Pat's College Football All-American Film Team
Sep 12 '09 (Updated Oct 25 '09)
The Bottom Line Saturdays in autumn are for college football. These works celebrate the spirit of the game.
The origin of the college football film, as far as I can tell, dates back to 1911, when the first filmed version of "Brown Of Harvard" hit the big screen. Rida Johnson Young's play would be filmed twice more during the silent era. Many famous actors have had parts in college films over the years. John Wayne, for example, was a football playing extra in several of his earliest pictures. Later, he starred as a college coach in "Trouble Along The Way." Some unlikely actors have taken the field in these films, including Peter Lawford and Desi Arnaz. College and NFL star Red Grange portrayed a college star in a 1931 movie serial. College football films have taken both dramatic and comedic form. Documentaries have been made about the sport. Even Rocky and Bullwinkle got the chance for college glory in one of their escapades.
Saturdays in autumn have never been the same since Princeton and Rutgers played the first recorded college football game in 1869. Just as players have become stars for their schools and coaches have created winning college programs, filmmakers have made movies that score a touchdown in my book. The following is a list of my ten favorites, as well as one honorable mention so that I can field a full team of films. Just like the football players of an era long past, I have chosen films that are my offense, my defense, and my special teams of the college circuit. These films are not in order of preference, but in order of their release.
The Freshman (1925). Harold Lloyd stars as Harold Lamb, an impressionable young man hoping to be popular at college. He is - in all the wrong ways. As a joke, a fellow student tells him the only way he can be popular is if he goes out for football. He makes the team - as the very last man on the bench. In the big game, the coach finds he has no choice but to play Harold. Lamb delivers with a game nobody is likely to forget. Lloyd shows his gift for physical comedy, both on and off the field, and shows a never-quit attitude in any endeavor.
Horse Feathers (1932). The Marx Brothers star in this campus caper. Groucho has just been appointed president of the struggling Huxley College, and Zeppo is his football playing son. He decides the best way to save the college is to "recruit" the best men he can find to play football, just like the school's arch-rival, Darwin College. In his search for ringers, Groucho finds Harpo and Chico instead of cheats. Darwin is still worried, and tries to undermine their big game. The quartet comes up with a wild game plan that will leave audiences laughing.
Pigskin Parade (1936) (My full review is here). Texas State University gets an invitation to play in its biggest game in years, a Veterans Day contest in New Haven against Yale. They have a new coach and an exciting quarterback who bring southern football to the Ivy League. This comedy has a talented ensemble, especially Stuart Irwin as the quarterback, Jack Haley as the coach, and Patsy Kelly as his football-wise wife. There's also plenty of fine singing from Judy Garland, the Yacht Club Boys, and others. They have a great time bringing "The Texas Tornado" to the Bulldogs.
Knute Rockne, All American (1940). Pat O'Brien stars as the legendary coach of Notre Dame, who made the team a contender, both as a player and as a coach. His squads made the forward pass work to their advantage. His stars included George Gipp and the Four Horsemen. While he might have been a fine chemist, he became a winning and inspirational coach whose legacy is a part of Fighting Irish lore. This is a movie that will have people cheering for Notre Dame at least once in their lives.
Too Many Girls (1940). Lucille Ball stars as Connie Casey, a spoiled and troublemaking heiress who goes to college as a ruse to please her father. He's not the trusting sort, and he recruits four college football stars (Richard Carlson, Eddie Bracken, Hal LeRoy, and Desi Arnaz) to shadow her. Connie knows this, too, but finds interest in one of them. The boys, meanwhile, can't help but find their way back to the gridiron, and make the team a hit. The film is full of humor and songs from Rodgers and Hart. This marked the film debuts of Arnaz, Bracken, and Van Johnson.
Good News (1947). This film is the second screen adaptation of Broadway musical that was first produced in 1927, and maintains that time setting here. Peter Lawford stars as Tommy Marlowe, the star of the Tait College football team who becomes interested in school librarian Connie Lane, played by June Allyson. He goes against his coach's advice and takes a class that might jeopardize his eligibility. Tommy also takes a risk when another woman takes an interest in him. Lawford shows that he can score touchdowns by day, and dance the varsity drag at night.
Wossamotta U (1963-64) (My full review is here). This episode of the animated duo from Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, originally aired on TV during the final season of first-run "Rocky And Bullwinkle" episodes. Wossamotta University comes to the conclusion that a good football program is the only thing that will save its institute of higher learning. The school hires football scouts who discover the moose and squirrel, and sign them to full-ride scholarships. Meanwhile, their nemeses, Boris Badanov and Natasha Fatale, try anything to stop them, including stealing their game plan and replacing it with Civil War battle plans. The humor is filled with groan-inducing moments that were a signature of the series. The voice talent includes Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, and William Conrad.
Rudy (1993). Sean Astin stars as Rudy Ruettiger, one of college football's ultimate underdogs. He is undersized, underweight, and short on talent. Yet, he works hard to make the Fighting Irish team, and hopes to get into one game at some point in his college career. The movie is based on the true story of Ruettiger, who was a walk-on at Notre Dame during the 1974 and 1975 seasons. In his own way, Rudy showed he had his own way of waking up the echoes.
Marshall University: Ashes To Glory (2000). This Emmy-winning sports documentary first aired on West Virginia Public Television just after the 30th anniversary of one of the school's greatest tragedies. In 1970, the Marshall University football team lost most of its players and coaches in a devastating airplane crash. Director Deborah Novak and producer John Witek, who wrote the documentary, take a look at the 1970 and 1971 teams, and talk with many of the people who were a part of the campus life during that time. Included are memories of assistant coach Red Dawson and defensive back Nate Ruffin, who, at the time, was fighting a losing battle with cancer. Some of the moments are particularly moving as people recall the crash, and later recall the next home game the following year.
We Are Marshall (2006) (My full review is here). This is one of the best football movies made, college or otherwise. A community comes to grips with the loss of many football personnel and their biggest supporters. Matthew McConaughey stars as Jack Lengyel, a coach who takes a job nobody else wants - becoming the next head coach at Marshall University. Matthew Fox plays Red Dawson, the assistant from the old team who agrees to help in the rebuilding. First, they have many hurdles to face, the least of which is fielding enough players for a team. The oustanding performances, besides the leads, include David Strathairn as the university president, Ian McShane as a grieving father, and Anthony Mackie as Nate Ruffin, a player from the old team determined to keep football alive.
The Express (2008) (My full review is here). Rob Brown stars as Ernie Davis, a gifted running back who played at Syracuse University, won a Heisman Trophy, and seemed destined for pro glory. However, he fell ill with leukemia, and never took the field. Still, he faced any obstacle with dignity and determination. Davis was a man who sized up any opponent and let his actions do the talking. Dennis Quaid also delivers a fine performance as Ben Schwartzwalder, the coach who stood by Davis and encouraged him at every turn.
If you enjoy college football, I hope you will find that these films celebrate the sport as much as I do.
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Member: Pat Mills
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