Captains Courageous (1937 film): Difference between revisions

Captains Courageous
Captains Courageous
	Film poster
Directed by	Victor Fleming
Screenplay by	John Lee Mahin; Marc Connelly; Dale Van Every
Based on	Captains Courageous; 1897 novel; by Rudyard Kipling
Produced by	Louis D. Lighton
Starring	Freddie Bartholomew; Spencer Tracy; Lionel Barrymore; Melvyn Douglas
Cinematography	Harold Rosson
Edited by	Elmo Veron
Music by	Franz Waxman
Production; company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release dates	May 11, 1937 (New York City, premiere); June 25, 1937 (United States);
Running time	117 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.6 million
Box office	$3.1 million

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Captains Courageous is a 1937 American adventure drama film starring Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore and Melvyn Douglas. Based on the 1897 novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, the film had its world premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. Directed by Victor Fleming, it was produced by Louis D. Lighton and made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Filmed in black and white, Captains Courageous was advertised by MGM as a coming-of-age classic with exciting action sequences.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, with Spencer Tracy winning the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the simple but caring fisherman Manuel.

Backgrounds and exteriors for the film, which updated the story's setting to the mid-1920s, were shot on location in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Shelburne, Nova Scotia in Canada, and Gloucester, Massachusetts in the United States.^[3]

Plot

Harvey Cheyne is the spoiled son of American business tycoon Frank Burton Cheyne. Harvey is shunned by his classmates at a private boarding school, and eventually suspended for bad behavior. Seeking to close the gap between them, Frank takes Harvey on a business trip to Europe, travelling there by trans-Atlantic steamship. A few days into the voyage, Harvey falls overboard in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. He is rescued by a fisherman, Manuel Fidello, and taken aboard the fishing schooner We're Here, from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

The schooner's captain, Disko Troop, doesn't believe Harvey's claims about his father's wealth, and refuses to take Harvey back to New York. To Harvey's shock, he intends fishing on the Grand Banks for three more months. Captain Troop offers Harvey temporary crew membership until they return to port. Harvey is reluctant to do real work but prodded by Manuel, a proud but simple Portuguese immigrant, eventually accepts. Befriended also by Captain Troop's son, Dan, he becomes acclimated to the demanding fishing lifestyle. Harvey begins to partner with Manuel in his dory. When a prank of Harvey's causes a fish hook to lodge in a crewman's arm, Manuel defends the boy. The We're Here fills with fish and turns for home.

During the climactic race back to Gloucester against a rival schooner, the Jennie Cushman, Manuel climbs to the top of the mast to furl the sail. The mast cracks and he is plunged into the icy sea, tangled in the rigging. The weight of the broken mast and rigging threaten to capsize the ship. Manuel speaks to the cook in Portuguese, and the cook tells Captain Troop that all the bottom half of Manuel is gone, and Manuel doesn't want the boy to see. Manuel tells Captain Troop to cut the rigging free, knowing he will drown with it. Harvey crawls out on the wreckage, crying and distraught, while Captain Troop wields an axe. Finally Manuel kisses the cross around his neck and sinks below the water. We're Here returns to port and Harvey is reunited with his father Frank, who is impressed by his son's maturity. Harvey grieves for Manuel, pushing Frank away and wanting to stay on the We're Here, but Troop reassures Frank, telling him that there is room in Harvey's heart for both men and that once there Frank "will find Manuel mighty satisfactory company." At the church, Harvey lights two candles, one from Manuel to Manuel's father and one from him to Manuel. Frank overhears Harvey praying that someday he will be with Manuel again and follows the boy to Manuel's dory, floating near the ship. Harvey is inconsolable and begs Frank to leave him alone.

The next day, in front of the Fisherman's Memorial, Harvey and Frank join the community in casting bouquets and wreaths on the outgoing tide in tribute to the souls lost during this fishing season. The last shot shows the Cheynes' car speeding down the road with Manuel's dory on a trailer behind. Through the side window we see Harvey gesturing animatedly and his father laughing, regaled with stories of Harvey's adventures.

