Captains Courageous is a 1937 American adventure drama film starring Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore and Melvyn Douglas.

Filmed in black and white, Captains Courageous was advertised by MGM as a coming-of-age classic with exciting action sequences.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, with Spencer Tracy winning the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the simple but caring fisherman Manuel.

Backgrounds and exteriors for the film, which updated the story's setting to the mid-1920s, were shot on location in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Shelburne, Nova Scotia in Canada, and Gloucester, Massachusetts in the United States.

Harvey is reluctant to do real work but prodded by Manuel, a proud but simple Portuguese immigrant, eventually accepts.

During the climactic race back to Gloucester against a rival schooner, the Jennie Cushman, Manuel climbs to the top of the mast to furl the sail.

The next day, in front of the Fisherman's Memorial, Harvey and Frank join the community in casting bouquets and wreaths on the outgoing tide in tribute to the souls lost during this fishing season.

Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times called the film "another of those grand jobs of movie-making we have come to expect of Hollywood's most prodigal studio.

With its rich production, magnificent marine photography, admirable direction and performances, the film brings vividly to life every page of Kipling's novel and even adds an exciting chapter or two of its own.