Kentucky (1938)

A feud between two families begins during the Civil War and lasts for three generations. But in 1938 when two family heirs fall in love, will the feud finally end? Based on the short story THE LOOK OF EAGLES by John Taintor Foote and directed by David Butler (CALAMITY JANE). Set against the backdrop of Kentucky horseracing, this Technicolor production suffers from the inexplicable nostalgia 1930s Hollywood had for the Old South. The portrayal of its black characters is cringe inducing particularly that of Ben (George Reed), a shiftless deceitful farmhand. The romantic leads, Loretta Young and Richard Greene, are okay and Young looks lovely in Technicolor but the film belongs to Walter Brennan as Young's cantankerous Uncle. His performance here earned him the second of his three supporting actor Oscar wins. Not a bad movie but decidedly unremarkable. With Karen Morley, Douglass Dumbrille, Moroni Olsen and Madame Sul Te Wan.