Wine, Women and Horses (1937) User Reviews (6)

From Dogs To Horses

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 26 July 2010]

More than any other studio Warner Brothers loved remaking their old films, especially after the Code went into place when they could recycle the plots and make more of a G rated version of the same film. That's what was done to Edward G. Robinson's Dark Hazard remade in this case to Wine, Women, and Horses. That last part was the change as the Robinson film centered around dog racing.

Barton MacLane steps into the lead as a unregenerate gambling man who likes all the things in the title, not necessarily in that order all the time. This man bets on everything from horses to horseshoes. After winning a match from Dick Purcell, but feeling sorry for him, Purcell takes him home to meet his sister Peggy Bates. The two hit it off and MacLane tries to reform, but it just isn't in his nature. Especially after MacLane's old girlfriend Ann Sheridan steps into the picture.

Wine, Women, and Horses is a decently made product from Warner Brothers B picture unit under Bryan Foy who cast his brother Charley in one of the supporting roles. MacLane who was usually a nasally voiced thug in films whether a bad guy or an occasional good guy is cast in one of the few sympathetic parts I ever saw him in back in the studio days. He does love Bates, but the gambling urge is too strong in him.

One reason this film is not shown that often is the many casual references in racist terminology to black players in the film. Not unfriendly mind you, but in casual conversation.

The racetrack atmosphere is authentic with newsreel footage mixed into the movie. The film is also one big commercial for the fairly new Santa Anita racetrack only open for a few seasons at that point. If you can stomach the casual racism than Wine, Women And Horses is not a bad film.

Watchable

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 16 January 2014]

"B" gambling drama with rare starring turn for character actor Barton MacLane. He plays a big shot gambler who meets a woman (Peggy Bates) and falls in love. The problem is she demands he quit gambling or she won't marry him. He tries it for awhile but it doesn't stick. So he gets back into his old ways and that includes old flame Valerie (Ann Sheridan).

Remake of Dark Hazard (1934). I'm not used to seeing MacLane playing a lead character. The closest I can think of is when he played the male lead opposite Glenda Farrell in the Torchy Blane movies. A little far-fetched that Sheridan would be so hung up on MacLane. He's definitely not a ladies man type. Short runtime helps but there's just not a lot of meat on the bone. Watchable and probably more interesting for classic film fans as a curiosity. Like the way MacLane tosses the 1930s slang around though.

Gambling in the Blood

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 4 October 2016]

***SPOILERS*** Mildly entertaining horse race movie with Barton MacLane as happy go lucky degenerate gambler Jim Turner torn between the women Margorie Mayhew, Peggy Bates, who loves and wants to cure him of his gambling addiction and the filly "Lady Luck" whom Jim nursed back to heath and is entering her in the big race at the local racetrack for a $20,000.00,that's something like $250,000.00 in 2016 dollars, purse.

Despite all her efforts to reform him Margorie can't get the gambling bug out of her husband Jim's system who's dead set to go down swinging or betting to his last $2.00 bet even if he has to go partners, with a fellow gambler at the track, to do it! There's also the other woman besides the horse "Lady Luck" here in Valerie played by a 22 year old knockout looking Ann Sheridan who's as sick a gambler as Jim is yet has no trouble getting along with his wife Marjorie who doesn't seem to mind her corrupting him as well as stealing the big lug, who's as heavy as the horses that he bets on, away from her.

***SPOILERS***You would think that Jim would finally see the light as well as smell the horse manure and clean himself up by the time the movie ends but in fact he gets even more crazy as well as rich, winning over $20,000.00 in bets, and rides off with both Valerie and his horse "Lady Luck" into the sunset. Poor Marjorie she's left holding the bag together with hundreds of losing tickets in putting her bets on her husband to straighten himself out which him by divorcing her, a big No No back then in the movies, was the best thing he ever did for her! The movie was among other things made to promote the newly opened and multi million dollar Santa Anita racetrack, where the "Breeders Cup" will be held this year, but most of the action took place at the third rate and fictional Bellport Park. Since what it seemed like that Santa Anita-That the film was promoting- wanted nothing at all to do with the movie.

Paper Thin Plot Shows

[cshep · 4/10 · 16 January 2014]

Barton McLane stars in this story of a man who needs "Wine,Women and Horses" to complete his life. Along the way are the casualties , of course, the people he rubs elbows with are the takers and the givers. Ann Sheridan is his female counterpart and his eventual companion. Filmed in California in 1937 to possibly promote horse racing(Santa Anita) has just opened a few years prior. Interesting if only for its historical references. 64 minutes of run time in B & W. TCM airs it occasionally. Lady Luck is he name of this equine hero who rides to victory for his new owners and of course the rest is film history.

So take a stroll down memory lane and give this little side note a view.

4 stars out of 10.

A genuinely odd B-picture....but not bad.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 22 February 2022]

"Wine, Women and Horses" is one of the odder B-movies I've seen....not bad...just odd.

The film stars Barton MacLane as Jim Turner. And, in an unusual twist, he plays a very likable guy! He's a professional gambler and is most unusual because he generally DOES win and because he's such a swell fellow despite his circumstances. However, it's odd that he falls for a woman who is dead set against him doing ANY gambling...none whatsoever. But to hook her, he agrees not to gamble and get a normal job...which lasts for a while. However, as you'd expect, the lure of the race tracks and gambling soon turn Jim's head...and ruin the marriage. What's next? See the film.

This is a different sort of movie in that although Jim clearly is a gambling addict, he generally suffers very little...unless he ISN'T gambling. How this is all resolved with the wife, well that caught my by surprise!

Overall, the acting was good and the story kept my interest. It's certainly no classic but is fun and worth seeing.

By the way, the film is a product of its times. Black people are occasionally referred to with disparaging nicknames...which I won't repeat. The strange thing is that for the 1930s, Jim does treat black men well...and his character, you assume, wouldn't want to hurt anyone...despite using this slang.

Pointless racing drama with uninteresting leads.

[mark.waltz · 1/10 · 28 September 2010]

A big time gambler (Barton MacLane) attempts to go straight, but the addiction to horse racing is too strong. He marries a nice girl (Peggy Bates), fathers a child, but is then drawn back into old temptations by an old flame (Ann Sheridan). MacLane is a fine character actor, but he cannot draw enough sympathy in his tough characterization the way Cagney, EGR, or later Bogart would in similarly tough guy roles. Ann Sheridan is wasted as the ex-flame, while Peggy Bates had a here today, gone tomorrow career on screen. Set up to be understanding, Bates changes the character to be very judgemental. At this time, there wasn't as much understanding as today on addictions of this nature, so perhaps it's not all that unrealistic. But then there is the fact that neither MacLane or Bates show any sadness in a revelation about their baby. That is the final nail in the coffin of this dull and uninteresting drama. There is one positive aspect, however, which is important to point out. The bit part of "Snow Ball", played by Eugene Jackson, is one of the few non-stereotypical portrayals of blacks in films of this time. It's nice to see him being treated, if not as an equal, but as someone of character without the slow drawl or eye popping look of many post-adult black men of the era. That is ruined, though, by MacLane suddenly rubs "Snow Ball's" head for luck. The ending left me gasping in amazement, making everything which happened before seem pointless.