boy remains friendly with Charlotte’s old horse trainer, William Stewart (Walter Brennan), and his granddaugther Linda (Brenda Joyce), Charlotte ships him off to school in Europe to remove him from Maryland’s horse-oriented environment. Horses are in Lee’s blood, however, so when he returns home a grown man and learns that “Uncle Bill” is grooming “Cavalier” for the Maryland Cup, he eagerly offers to ride the steed. Later, after acquiescing to Charlotte’s wish that he not ride, Lee, out of a sense of loyalty to Uncle Bill, defies his mother’s will. It looks as if Charlotte will have her way, however, when Uncle Bill’s groom, Shadrach Jones (Ben Carter), confesses that Cavalier is actually Charlotte’s horse, the offspring of a filly that she had ordered him to destroy years earlier. Charlotte takes Bill to court to prevent him from entering the steed in the cup. Luckily for Bill, on the day of the race, Shadrach recants his testimony, and the case is dismissed. Lee speeds to the race field just in time to enter, and as he charges through the course, Charlotte arrives to cheer her son to victory. (From tcm.com)