Cast

Freddie Bartholomew as Harvey Cheyne
Spencer Tracy as Manuel Fidello
Lionel Barrymore as Captain Disko Troop
Melvyn Douglas as Frank Burton Cheyne
Charley Grapewin as Uncle Salters
Mickey Rooney as Dan Troop
John Carradine as "Long Jack"
Oscar O'Shea as Captain Walt Cushman
Jack La Rue as Priest (credited as Jack LaRue)
Walter Kingsford as Dr. Finley
Donald Briggs as Bob Tyler
Sam McDaniel as "Doc" (credited as Sam McDaniels)
Bill Burrud as Charles Jamison (credited as Billy Burrud)
Gladden James as Secretary Cobb (uncredited)
Bob Hope as taxi driver (uncredited)
Billy Gilbert as soda steward (uncredited)
Charles Coleman as Burns, the butler (uncredited)
Lester Dorr as corridor steward (uncredited)

Reception

Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times called the film "another of those grand jobs of movie-making we have come to expect of Hollywood's most prodigal studio. With its rich production, magnificent marine photography, admirable direction and performances, the film brings vividly to life every page of Kipling's novel and even adds an exciting chapter or two of its own."^[4] Variety reported that the Kipling story had "been given splendid production, performance, photography and dramatic composition."^[5] Harrison's Reports wrote, "Excellent! It is the type of entertainment that audiences will not forget soon, for its spiritual beauty makes a deep impression on one."^[6] John Mosher of The New Yorker called it "as rich a film as you will see this spring ... The picture is magnificent as a sketch of storm and struggle on the ocean."^[7]

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $1,688,000 in the US and Canada and $1,445,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $355,000.^[2]

Awards

Spencer Tracy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in this film. The movie was also nominated for three other Academy Awards:

Best Picture – Louis D. Lighton, producer
Best Film Editing – Elmo Veron
Best Writing, Screenplay – Marc Connelly, John Lee Mahin and Dale Van Every

A VHS edition of the 1937 film was released by MGM Home Video in 1990 followed by Warner Home Video's DVD of the film on January 31, 2006.

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – #94^[8]

In popular culture

Holden Caulfield, protagonist of the 1951 J.D. Salinger novel The Catcher in the Rye, is thought to look like Harvey Cheyne, as in the book a prostitute tells Caulfield that he looks like the boy who falls off a boat in a film costarring Melvyn Douglas, though the film is not mentioned by name.

Chris Elliott has stated that Captains Courageous was the inspiration for the film Cabin Boy.

References

^ "Captains Courageous". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ "AFI|Catalog".
^ Nugent, Frank S. (May 12, 1937). "Movie Review: Captains Courageous". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
^ "Film reviews". Variety. New York: Variety, Inc. May 19, 1937. p. 22.
^ "Captains Courageous". Harrison's Reports. New York: Harrison's Reports, Inc.: 71 May 1, 1937.
^ Mosher, John (May 15, 1937). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. New York: F-R Publishing Corp. p. 105.
^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-08-14.

External links

Captains Courageous at IMDb
Captains Courageous at the TCM Movie Database
Captains Courageous at AllMovie
Captains Courageous at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Captains Courageous at Rotten Tomatoes

[AFI-1] "Captains Courageous". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2024-07-15.

[Mannix-2] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[3] "AFI|Catalog".

[4] Nugent, Frank S. (May 12, 1937). "Movie Review: Captains Courageous". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2015.

[5] "Film reviews". Variety. New York: Variety, Inc. May 19, 1937. p. 22.

[6] "Captains Courageous". Harrison's Reports. New York: Harrison's Reports, Inc.: 71 May 1, 1937.

[7] Mosher, John (May 15, 1937). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. New York: F-R Publishing Corp. p. 105.

[8] "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-08-14.

