Wow, was this football film a big surprise! If you assume that because Pat O'Brien stars in this film as a college football coach that it is another film in the tradition of KNUTE ROCKNE ALL American or THE IRON MAJOR, then are you in for a BIG surprise!!! Instead of the decent coach who emphasizes clean living and good sportsmanship, Coach Gore in this film emphasizes that nothing, I repeat nothing, should stand in the way of winning! Because of this, COLLEGE COACH stands out as the only true representation of NCAA football I have ever seen!! Here are just a few more of the wonderful object lessons this film actually gives:
If you need to pay players, fix grades or resort to underhanded and illegal business practices--who cares?!
Because college football can be expensive, cut out unnecessary subjects like chemistry!
Whereas in practically every previous college football film (such as BROWN AT HARVARD), there was a fat-headed player who thought he was the entire team by himself. In all these films, the guy gets his big comeuppance. Here, however, he wins the big game and all is forgiven--such as how he let the team down and was dating the coach's wife!
Steal a copy of the big exam and give it to a struggling football player.
When the wife is upset because the coach ALWAYS neglects her, after the wife leaves him, she returns any way--even though he's not reformed one bit.
When the film ends, the coach (who promised to quit football) accepts a HUGE pay increase at a rival college--even though it might mean losing his wife.
Have the coach and a colleague make an illegal land deal and by the end of the film have it pay them off handsomely--with no one the wiser!
When the team is losing badly, send in goons to hurt the other team's star. Too bad that the injuries resulted in the death of the player!!!
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that this script is evil and teaches kids all the wrong lessons. Whereas in the 1930s this might have been shocking, today it just seems like confirmation of what we've known all along! By the way, this incredibly cynical film could not have been made even a year or so later, as the new and toughened Hollywood Production Code mandated that evil be punished (it never was in this film) and that things such as truth and good sportsmanship prevail!! Overall, a highly cynical and nasty film that is entertaining for exactly those reasons. While the writing and acting are rather poor, it certainly is an interesting curio.
In closing, a few final interesting facts. "College Boys" Dick Powell and Lyle Talbot were in actuality 29 and 30 years old respectively when the film debuted. Also, in a brief parade scene, you see a banner for the National Recovery Act with the giant NRA eagle, though this wasn't adopted until June, 1933 and the film was set in 1932.
If you need to pay players, fix grades or resort to underhanded and illegal business practices--who cares?!
Because college football can be expensive, cut out unnecessary subjects like chemistry!
Whereas in practically every previous college football film (such as BROWN AT HARVARD), there was a fat-headed player who thought he was the entire team by himself. In all these films, the guy gets his big comeuppance. Here, however, he wins the big game and all is forgiven--such as how he let the team down and was dating the coach's wife!
Steal a copy of the big exam and give it to a struggling football player.
When the wife is upset because the coach ALWAYS neglects her, after the wife leaves him, she returns any way--even though he's not reformed one bit.
When the film ends, the coach (who promised to quit football) accepts a HUGE pay increase at a rival college--even though it might mean losing his wife.
Have the coach and a colleague make an illegal land deal and by the end of the film have it pay them off handsomely--with no one the wiser!
When the team is losing badly, send in goons to hurt the other team's star. Too bad that the injuries resulted in the death of the player!!!
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that this script is evil and teaches kids all the wrong lessons. Whereas in the 1930s this might have been shocking, today it just seems like confirmation of what we've known all along! By the way, this incredibly cynical film could not have been made even a year or so later, as the new and toughened Hollywood Production Code mandated that evil be punished (it never was in this film) and that things such as truth and good sportsmanship prevail!! Overall, a highly cynical and nasty film that is entertaining for exactly those reasons. While the writing and acting are rather poor, it certainly is an interesting curio.
In closing, a few final interesting facts. "College Boys" Dick Powell and Lyle Talbot were in actuality 29 and 30 years old respectively when the film debuted. Also, in a brief parade scene, you see a banner for the National Recovery Act with the giant NRA eagle, though this wasn't adopted until June, 1933 and the film was set in 1932.