The Big Game (1936)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Directors:

George Nichols Jr.
Edward Killy

Writers:

Francis Wallace (story)
Irwin Shaw (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 October 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sport

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Boxer | False Accusation | American Football | Male Female Relationship

Cast

Phillip Huston	...	Clark Jenkins (as Philip Huston)
James Gleason	...	George Scott
June Travis	...	Margaret Anthony
Bruce Cabot	...	Cal Calhoun
Andy Devine	...	Pop Andrews
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Peter 'Pete' Jenkins (as Guinn Williams)
John Arledge	...	Spike Adams
C. Henry Gordon	...	Brad Anthony
Jay Berwanger	...	Himself - University of Chicago All-American
William Shakespeare	...	Himself - Notre Dame All-American
Robert 'Bobby' Wilson	...	Himself - Southern Methodist All-American
James 'Monk' Moscrip	...	Himself - Stanford All-American
Irwin 'King Kong' Klein	...	Himself - New York University All-American
Gomer Jones	...	Himself - Ohio State All-American
Robert 'Bones' Hamilton	...	Himself - Stanford All-American

Runtime:

USA:74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2484)

Filming Locations:

Rose Bowl - 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The novel "Big Game" by Francis Wallace was first published as a serial entitled "Odds Against Honor" in Collier's magazine in 1935. The idea for the riot scene came from an actual riot at a New York University-Fordham University football game. RKO bought 1000 feet of the 1935 Rose Bowl game footage for use in the film.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) (TV)

Some of the more realistic football scenes on film

Although the film is not one of the best sports films ever made, and the storyline is droll and trite, to my surprise, some of the action sequences using the actual actors were more realistic than most football films; especially of this era, and especially with this sort of story. No poorly acting pitching as Ronald Reagan showed in "The Grover Cleveland Alexander Story" or odd batting stance of Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Persall in "Fear Strikes Out" or faked boxing as in "Rocky". This is a dated film per the acting, direction, plot, and so forth, but this actually adds to its charm. Was America actually this way: polite, articulate, innocent? My guess is that it actually was in this era. James Gleason as usual is excellent, the settings nostalgic even to someone far too young to have memories of the time, and a young Andy Devine is fun to watch and listen to with his trademark squeaky and broken voice. Of much interest to me is the first-time screenwriter is Irwin Shaw who later would become one of America's most renown novelists with "The Young Lions", "Rich Man, Poor Man", Beggarman, Thief", and "Evening in Byzantium". Additionally, this film cast actual college football stars, including the first Heisman Trophy winner, Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago and the immortal King Kong Klein. For these reasons, this film is a must for the sports film buff. As a work of art, this film fails; but as a guilty pleasure it scores high.