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = Captains Courageous
-| image          = File:Captains Courageous poster.jpg
+| image          = Captains Courageous poster.jpg
-| image_size     =
 | caption        = Film poster
 | director       = [[Victor Fleming]]
 | producer       = [[Louis D. Lighton]]
 | based_on       = {{based on|''[[Captains Courageous]]''<br>1897 novel|[[Rudyard Kipling]]}}
-| writers        = [[John Lee Mahin]]<br />[[Marc Connelly]]<br />[[Dale Van Every]]
+| screenplay         = [[John Lee Mahin]]<br />[[Marc Connelly]]<br />[[Dale Van Every]]
 | starring       = [[Freddie Bartholomew]]<br />[[Spencer Tracy]]<br />[[Lionel Barrymore]]<br />[[Melvyn Douglas]]
 | music          = [[Franz Waxman]]
@@ Line 15: / Line 14: @@
 | studio         = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
 | distributor    = [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's Inc.]]
+| released       = {{Film date|1937|05|11|[[New York City]], premiere|1937|06|25|United States}}<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |url= https://catalog.afi.com/Film/3994-CAPTAINS-COURAGEOUS?sid=d0cd3486-22c2-4bfe-9f9e-2245532bcfd0&sr=13.143487&cp=1&pos=0 |title=Captains Courageous |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=2024-07-15}}</ref>
-| released       = {{Film date|1937|05|11|New York|1937|06|25|U.S.}}
 | runtime        = 117 minutes
 | country        = United States
@@ Line 23: / Line 22: @@
 }}
-'''''Captains Courageous''''' is a [[1937 in film|1937]] [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] [[adventure film]]. Based on [[Captains Courageous|the 1897 novel of the same name]] by [[Rudyard Kipling]], the film had its [[world premiere]] at the [[Carthay Circle Theatre]] in [[Los Angeles]]. It was produced by [[Louis D. Lighton]] and directed by [[Victor Fleming]]. Filmed in [[black and white]], ''Captains Courageous'' was advertised by MGM as a coming-of-age classic with exciting action sequences.
+'''''Captains Courageous''''' is a 1937 American [[adventure film|adventure]] [[drama]] film starring [[Freddie Bartholomew]], [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Lionel Barrymore]] and [[Melvyn Douglas]]. Based on [[Captains Courageous|the 1897 novel of the same name]] by [[Rudyard Kipling]], the film had its [[world premiere]] at the [[Carthay Circle Theatre]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Directed by [[Victor Fleming]], it was produced by [[Louis D. Lighton]] and made by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. Filmed in [[black and white]], ''Captains Courageous'' was advertised by MGM as a [[coming-of-age]] classic with exciting action sequences.
+The film was nominated for four [[Academy Awards]], with [[Spencer Tracy]] winning the [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] Oscar for his portrayal of the simple but caring fisherman Manuel.
 Backgrounds and exteriors for the film, which updated the story's setting to the mid-1920s, were shot on location in [[Port aux Basques, Newfoundland]] and [[Shelburne, Nova Scotia]] in Canada, and [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/3994?sid=31d9fc56-7d89-4cba-986c-30bf6692197a&sr=7.608802&cp=1&pos=0|title = AFI&#124;Catalog}}</ref>
 ==Plot==
+[[File:Captains courageous tracy and bartholomew.jpg|thumb|[[Spencer Tracy]] and [[Freddie Bartholomew]] as Manuel and Harvey]]
-Harvey Cheyne ([[Freddie Bartholomew]]) is the spoiled son of American business tycoon Frank Burton Cheyne ([[Melvyn Douglas]]). Harvey is shunned by his classmates at a private boarding school, and eventually suspended for bad behavior. His father therefore takes him on a business trip to Europe, travelling there by trans-Atlantic steamship. Mid-passage, Harvey falls overboard in the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]]. He is rescued by a Portuguese-American fisherman, Manuel Fidello ([[Spencer Tracy]]), and taken aboard the fishing [[schooner]] "''We're Here"'', from Gloucester, Massachusetts.
+Harvey Cheyne is the spoiled son of American business tycoon Frank Burton Cheyne. Harvey is shunned by his classmates at a private boarding school, and eventually suspended for bad behavior. Seeking to close the gap between them, Frank takes Harvey on a business trip to Europe, travelling there by trans-Atlantic steamship. A few days into the voyage, Harvey falls overboard in the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]]. He is rescued by a fisherman, Manuel Fidello, and taken aboard the fishing [[schooner]] ''We're Here'', from [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]].
