Boots Malone

An absorbing melodrama crammed with authentic racetrack lore. William Holden plays the title character, a down-on-his-luck jockey's agent looking for the big score. Enter a 15-year-old rich kid (Johnny Stewart) who is eager to learn how to ride and shows considerable promise. Smelling money, Boots takes the Kid under his wing, and before long the two develop a genuine rapport. Complications both domestic and deadly arise as the boy's mother, as well as a group of gangsters, each seek to derail the boy's career. Much of BOOTS MALONE was shot at actual racetracks, reinforcing this entertaining film's authenticity.