On the Right Track is a 1981 American romantic comedy film directed by Lee Philips. It is the feature film debut of Gary Coleman, produced by Ronald Jacobs, and released to theaters by 20th Century Fox in the spring of 1981. The co-stars include Michael Lembeck, Lisa Eilbacher, Bill Russell, Maureen Stapleton, and Norman Fell.
A young, homeless shoeshine 10-year-old boy named Lester (Coleman) is living in a locker at Chicago Union Station. Already a beloved figure among the staff at the station who look after him, and avoiding attempts to move him to an orphanage, he finds great popularity after it is revealed that he has an amazing talent for picking winning horses at the racetrack.
Due to his success on television with the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, child actor Gary Coleman's popularity led to development of film projects where he could play the lead. An existing script was selected partially due to Coleman's love for trains and reworked for him. With a $3 million budget, filming commenced in May 1980 in Chicago.
It received a number of reviews concluding that it was sappy and simply capitalized on Coleman's TV following, however others found the film charming and well written, with Coleman being a solid actor in his first lead role in a motion picture.
The film grossed $5.9 million in a domestic box office. On home-video rentals, it was added $10 to 15 million to its revenue.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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