Derby Day still brings out fans of the Sport of Kings

Although not as popular as it once was, horse racing still draws a big crowd the first Saturday in May when Churchill Downs is home to the Kentucky Derby.

The Run for the Roses is American racing’s premier event. The race draws thousands to the track. The men wear suits. The women wear fancy dresses and derby bonnets. Everyone drinks mint juleps. Some people win a bundle, most walk away losers.

This year’s 136th running is no exception. The local OTB at Stoney Point Grill in Mokena is planning a big party complete with a tent for the bettors who don’t want to shell out $35 for a seat inside the restaurant. Charley Horse restaurants in Tinley Park, New Lenox and Munster, Ind., are offering free meals to ladies who wear derby bonnets into the eateries from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The race starts at 5:24 p.m. CST.

Big crowds are also expected at Balmoral in Crete and Hawthorne in Cicero. Both tracks will simulcast the race on big screen TVs.

Horse racing may not be the sport it once was, when thousands would pack the grandstands at famous tracks such as Santa Anita in California, Hialeah in Florida and Saratoga in New York. Local venues including Sportsman’s Park in Cicero and Washington Park in Homewood would also pack them in.

Hollywood has had an affinity for racing movies. Films were made about real-life champion horses such as “Phar Lap” about a champion horse from Australia and “Dreamer” about Breeder’s Cup winner Sonador. “Casey’s Shadow” is about a reel-life champion.

“Champions” is about British steeple chase jockey Bob Champion and his battle with cancer.

Tracks have been the setting in movies such as “Little Miss Marker” and “My Brother Talks to Horses.”

“Guys & Dolls” is a musical about New York gangsters dabbling in horseracing among other ventures.

Here are six movies available on video and DVD that look at the Sport of Kings, in one way or another.

“Let It Ride” (1989) – Richard Dreyfuss gets wind of a fixed race and wins a bundle. He then has in his words “a very good day” at the track. Along the way we get to see a variety of characters ranging from his wife (Teri Garr), unlucky best friend (David Johansen) and an oversexed mistress (Jennifer Tilly).

“Seabiscuit” (2003) – Tobey Maguire is the broken-down jockey, Chris Cooper is the discredited trainer and Jeff Bridges is the misguided owner who all believe in the special powers of an undersized, hurt horse named Seabiscuit who captivated Depression-era America.

“A Day at the Races” (1937) – Groucho, Chico and Harpo run amok at a racetrack while trying to win enough money to save a sanitarium run by a friend of theirs in this classic Marx Brothers comedy. Other stars include Maureen O’Sullivan and Margaret Dumont.

“Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair” (1952) – Pa (Percy Kilbride) buys a broken-down trotter hoping to win the race at the county fair so he can send one of his daughters to college in this entry in the “Ma and Pa Kettle” series of comedies. Other stars include Marjorie Main as Ma, Lori Nelson and James Best.

“The Derby Stallion” (2005) – An alcoholic former trainer (Bill Cobbs) sobers up long enough to help a 15-year-old boy (Zac Efron) pursue his dream of turning his horse into a champion. Also stars William R. Moses.

“The Great Dan Patch” (1949) – This is the biopic of legendary trotter Dan Patch and the man who might have loved him more than his wife and girlfriend. Stars include Dennis O’Keefe, Gail Russell, Henry Hull and Ruth Warrick.

Movies about Winter Olympics a slippery lot

Although not nearly as spectacular as the Summer Games, the 2010 Winter Olympics kick off Saturday morning when athletes from 80 nations hit the ice and snow in Vancouver, Canada.

For 16 days, Olympians will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 15 categories. Some of the events are well known to Americans, such as figure skating. American skaters including Dorothy Hamill, Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi and Peggy Fleming have brought home 44 medals since the first Winter Games in 1924.

The top event for Americans has been speed skating with 63 medals over the years. Eric Heiden won five gold medals in speed skating at the Lake Placid Games. Illinois native Bonnie Blair also has five gold medals, including medals won at three consecutive Winter Olympics.

Americans have not fared well in some events including cross-country skiing, curling and the ski jump. Americans have won only one medal in each of those events. The luge is another weak spot for Americans with only four medals over the years.

Americans have never won a medal in the biathlon (cross-country ski and shoot) nor the Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing) though there is hope that this may be the year Americans finally win a medal in the latter.

