The Great Dan Patch

Great story of a racing horse

Great Family movie. A breath of fresh air with no foul language. Did not care if it was a bit "corny" at times. Even my 12 year old niece and nephew watched it and were not "bored." They had fun looking up this horse on the Internet after watching the movie. What a nice change from the foul language and violence they usually see on regular tv these days.....

True, inspiring story of the greatest pacer of them all -- Dan Patch. Filmed with sincerity and fine personal touches, this is one of the best family films you will ever see. Exciting race scenes and good characterizations. Denis O'Keefe is as always, very good in the title role. Gail Russell is touching and most sensitive throughout. Her devotion to O'Keefe is noticeable from her his moment on-screen. Fine character performances by Henry Hull, Arthur Hunnicutt, Charlotte Greenwood and John Hoyt. This is the way they used to make films...nostalgia and great human technique.

I initially bought this film because of my interest in Gail Russell. She plays the main female lead and is convincing in her role as an unsophisticated and undereducated daughter of a hard scrabble trotting horse trainer. I was not disappointed in her screen time, character portrayal, or any other aspect of her performance. If you are a Gail Russell fan, you should consider adding this film to your collection. I was surprised that the film was also very interesting in the glimpse into the life and times of its setting. The film made clear the difference in the life-style of the rural poor and the urban and more wealthy. What is more, I was also motivated to learn about the horse, Dan Patch, himself. That was a pretty amazing animal! The film quality is less that I expected. Hence the four stars. I think this is due to marginal production quality and very poor lighting. The night scenes were especially difficult to discern what was happening. Some of the interior shots of the stable were likewise difficult to watch. Like many films of its day, the acting is amateurish by modern standards, the continuity suffers somewhat, camera locations for most interior scenes were less than ideal. Well, so what? It stars Gail Russell!!

Liking horse stories and old movies, it was fun to see it again after all these years. Though it was a simple movie of its time, Dan Patch was a true sports champion, whose feats still stand in the world of harness racing. Loved seeing the racing scenes.

I am very disappointed in this copy of the movie. One of my favorites, but it was defective and I had to return it. I am STILL waiting for my refund!

My dad was a fan of trotters so I grew up hearing stories of the great Dan Patch. I was so excited when I ran across this movie. I had seen it as a little chile & never dreamed I be able to own it. He was a big part of our history but most would not even know his name today & in my book that's just wrong. I would recommend it to everyone not just horse lovers.

Well done old movie. not enough about the title person, the horse, but still a good moivie. I had to return it though as the manufacture somehow copied another moivce part in two places. I would like to have a solid copy of it sometime though.

The story was a great story and it held personal family history for me. My Grandfather did the leather work for the horse in this movie.

Great film. Father in law very pleased and if you love horses and horse racing the story is a great one. Kept the whole family entertained.

EXCELLENT

Great story, great acting

The first one I bought would not play in my dvd. the second one seemed to have a segment missing from it. Could be due to its age! I love the horse Dan Patch. He was a great pacer!