Three Men on a Horse

Director: Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy

Overview

All but forgotten today, the George Abbott-John Cecil Holm stage comedy Three Men on a Horse was once a staple of the community theatre and summer-stock circuit (a 1958 TV production starred no less than Johnny Carson). Though a faithful adaptation of the Broadway original, this 1936 film version avoids staginess thanks to the sprightly direction of Mervin LeRoy. Frank McHugh plays a meek, henpecked greeting-card writer who has an uncanny knack for picking winning race horses. Wandering into a bar after a spat with his wife (Carol Hughes), the prognosticative McHugh is "adopted" by Runyonesque horseplayers Sam Levene, Allen Jenkins and Teddy Hart. Held a virtual prisoner by the three gamblers, McHugh is unable to return to his job at the greeting card company, forcing his boss Guy Kibbee to realize for the first time the indispensability of his missing employee. A very slight piece, Three Men on a Horse is buoyed by the talents of the above-mentioned actors, as well as such reliables as Joan Blondell, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/16/2019
UPC:	0883929683802
Original Release:	1936
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:26:00
Sales rank:	47,253

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Frank McHugh	Erwin Trowbridge
Joan Blondell	Mabel
Carol Hughes	Audrey Trowbridge,Audrey Trowbridge
Guy Kibbee	Mr. J. G. Carver
Allen Jenkins	Charley
Sam Levene	Patsy
Teddy Hart	Frankie
Edgar Kennedy	Harry
Paul Harvey	Clarence Dobbins
Margaret Irving	Gloria
George Chandler	Al
Harry Davenport	William
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson	Moses
Virginia Sale	Chambermaid
Charles Lane	Cleaner
Cliff Saum	Bus Conductor
Harry Hayden	Man on Bus
Ottola Nesmith	Head Nurse
Eily Malyon	Nurse
Edith Craig	Female Bettor
Irene Colman	Female Bettor
John Sheehan	Male Bettor
Pat West	Male Bettor
Ted Bliss	Radio Announcer
Mickey Daniels	Delivery Boy

Technical Credits

Laird Doyle

Mervyn LeRoy	Director,Producer
Samuel Bischoff	Producer,Producer
Laird Doyle	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Three Men on a Horse is something of a time capsule, and being so, it may displease some modern audiences looking for something a bit less tame or with sharper teeth. For those who delight in well-made farces, especially those created on the Broadway stage of the 1920s or 1930s, Horse will provide more than enough entertainment to land in the winner's circle. The plot is silly, but lovably so, and it provides the necessary excuse for all of the shenanigans that follow. The George Abbott-John Cecil Holm dialogue has been adapted nicely, with a few pieces of sharp wit thrown in by screenwriter Laird Doyle; as a result, the film crackles along from start to finish. Director Mervyn LeRoy makes sure that it keeps crackling, never letting the pace slow down except as is necessary to provide the proper buildup to the next comic set piece. The cast is perfectly on target, with exceptional contributions from the gentle, put-upon Frank McHugh and the deliciously wisecracking Joan Blondell. Horse is ultimately too slight to amount to a classic, but it's good, zippy fun all the way.