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Film Racing Heritage In New York Premiere Useful 26-Minute Subject Shows Phases of. Sport in Story Form NEW YORK, N. Y., May 29. The New York Racing Associations film, "Racing Heritage" had its premiere in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel Tuesday evening before a gathering of some 300, mostly newspaper, radio and television folks. This 26-minute subject, in color, shows "how the sport of racing is conducted and the type of people in it" to borrow a statement from the Association Films, Inc.s publicity material. New York racings many phases are ingeniously presented in the form of a story about one "Mary" charmingly portrayed by pretty Miss Jo Dennison, the. only professional in the cast, incidentally who is bequeathed a racing stable by her uncle. Director James Roach, of the New York Times, reached into the ranks of racing for the other members of his cast. To get on with the story, Mary, though a bit dubious about the outcome, decides to race the stable instead of selling its members and thus the stage is set to reveal the various operations of the sport, starting with the registration of colors. Mary is indeed fortunate to secure the services of Max Hirsch as trainer of her stable and Ted Atkinson as her jockey. Ted, actually, assumes something of the character of the hero of the piece later, winning on one of Marys juveniles and later in the picture coming put on top over the villain, Eddie Arcaro, when a bit of foul riding is introduced in order to illustrate the operation of the film patrol. Even those familiar with the various phases of the operation of racing in New t York found the picture interesting, but the thousands of uninitiated who will view it today in private club and group showings it being made available to non-profit organizations anywhere in the United States will doubtless find it revelational. The thin story line is made to conform to the various phases of the sport against the colorful backgrounds of Belmont Park and Saratoga, the operation of the film patrol, lip-tattooing procedure for identification purposes, saliva test, etc., being shown, and the viewers even were given a glimpse of racings national museum at the Spa. Such familiar faces as those of G. D. Widener, chairman of The Jockey Club, Bob Kelley, publicity director of the New York tracks, A. G. Vanderbilt, James Fitz-simmons, Francis P. Dunne, Marshall C as-sidy, who has the biggest speaking part, next to the commentator, and many others flit across the screen from time to time. It is a splendid film, well executed and well directed and should serve a useful pur- pose in acquainting many with the high plane upon which New York racing is conducted. -t o s. i n ii i i-. i f i a- u
