At home in Indiana

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Movie
German title At home in Indiana
Original title Home in Indiana
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 103 minutes
Rod
Director Henry Hathaway
script Winston Miller
production André Daven
for 20th Century Fox
music Hugo Friedhofer
camera Edward Cronjager
cut Harmon Jones
occupation

At home in Indiana (original title Home in Indiana ) is an American romantic adventure drama by Henry Hathaway from 1944. The lead roles are with Walter Brennan , Lon McCallister , Jeanne Crain and Charlotte Greenwood as well as Ward Bond , Charles Dingle and June Haver occupied. The film received an Oscar nomination for “Best Cinematography”.

Winston Miller's screenplay is based on George Agnew Chamberlain's novel Phantom Filly , first published in New York in 1941.

action

Sparke Thornton, who recently lost his parents, is sent to live with his uncle JT Thunder Bolt and aunt Penelope in Indiana . Sparke, who has the feeling of being pushed back and forth, feels overwhelmed by the situation and decides to get out of there again. During his escape, he observed on the neighboring Godow Boole farm how Charlotte "Char" Bruce worked with a horse on the adjacent trotting track. He is fascinated by Charlotte's driving skills and starts talking to the groom Tuppy, who tells him that his uncle's Roundhouse Farm was once a meeting place for trotting enthusiasts and Thunder himself was a respected sulky driver. Of the horses, only “The Lady” remains at the Thunderhof. The neglected animal is blind but still beautiful and lovingly turned towards people. Sparke is now determined to stay at the Thunderhof, especially since Tuppy has promised him to familiarize him with how to drive a sulky.

When he returned to his uncle and aunt that evening, they had no idea that Sparke actually wanted to run away. Over dinner, the boy tells the two of his great love for horses. His uncle reacts gruffly and says he should concentrate on school instead of hanging around the Booles farm. But the next day, Sparke is drawn back there. He meets the cocky stallion "Hamilcar Chief", who seems to be out of control. Sparke can instinctively calm the animal, which is impressed by Boole's daughter Christopher, who everyone calls Cri-Cri. Cri-Cri then succeeds in convincing head coach Jed Bruce that Sparke can try the sulky. Although the test is not to Bruce's satisfaction, he feels that Sparke has a knack for horses and treats them with the necessary humility and the willingness to learn. Char and Tuppy are now working diligently with Sparke, who is very docile and will soon get a knack for how to use such a harness in front of a sulky.

The night Sparke found his uncle drunk on his return from the Boole ranch, Aunt Penny told him that Boole and his uncle were partners and that Thunder was ruined by him. There had been arguments between the men over the treatment of a mare. Thunder, however, never got over his forced retreat, since working with horses and the atmosphere of the races are in his blood and therefore lacking. His often hostile attitude and his sometimes unbridled use of alcohol are due to his suppressed desire to be allowed to return to this profession. Sparke decides to help his uncle and sneaks into lady's stable that night. With Char's help, Sparke Hamilcar Chief and Lady manage to mate and "Lady" is expecting a foal soon. Both manage to prove with a certificate that “Hamilcar Chief” is the father of Lady's foal, which has been named “Maudeen Four”. Thunder, who initially reacted indignantly to Sparke's interference, is thriving. He's happy about Lady's daughter and helps Sparke train her.

Only Sparkes' love for Cri-Cri equals his enthusiasm for horses. The demanding young lady thinks, however, that he is still too young and does not take him very seriously. The fact that Char is in love with him again remains hidden from Sparke, he just thinks she is his best friend.

When Sparks' first race with "Maudeen" is due, the team wins the first run, but is surrounded by a rival in the second run, with "Maudeen Four" being injured. Sparke reacts exaggerated in his concern for "Maudeen". The animal recovers quickly, however, so Sparke can prepare for the next race. In the meantime, the young man has also recognized what Char feels for him and is suddenly quite sure that he will reciprocate this affection. Tuppy and Thunder, who know that “Maudeen Four”, like their mother “Lady”, is slowly going blind, nevertheless decide to let the animal compete one last time together with Sparke, who does not yet know anything about it. In fact, he manages to lead "Maudeen" skillfully and decisively so that they can win the race together. But when Sparke learns of “Maudeen's” blindness, it gives him a hard time. Thunder, who is almost back to his old age, comforts Sparke and assures him that “Maudeen” will still have a happy life and that her offspring will have the opportunity to produce mushrooms. Bruce has since quit his coaching position at Booles and decided to join the Roundhouse to help restore its former glory. Sparke and Char go home with “Maudeen Four”, with one or two kisses not missing.

production

Preparatory work, actors, locations

Chamberlain's novel first appeared as a serialized story in the Saturday Evening Post from October 18 to November 8, 1941 . A message in the film industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter shows that Twentieth Century Fox had expressed an early interest in a film about harness racing, which was to be entitled Home in Indiana . The envisaged team, which would form a sequel to the successful horse racing films The Golden Whip (OT: Kentucky) and Maryland , consisted of John Payne , Walter Brennan and Fay Bainter , producer Kenneth Macgowan and screenwriter John Taintor Foote. Although Foote worked on the screenplay of Home in Indiana , he does not appear on the film's staff, which could indicate that his work was not included in the final draft of the script.

