Captains Courageous (1937)

Captains Courageous (1937)

Director Victor Fleming brought this Rudyard Kipling story about life and relationships on a fishing boat to the screen. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of the year; its Screenplay earned Oscar nominations for Marc Connelly John Lee Mahin and Dale Van Evry (representing Connelly’s & Evry’s only Academy recognition); Editor Elmo Veron earned his only Oscar nomination as well. It also includes the first of consecutive Best Actor Oscar performances by Spencer Tracy (equaled by Tom Hanks) on his second of three straight nominations (not equaled by Hanks). The film also stars Freddie Bartholomew Lionel Barrymore & Melvyn Douglas. Mickey Rooney John Carradine and Charley Grapewin also appear. #94 on AFI’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies list.

Tracy is Manuel a talented fisherman on Barrymore’s boat. Bartholomew is the spoiled brat son of Douglas who through circumstances of his own making ends up on Barrymore’s boat. The boy quickly learns that he doesn’t rule the roost on this boat and must shape up fast if he’s going to survive. His growth as a person is helped by his relationship with Manuel which is at first fiery but he then becomes a father figure to the needy boy.

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