Black Gold (1947 film)

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Black Gold
Black Gold 1947 poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Phil Karlson
Written by Agnes Christine Johnston, Caryl Coleman
Produced by Jeffrey Bernerd
Starring Anthony Quinn
Katherine DeMille
Raymond Hatton
Cinematography Harry Neumann
Edited by Roy V. Livingston
Music by Edward J. Kay
Production
company
Distributed byAllied Artists
Release date
  • September 16, 1947 (1947-09-16)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Black Gold is a 1947 American drama western film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Anthony Quinn, Katherine DeMille and Raymond Hatton. [1] It was the first Monogram Pictures film released under the Allied Artists banner and had the highest budget in Monogram's history at the time. [2] It was also the first leading role for Anthony Quinn. [3]

Contents

Plot

Charley, an Indian, finds a Chinese boy (Davey), and adopts him. Charley has a mare, Black Hope, with whom he wishes to win the Kentucky Derby, so he trains Davey as a jockey.

Cast

Production

The film was loosely based on the true story of the horse Black Gold, who won the 1924 Kentucky Derby. [3]

Karlson later said: "I made such a strong statement that the Indian nations all picked it up. They realized what we were saying in there. The average guy that would go see a motion picture in those days went to see entertainment. We weren't making statements, we were making cops 'n' robbers and good guys and bad guys. But to look at something and see the truth, for a change, was something that was unusual in those days." [2]

Karlson also said that the film took a year to make because "I wanted the seasons. I went to Churchill Downs for the Derby and had to do the races here, and I had to get some desert scenes... a lot of time lapses in the picture." [2] He directed four other films while making Black Gold. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Dixon, Wheeler Winston (June 2017). "Phil Karlson: The Forgotten Master of Film Noir". Senses of Cinema.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Todd McCarthy and Richard Thompson. "Phil Karlson: Interview, November 19, 1973" Kings of the Bs; Working Within the Hollywood System, eds. Todd McCarthy and Charles Flynn (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1975), pp. 327-345. Rpt. Cine Resort, Oct. 7 2014
  3. 1 2 "Black Gold". Turner Classic Movies.
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