3 minute read
Carry Me BACK Going Off the Rails in Hollywood
Carry Me BACK Going Off the Rails in Hollywood
By Jimmy Hatcher
There was a fellow in Richmond, Virginia in the late 1930s and early ‘40s who rode at the intown Deep Run Hunt Club with my older cousin, Wirt Hatcher.
His name was Scotty Riles and my cousin once said he rode better than everyone. He also preferred to race steeplechase horses and that jockey’s short stirrup position killed his horse show riding chances. Nevertheless, he had great success in the ‘chasing world, including being leading rider one year.
Back then, the MGM studio was filming “National Velvet” starring a teenage Elizabeth Taylor and one of their executives asked Scotty to come out to Hollywood to stand in for her in some of the riding scenes.
Because England was being bombed by Germany during World War II at the time, MGM decided not to film over the Aintree course. Instead, they built a smaller course in California and brought in a number of old show horses to simulate a jumping race. They had the horses and the course, but no jump jockeys.
They asked Scotty to see if he might be able to lure some of his steeplechase jockey colleagues to come out to California and ride in the movie.
Easy-peazy Scotty told them. He then called some of his old pals from the steeplechase circuit, and everything was arranged for about 20 riders to head to California for the filming.
Transporting 20 jump jockeys out west was not the easiest, or smartest move by MGM. Instead of flying them all out there, a fairly expensive proposition, the studio decided to put them all on a five-day train ride.
Oops!
Actually, it was a grand trip for the jocks, and I suppose some of the passengers who partied with them, as well. But after the filming, the railroad company at first refused to take the jockeys back to the East Coast.
After some high-level bickering between MGM and the railroad people, they finally reached an understanding. The railroad would transport them back, but the jockeys would be placed in the last car and the doors would be locked, preventing them from moving out and about.
Their meals would be brought to them, and then the doors would be locked again. They were not allowed to leave that car until they got back to Virginia. It definitely was not so easy-peazy.