-Harvey is shocked the schooner's captain, Disko Troop ([[Lionel Barrymore]]), intends fishing in the Atlantic for three more months. He fails to persuade the captain to take him back to New York nor can he convince him of his wealth; but Captain Troop offers Harvey temporary crew membership until they return to port. Harvey is reluctant to do real work but eventually accepts. Befriended by Captain Troop's son, Dan ([[Mickey Rooney]]), he becomes acclimated to the demanding fishing lifestyle. The ''We're Here'' fills with fish they catch. When a prank of Harvey's causes a fish hook to lodge in a crewman's arm, Manuel defends the boy.
+The schooner's captain, Disko Troop, doesn't believe Harvey's claims about his father's wealth, and refuses to take Harvey back to [[New York City|New York]]. To Harvey's shock, he intends fishing on the Grand Banks for three more months. Captain Troop offers Harvey temporary crew membership until they return to port. Harvey is reluctant to do real work but prodded by Manuel, a proud but simple [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] immigrant, eventually accepts. Befriended also by Captain Troop's son, Dan, he becomes acclimated to the demanding fishing lifestyle. Harvey begins to partner with Manuel in his dory. When a prank of Harvey's causes a fish hook to lodge in a crewman's arm, Manuel defends the boy. The ''We're Here'' fills with fish and turns for home.
-In the climactic race back to the [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]] port against a rival schooner, the ''Jennie Cushman'', Manuel climbs to the top of the mast to furl the sail. However, the mast cracks and he is plunged into the icy sea, tangled in the rigging that will cut him in half. Manuel speaks to the cook in Portuguese and the cook tells the Captain: All the bottom half of him is gone, and he doesn't want the boy to see. He tells the captain to cut him free from the boat, knowing this will kill him. Harvey crawls out on the wreckage, crying and distraught, while the captain strikes blow after blow after blow with the ax until the rigging finally parts. Manuel kisses the cross around his neck and sinks below the water. The schooner returns to port and Harvey is reunited with his father, who is impressed by his son's maturity. Harvey grieves for Manuel, pushing his father away and wanting to stay on the ''We're Here,'' but Disko reassures Cheyne, telling him that there is room in Harvey's heart for both men and that once there he “will find Manuel mighty satisfactory company.” At the church, Harvey lights two candles, one from Manuel to his father and one from him to Manuel. His father overhears Harvey praying that someday he will be with Manuel again and follows the boy to Manuel's dory, floating near the ship. Harvey is inconsolable and begs Cheyne to leave him alone.
+During the climactic race back to Gloucester against a rival schooner, the ''Jennie Cushman'', Manuel climbs to the top of the mast to furl the sail. The mast cracks and he is plunged into the icy sea, tangled in the rigging. The weight of the broken mast and rigging threaten to capsize the ship. Manuel speaks to the cook in Portuguese, and the cook tells Captain Troop that all the bottom half of Manuel is gone, and Manuel doesn't want the boy to see. Manuel tells Captain Troop to cut the rigging free, knowing he will drown with it. Harvey crawls out on the wreckage, crying and distraught, while Captain Troop wields an axe. Finally Manuel kisses the cross around his neck and sinks below the water. ''We're Here'' returns to port and Harvey is reunited with his father Frank, who is impressed by his son's maturity. Harvey grieves for Manuel, pushing Frank away and wanting to stay on the ''We're Here'', but Troop reassures Frank, telling him that there is room in Harvey's heart for both men and that once there Frank "will find Manuel mighty satisfactory company." At the church, Harvey lights two candles, one from Manuel to Manuel's father and one from him to Manuel. Frank overhears Harvey praying that someday he will be with Manuel again and follows the boy to Manuel's dory, floating near the ship. Harvey is inconsolable and begs Frank to leave him alone.
