Copyright 27 October 1943 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Globe: 31 October 1943. U.S. release: 23 October 1943. Australian release: 4 May 1944. Length: 7,918 feet. 88 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Pat O'Brien plays the legendary coach, Frank Cavanaugh. Raising a family of 10 children and coming home from WWI a major, Cavanaugh believed in three things - "love of God, country, and family." Needless to say, Cavanaugh consistently took his teams to victory, otherwise Hollywood would not have bothered to make rhe film at all, no matter how much he loved God, country and family.
COMMENT: A marvelous music score by Roy Webb (directed by C. Bakaleinikoff), is not altogether smothered by Ray Enright's dull direction and the jingoistic screenplay concocted by Aben Kandel and Warren Duff from an original story by Florence E. Cavanaugh herself.
Although production values are otherwise good, liberal use is made of stock footage. This footage is used very effectively in a number of montage sequences, but it is disconcerting to find the climactic football game entirely composed of stock. Perhaps money ran out and it had to be done on the cheap. In any event, the first half of the film is far superior to the second half. Even rabid football fans are likely to be disappointed by the penny-pinching climax and ordinary fans will likewise be irritated by the script's dated message "to get out there and fight!"
Still, Roy Webb's music score is absolutely terrific.
SYNOPSIS: Pat O'Brien plays the legendary coach, Frank Cavanaugh. Raising a family of 10 children and coming home from WWI a major, Cavanaugh believed in three things - "love of God, country, and family." Needless to say, Cavanaugh consistently took his teams to victory, otherwise Hollywood would not have bothered to make rhe film at all, no matter how much he loved God, country and family.
COMMENT: A marvelous music score by Roy Webb (directed by C. Bakaleinikoff), is not altogether smothered by Ray Enright's dull direction and the jingoistic screenplay concocted by Aben Kandel and Warren Duff from an original story by Florence E. Cavanaugh herself.
Although production values are otherwise good, liberal use is made of stock footage. This footage is used very effectively in a number of montage sequences, but it is disconcerting to find the climactic football game entirely composed of stock. Perhaps money ran out and it had to be done on the cheap. In any event, the first half of the film is far superior to the second half. Even rabid football fans are likely to be disappointed by the penny-pinching climax and ordinary fans will likewise be irritated by the script's dated message "to get out there and fight!"
Still, Roy Webb's music score is absolutely terrific.