On the Right Track

On the Right Track
On the Right Track movie poster
Directed by	Lee Philips
Written by	Avery Buddy Richard Moses Tina Pine
Produced by	Jim Begg Ronald Jacobs
Starring	Gary Coleman
Cinematography	Jack L. Richards
Edited by	Bill Butler
Music by	Arthur B. Rubinstein
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	March 6, 1981 (1981-03-06) (and later in different cities)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million
Box office	$13 million (US)

On the Right Track is a 1981 American romantic comedy film with the feature film debut of Gary Coleman. It was directed by Lee Philips, 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 years old boy named Lester (Coleman) is living in a locker at Union Station, Chicago. 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 can play the lead. A script, originally intended for someone else, was chosen because of Coleman's love for trains. With a $3 million budget, filming commenced in May 1980 in Chicago.

Though it received a number of reviews concluding that it was sappy and capitalizing on Coleman's TV following, many found the film charming, well written, well acted, with Coleman being a solid actor in his first lead role in a motion picture.

The film was a financial success, it grossed 13 million at the box office ranking it at 61 on highest grosses of that year. On home-video rentals that film added 10 to 15 millions to their revenue.