Hollywood traditionally loves sports movies but has only smiled on the Winter Olympics a handful of times, mostly with movies about figure skating and hockey.

Norwegian skating sensation Sonja Henie won medals at three Winter Games and then made a dozen Hollywood movies that somehow always found a way for her to lace up the skates such as “Sun Valley Serenade.” American skater Lynn Holly-Johnson starred as an Olympic hopeful in “Ice Castles,” which was remade last year.

The surprising American hockey team of 1980 has been the focus of two miles: “Miracle on Ice” in 1981 and “Miracle” in 2004.

There have been occasional movies about other winter sports including “Men with Brooms” about curling, which involves throwing a stone down an icy path with teammates armed with brooms sweeping furiously in front of the stone. It looks even sillier, believe me.

Here are six films available on video and DVD that feature the Winter Olympics or its athletes.

“The Cutting Edge” (1992) – D.B. Sweeney is a former hockey player who partners with Moira Kelly in a last-ditch attempt to win the pairs figure skating gold medal. They start out hating each other but eventually … you get the idea. Other stars include Roy Dotrice and Terry O’Quinn.

“Downhill Racer” (1969) – Robert Redford is a cold, calculating skiing machine who doesn’t play nice with others including his Olympic coach (Gene Hackman) in director Michael Ritchie’s film debut. Other stars include Camilla Sparv as the woman who almost gets through to Redford.

“Cool Runnings” (1993) – John Candy stars as a disgraced Olympian hired to coach the first Jamaican bobsled team in this comedy based on a true story. Other stars include Leon, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba and Rawle D. Davis.

“Miracle” (2004) – Kurt Russell stars as Herb Brooks, the unheralded coach who took a team of little known college hockey players and upset the Russian juggernaut en route to an unlikely gold medal at the 1980 games in Lake Placid. Other stars include Patricia Clarkson, Sean McCann and Noah Emmerich.

“Blades of Glory” (2007) – Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (pictured above) star as disgraced Olympic figure skaters who despite being banned from the Games find a loophole that allows them to compete as partners in this goofy sports comedy. Other stars include Will Arnett and Amy Poehler as ruthless rival skaters, Jenna Fischer and Craig T. Nelson.

Lest we forget: Movies about America's veterans

Three of my best friends in high school enlisted in the service within a couple of years of graduating.

John joined the Army and wound up in West Germany. Carl and Mike joined the Navy on the buddy system. Mike got out after two years but wound up re-enlisting and I lost touch with him. Carl was a lifer from the beginning. Over the next 20 years, he bounced around the globe. He spent time in Iceland, Scotland, Hawaii, Southern California and on a speck of dirt in the Indian Ocean called Diego Garcia. Vietnam was about over so none of them went there.

A few years ago, one of my nieces married a member of the Tennessee National Guard. He's been to Iraq twice.

College and neighborhood friends had kids that joined up. A couple of them joined the Marines. One of them was an Army tank driver. All of them wound up in Iraq. All of them came home in one piece.

I always think of them around Veterans Day, which is next Wednesday. I thank God they all came home safe and sound.

Hundreds of movies have been made about the military. Some of them were about great generals, such as "Patton." Some were about war heroes, such as "To Hell and Back" about World War II soldier Audie Murphy. Some were about famous battles or attacks, such as the Japanese sneak attack on Hawaii in "Pearl Harbor."

Movies have been made about every war the United States was involved in from the Revolution against Great Britain (Mel Gibson's "The Patriot") to Iraq ("Courage Under Fire"), and that includes the Indian wars as well as our war with Mexico.

Not as well known are the movies that take place after the troops come home.

World War II inspired some such as "Some Came Running" about a vet returning to his hometown and "The Men" about paralyzed vets trying to adjust.

There were a lot of movies about Vietnam veterans who came home disabled. "Coming Home" is about a paralyzed soldier falling in love with an officer's wife. "Taxi Driver" is about a vet who has anger issues. "First Blood" is about a vet who is lost in America.

Many movies have a character's wartime experiences in the background. Al Pacino's Michael Corleone is a war hero in "The Godfather," Denzel Washington's  detective Easy Rawlins is a World War II veteran in "Devil in a Blue Dress," and Jack Nicholson's detective Jake Gittes knows what to do with a hand grenade in "The Two Jakes."

