Pigskin Parade (1936)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

William M. Conselman (writer)
Mark Kelly (story)

Release Date:

23 October 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Sport

Tagline:

A BAREFOOT HILLBILLY FROM TEXAS DOES HIS STUFF IN THE YALE BOWL! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Bessie and Winston "Slug" Winters are married coaches whose mission is to whip their college football team into shape...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | American Football

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Stuart Erwin	...	Amos Dodd
Patsy Kelly	...	Bessie Winters
Jack Haley	...	Winston 'Slug' Winters
Johnny Downs	...	Chip Carson
Betty Grable	...	Laura Watson
Arline Judge	...	Sally Saxon
Dixie Dunbar	...	Ginger Jones
Judy Garland	...	Sairy Dodd
Fred Kohler Jr.	...	Biff Bentley
Grady Sutton	...	Mortimer Higgins
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Herbert Terwilliger Van Dyck
Edward J. Nugent	...	Sparks (as Eddie Nugent)
Julius Tannen	...	Dr. Burke
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Adler	...	Member - The Yacht Club Boys (as The Yacht Club Boys)
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Van Dyke (scenes deleted)
June Gale		(as June Levant)
George Kelly	...	Member - The Yacht Club Boys (as The Yacht Club Boys)
James V. Kern	...	Member - The Yacht Club Boys (as The Yacht Club Boys)
Billy Mann	...	Member - The Yacht Club Boys (as The Yacht Club Boys)
Tony Martin	...	Tommy Barker (as Anthony Martin)
Jed Prouty	...	Mr. Van Dyke (scenes deleted)
Charles Waldron Jr.
The Yacht Club Boys	...	Themselves

Also Known As:

Harmony Parade (UK)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #7705)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 3911 S. Figueroa Street, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

"It's Love I'm After" (music by Lew Pollack, lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell), a duet by Betty Grable and Johnny Downs, was cut from the movie, so that only Judy Garland's rendition is heard in the released film. Both versions are contained on an LP from Curtain Calls, simply called "Betty Grable."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2 (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Football Song

Those Yale Are Quail

Stepping into the role that was usually reserved for Jack Oakie in these college films is Stu Erwin in Pigskin Parade. That substitution got for Erwin a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the first year of the Supporting Players categories at the Academy Awards.

Pigskin Parade is typical of the college films of the Thirties when students were hardly expected to think about anything of social or political significance. The main thing on the minds of the folks at Yale was who to play in a tune up charity game before the big annual match with Hah-vard. In fact the one guy in the film who does think about issues is Elisha Cook, Jr. and he's a figure of ridicule. Although it is kind of funny how the fraternity boys use his radicalism to help them in their cause of victory over Yale.

But to the students and faculty at Texas State University in Prarie, Texas this is one big deal to show up those Yankees. They have a sad sack football team with a brand new coach from Yankeeland himself in Jack Haley. Although truth be told, it's his wife Patsy Kelly who's the real brains here. A lot of the comedy with Kelly and Haley involves her showing him up and not being too diplomatic about it.

In fact she has the unique idea of utilizing the championship basketball of the school as football players in a unique passing game. Kelly also with Betty Grable and Johnny Downs who discovers Stu Erwin, a natural quarterback in a melon field, heaving melons across it. Thrown in as a bargain is Erwin's little sister Judy Garland who becomes the team mascot.

This film was Judy's feature film debut, she would not make another film outside MGM until she left that studio and did A Star Is Born in 1954. Her songs are negligible, but her talent is apparent to all.

The best song in the film is done by another guy just getting started in the picture business. Tony Martin sings You're Slightly Terrific at a pep rally and he was also going places.

Further down the cast list is Betty Grable and even further down is Alan Ladd who you can see in some of the scenes at the fraternity house and at the football game.

Pigskin Parade is a pleasant enough film with a whole lot of talented people showing their stuff. Did these kids ever go to class in these schools?