The Shamrock Handicap

The Shamrock Handicap
The Shamrock Handicap
	Lobby card
Directed by	John Ford
Written by	Peter B. Kyne; John Stone; Elizabeth Pickett (titles)
Produced by	John Ford
Starring	Janet Gaynor; Leslie Fenton
Cinematography	George Schneiderman
Distributed by	Fox Film Corporation
Release date	2 May 1926;
Running time	66 minutes (22.9 frame/s)
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Shamrock Handicap is a 1926 American romance film directed by John Ford.^[1]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,^[2] young Neil Ross bids good bye to Sheila and sails to America with Finch, who promises to make him a famous jockey. Neil is injured in his first race and is partially paralyzed. Sheila and her father, now bankrupt, come to America and learn of Neil's sad plight. Rosaleen, an Irish filly and the last of Sheila's father's prize string, is entered in the big handicap and Neil is heartbroken because he cannot ride her. At the last minute before the race, the scheduled jockey is injured. Neil jumps into the saddle, rides Rosaleen to victory, curing his paralysis at the same time. With the winnings, they all sail back to Ireland.

Cast

Janet Gaynor as Lady Sheila O'Hara
Leslie Fenton as Neil Ross
Willard Louis as Orville Finch
J. Farrell MacDonald as Cornelius Emmet Sarsfield "Con" O'Shea
Claire McDowell as Molly O'Shea
Louis Payne as Sir Miles O'Hara
George Harris as Jockey Bennie Ginsburg (credited as Georgie Harris)
Andy Clark as "Chesty" Morgan
Ely Reynolds as Virus Cakes
Thomas Delmar as Michaels (uncredited)
Bill Elliott as Well-Wishing Villager (uncredited)
Brandon Hurst as The Procurer of Taxes (uncredited)
Eric Mayne as Doctor (uncredited)

Preservation

Prints of the film exists in the Museum of Modern Art film archive and Cinematheque Royale de Belgique.^[3]

References

^ "Progressive Silent Film List: The Shamrock Handicap". silentera.com. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
^ "The Shamrock Handicap". The Film Daily. 36 (27). New York City: Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc.: 6 May 6, 1926. Retrieved October 20, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ The Shamrock Handicap (Motion picture). American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via The Library of Congress.