As we get ready to pay tribute to the men and women who served, here are six movies that focus on veterans after they have returned from the battlefield. All are available on video and DVD. Lest we forget.

"The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) -- Three veterans (Dana Andrews, Harold Russell and Fredric March, pictured above) meet on a plane carrying them home after the end of World War II and become fast friends. Then they find their lives will never be the same again. Other stars include Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Hoagy Carmichael.

"Home of the Brave" (2006) -- Four soldiers caught in a bloody ambush just days before leaving Iraq find it hard adjusting after returning from the Middle East. Stars include Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel (pictured at left), 50 Cent and Brian Presley.

"Born on the 4th of July" (1989) -- Tom Cruise stars as paralyzed Vietnam vet Ron Kovic who becomes an anti-war activist because he thinks his country has betrayed him in this Oliver Stone bio-pic. Other stars include Tom Berenger, Frank Whaley and Stephen Baldwin.

"The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) -- A Korean War veteran (Frank Sinatra) discovers a fellow POW (Laurence Harvey) has been brainwashed into becoming an assassin in this thriller. Other stars include Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury and James Gregory. Avoid the remake, which takes place after the first Iraq war.

"The Razor's Edge" (1984) -- Bill Murray is outstanding as a World War I veteran who embarks on a quest to find the meaning of life. Other stars include Theresa Russell, Catherine Hicks and Denholm Elliott.

"Jacknife" (1989) -- Robert De Niro stars as a Vietnam vet who has managed to make peace with his demons and tries to help Army buddy Ed Harris do the same while romancing Harris' sister (Kathy Baker).  Tom Isbell co-stars as the buddy that didn't make it home.

Having a baby Hollywood-style

My daughter is going to have a baby girl on Monday (unless she decides to follow her own timetable and show up sooner).
I figured a great way to count down the days would be to watch movies about expectant parents.
Hollywood has produced lots of movies about pregnancy and expectant parents over the years.
Rene Russo is a pregnant cop trying to get Mel Gibson to marry her in "Lethal Weapon 4," the last of the series. He finally pops the question after she goes into labor.
Mia Farrow learns some disturbing news about her husband and his family as she gets closer to having her child in "Rosemary's Baby."
Molly Ringwald is an honor student whose high school career gets derailed when she and her longtime boyfriend find out she's expecting in "For Keeps?"
Mother and newlywed daughter find out they are expecting together in the sequel "Father of the Bride 2."
Tina Fey hires a woman to have her baby in "Baby Mama," while a woman wants to have a baby but hires a woman to carry the child because she doesn't want to gain weight in "Baby Fat."
Baby movies aren't just American, either. A British couple try about everything to conceive a child in the comedy "Maybe Baby." And a pregnant woman is the world's last hope in the British end-of-the-world thriller "Children of Man."
Here are six movies about expectant parents that will hopefully keep my daughter's mind occupied as the countdown continues. All are available on video and DVD.
"She's Having a Baby" (1988) -- Expectant father Kevin Bacon is a basket case after his wife (Elizabeth McGovern) finally conceives a baby in this John Hughes comedy. Other stars include Alec Baldwin, Holland Taylor, William Windom and Daniel Dugan.
"Knocked Up" (2007) -- Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl (pictured above) unexpectedly hook one for a one-night stand and find themselves expecting in this comedy about a surprise pregnancy. Other stars include Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann.
"Juno" (2007) -- Ellen Page is 16 and pregnant and ready to have a baby in this comedy written by Lemont native Diablo Cody. Other stars include Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janey and J.K. Simmons.
"Nine Months" (1995) -- Hugh Grant's life takes a definite turn after longtime girlfriend Julianne Moore tells him her news. Other stars include Tom Arnold and Chicago's own Joan Cusack, and Robin Williams.
"Paternity" (1981) -- A successful New Yorker (Burt Reynolds) decides he wants a child but not a wife, so he recruits Beverly D'Angelo to deliver his baby. Things then get complicated for the non-couple. Other stars include Norman Fell, Paul Dooley and Elizabeth Ashley.
"Junior" (1994) -- Here's one for all the women who wonder how big a baby a man would be if he ever got pregnant. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a scientist who decides to carry a baby with some help from fellow scientists Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson. Other stars include Frank Langella and Pamela Reed.