-The next day, in front of the [[Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial|Fisherman's Memorial]], he and his father join the Gloucester community in casting bouquets and wreaths on the outgoing tide in tribute to the men and boys lost during this fishing season. The last shot shows the Cheyne's car, speeding down the road with Manuel's dory on a trailer behind. Through the side window, we see that Harvey is laughing and gesturing, regaling his father with stories of his adventures. Dissolve to a close-up of a smiling Manuel and then to the Fisherman's Memorial.<ref>The movie and the [[Captains Courageous|book]] have very different endings. Harvey's mother rewards Manuel, who does not die, and Harvey's father gives Dan a berth in his clipper fleet.</ref>
+The next day, in front of the [[Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial|Fisherman's Memorial]], Harvey and Frank join the community in casting bouquets and wreaths on the outgoing tide in tribute to the souls lost during this fishing season. The last shot shows the Cheynes' car speeding down the road with Manuel's dory on a trailer behind. Through the side window we see Harvey gesturing animatedly and his father laughing, regaled with stories of Harvey's adventures.
-[[File:Captains courageous tracy and bartholomew.jpg|thumb|Tracy and Bartholomew as Manuel and Harvey]]
 ==Cast==
@@ Line 53: / Line 54: @@
 * [[Bill Burrud]] as Charles Jamison (credited as Billy Burrud)
 * [[Gladden James]] as Secretary Cobb (uncredited)
-* [[Frank Sully]] as taxi driver (uncredited)
+* [[Bob Hope]] as taxi driver (uncredited)
 * [[Billy Gilbert]] as soda steward (uncredited)
 * [[Charles Coleman (actor)|Charles Coleman]] as Burns, the butler (uncredited)
@@ Line 74: / Line 75: @@
 The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
-* 2003: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]]:
-** Manuel Fidello – Nominated Hero<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/handv400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees |access-date=2016-08-05}}</ref>
 * 2006: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]] – #94<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/cheers100.pdf |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=2016-08-14}}</ref>
 ==In popular culture==
-[[Holden Caulfield]], protagonist of the 1951 novel ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'', is thought to look like Harvey Cheyne, as in the book a prostitute tells Caulfield that he looks like the boy who falls off a boat in a film costarring Melvyn Douglas, though the film is not mentioned by name.
+[[Holden Caulfield]], protagonist of the 1951 [[J.D. Salinger]] novel ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'', is thought to look like Harvey Cheyne, as in the book a prostitute tells Caulfield that he looks like the boy who falls off a boat in a film costarring Melvyn Douglas, though the film is not mentioned by name.
-The film is considered a classic semi-documentary record of Grand Banks Schooners fishing under sail. The back projection shots of the period fishing schooners under sail are frequently watched by members of the American Sail Training Community for the sailing shots - rather than for the human plot.
-[[Chris Elliott]] has stated that ''Captains Courageous'' was the inspiration for the film [[Cabin Boy]].
+[[Chris Elliott]] has stated that ''Captains Courageous'' was the inspiration for the film ''[[Cabin Boy]]''.
 ==See also==
@@ Line 94: / Line 91: @@
 == External links ==
 * {{IMDb title|0028691|Captains Courageous}}
-* {{tcmdb title|76|Captains Courageous}}
+* {{TCMDb title|76|Captains Courageous}}
-* {{amg movie|8136}}
+* {{allMovie title|8136}}
 * {{AFI film|id=3994|title=Captains Courageous}}
 * {{Rotten Tomatoes|1003531_captains_courageous|Captains Courageous}}
@@ Line 110: / Line 107: @@
 [[Category:Films based on works by Rudyard Kipling]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Victor Fleming]]
-[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance]]
+[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award–winning performance]]
 [[Category:Films set in Massachusetts]]
 [[Category:Films set on ships]]
@@ Line 120: / Line 117: @@
 [[Category:Photoplay Awards film of the year winners]]
 [[Category:1930s English-language films]]
+[[Category:1930s American films]]
+[[Category:English-language adventure drama films]]