Mildred Washington

Riley and Donovan, racehorse owners and trainers who have been rivals and enemies for years, seek to befriend Tod Taylor, a jockey, and Ham, a retainer. Tod elects to work for Riley, incurring the enmity of rival jockeys. Riley's daughter, Colleen, sympathizes with Tod and cares for his bruises. Trying to befriend Donovan, Tod wins a match between Riley's colt, Reckless, and Donovan's best horse; and many more victories bolster his confidence.

Together with MGM's Hallelujah, Fox's Hearts in Dixie is historically significant as one of the first all-talkie, big-studio productions to boast a predominately African-American cast. The ineluctable Clarence Muse, all of forty years old, stars as elderly Grandpap Nappus, a former slave whose beloved daughter Chloe (Bernice Pilot) marries the shiftless Gummy (comedian Stepin Fetchit, in his only "straight" role). (allmovie.com)