Broadway Bill

Scripted by Robert Riskin from a story by Mark Hellinger, this is an early sample of Capracorn, with Connolly as a tyrannical tycoon who uses his three sons-in-law as yes men. One of the three (Baxter) rebels, tells Connolly he is a shark preying on small businesses, and goes back to his earlier life on the racetrack, hoping to make a champion of his horse Broadway Bill. His wife (Vinson) turns her back on him, but her rebellious younger sister (Loy) delightedly abets him. Complications ensue, since the horse won't run unless its rooster pal is on hand, conmanship is required to raise the Derby entrance fee, and the fix proves to be on. Gallant Broadway Bill nevertheless wins (though his heart bursts with the effort), justifying the faith of all the small-time punters who had bet on him. Baxter is consoled by his realisation that Loy loves him, and the chastened Connolly (surprise, surprise) gives his empire back to the little people. Ethically dubious and mostly tedious, it was remade by Capra as Riding High in 1950, re-using some of the racetrack footage.