According to a message in the Hollywood Reporter on March 12, 1942, Agent Charles K. Feldman was in the process of gathering the cast and baton for Chamberlain's novel. Howard Hawks was discussed as a producer. Winston Miller then wrote a screenplay based on Chamberlain's novel. Miller's script was acquired by Twentieth Century Fox along with the rights to the novel. The actor Clem Bevans is said to have signed a contract for the film, but does not appear in the finished film. George Cleveland, who was offered a role, declined because he wanted to appear in another film. Originally Hermes Pan was supposed to choreograph the Jitterbug dance sequence, then directed by Geneva Sawyer. Actor Lon McCallister was loaned to Sol Lesser for the production. In the film, the actresses Jeanne Crain and June Haver were each seen in a leading role for the first time. The young actor Lon McCallister was previously cast in one of the leading roles in the musical film Stage Door Canteen . James Basevi , Chester Gore, Thomas Little and Frank E. Hughes were responsible for the construction of the film . WD Flick and Roger Heman Sr. set the tone. Fred Sersen designed the special photographic effects.

Contemporary news, studio commercials, and miscellaneous documents indicate that the film was filmed at: Sulky Races in Empire City, New York, the Sandusky County Fair in Fremont , Ohio , the Marion County Fair in Marion , Ohio, the Castleton Farm, and Walnut Hill in Lexington , Kentucky , the MacGowan Farm at Mount Sterling; Kentucky and the Reuss Ranch in Malibu , California . The shooting took place between the beginning of September 1943 and mid-January 1944.

Sheet Music Cover (1917)

Music in the film

publication

The film premiered in Los Angeles on June 15, 1944, and was first seen in New York on June 21, 1944. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film was shown in various locations in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio from June 15 to June 28, 1944, and several of these screenings were attended by Jeanne Crain and June Haver. In July 1944 it ran generally in the United States and in November 1944 in Australia. In 1945 the film was released in Belgium (Brussels), Sweden, Mexico and Portugal, and in 1946 in Turkey. It was also published in Brazil, Italy and Spain. The film never ran in cinemas in Germany; the first performance (television premiere) took place on August 28, 1989 on Pro7 . The film was shown for the first time in DFF 2 on June 2, 1990. Reference title Solo im Sulky .

reception

criticism

Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said that in the film the deep and abiding affection dive of the studio for horses that are already in the earlier films, Kentucky and Maryland have found their inspiring expression and in another state, namely Home in Indiana , again on. Crowther praised the enthusiasm and honesty and the picturesque abundance of the film. Even if the conception and design of the story is not particularly original, the familiar atmosphere and the zeal of the protagonists are transferred to the audience. Mr. Brennan performed well as a quirky old horse lover with a heart as big as the Farmer's Almanac. Lon McCallister, who was fondly remembered for his role in Stage Door Canteen , also played the shy boy well. Jeanne Crain and June Haver were also praised, none of them pushed to the fore. Ward Bond and Charlotte Greenwood played subordinate roles, but they did so in an extremely competent manner, and George Reed and Willie Best played the kind of contemporaries that such a film needs.

Andrew Pragasam of The Spinning Image thought the film was a kind of National Velvet for boys. Oscar-nominated cinematographer Edward Cronjager conjured up shimmering golden images of rural Indiana and underpinned the words spoken at the beginning of the film that horse races at the County Fair are as American as America itself. The film lacks a clearly defined character arc, as in National Velvet , which makes the film so much more than just a film about a horse. McCallister, Crain and Haver and their lovable portrayal are also praised here.

The critic Paul Mavis dealt with the film for DVD talk and drew the conclusion that it was a quiet, well-observed, delightful family drama. Director Henry Hathaway captured the atmosphere of an exhilarating, overripe (and sensual) summer in the Midwest with beautiful trotting horses. The young actors offer sentimental emotions without false shame. Home in Indiana is highly recommended.

Writer and author Jamie S. Rich drew a different conclusion on the DVD talk page. Although Hathaway's family drama is superficially okay, it offers no hidden revelations, nothing surprising, original or inspiring. The story only serves to convey its own moral lesson - one that does not ignore inherent racism. The film just didn't work for him. It's about as deep as a can of tuna.

The lexicon of international film summarized its criticism as follows: "Routinely developed drama with atmospheric qualities, which from today's point of view seems quite dusty."

Award

Academy Awards 1945

Aftermath

The Lux Radio Theater aired a version of the story with Walter Brennan, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Ryan on October 2, 1944.

In 1957, Twentieth Century Fox published a musical version of Chamberlain's novel , April Love, starring Pat Boone and Shirley Jones , directed by Henry Levin .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. The 17th Academy Awards | 1945 see oscars.org (English)
  2. Home in Indiana (1944) see screenplay info at TCM - Turner Classic Movies
  3. a b c d e f Home in Indiana (1944) see notes at TCM (English)
  4. Home in Indiana (1944) see original print information at TCM (English)
  5. At Home in Indiana, Film Review, Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  6. Bosley Crowther : "Home in Indiana", a Colorful Film About Harness-Racing, with Walter Brennan and Lon McCallister In: The New York Times . June 22, 1944 (English). Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  7. Home in Indiana (1944) see thespinningsimage.co.uk (English). Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  8. Paul Mavis: Home in Indiana see dvdtalk.com (English) including film images. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  9. Home in Indiana see dvdtalk.com (English) including film images. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  10. At home in Indiana. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 13, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used