Knute Rockne All American (1940)

The story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne.

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Robert Buckner (original screen play), Mrs. Knute Rockne (based upon: private papers of, and the reports of Rockne's intimate associates and friends)

Stars:

Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pat O'Brien	...	Knute Rockne
Gale Page	...	Bonnie Skiles Rockne
Ronald Reagan	...	George Gipp
Donald Crisp	...	Father John Callahan, C.S.C
Albert Bassermann	...	Father Julius Nieuwland (as Albert Basserman)
John Litel	...	Committee Chairman
Henry O'Neill	...	Doctor
Owen Davis Jr.	...	Gus Dorais
John Qualen	...	Lars Knutson Rockne
Dorothy Tree	...	Martha Rockne
Johnny Sheffield	...	Knute - Age 7 (as John Sheffield)
Moreau Choir of Notre Dame	...	Themselves (as The Moreau Choir of Notre Dame)
Nick Lukats	...	The Four Horseman
Kane Richmond	...	The Four Horseman
William Marshall	...	The Four Horseman

Storyline

Lars Rockne and his family, including his four year old son Knute, emigrate to Chicago in 1892 from their native Norway. By his his mid-twenties Knute saves enough to attend obscure Notre Dame University, where he excels in football and chemistry. He and a teammate develop the forward pass as an offensive weapon while working as life guards on summer break and use it to upset heavily favored Army in a historic game. After graduation Rockne becomes a teacher while coaching part time but ultimately abandons academics to devote all his energies to football. During his tenure as head coach at the school, he develops such outstanding players as George Gipp, who dies prematurely from a strep infection, and the Four Horseman while introducing many innovative tactics including the backfield shift. Rockne, known for his staccato motivational speeches, devotes his life to maintaining the integrity of the sport he loves and promoting it as an integral component in the development of the American...

---

Plot Keywords:

coach | chemistry | teacher | notre dame university | forward pass | 

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Modern Hero

Filming Locations:

Stage 12, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Universal's The Spirit of Notre Dame was also based on Knute Rockne's life.

---

Goofs

At 1:05:59, the position of Rock's son leaning against the rock changes.

---

Quotes

Knute Rockne: Father, I've decided to take up coaching as my life's work.
Father John Callahan: Hmmmm.
Knute Rockne: You think I'm making a mistake, don't you?
Father John Callahan: Anyone who follows the truth in his heart never makes a mistake.

---

Connections

Referenced in Sanford and Son: I Dream of Choo Choo Rabinowitz (1976)

---

Soundtracks

"Aura Lee"
(1861) (uncredited)
Music by George R. Poulton
Played when Rockne convinces his coach to use the forward pass

User Reviews

The fighting Irish

"Knute Rockne All American", the biopic about the famous Notre Dame beloved coach Knute Rockne, is an excellent sports film to watch. Not ever having seen it, we were surprised by the technique used in the movie by director Lloyd Bacon, who shows he was ahead of his times in photographing football games. The result is a vibrant picture about the man responsible for the legacy of the collegian sport, Knute Rockne.

The film presents Rockne from his humble origins in Chicago to his studies in famed Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. He was an ambitious man who had a vision about how the game should be played. Luckily, he went to give his beloved Notre Dame the glory he was after.

Pat O'Brien looks a bit older when he starts as a freshman. In fact, he doesn't change much throughout the film, but he is fine as Mr. Rockne. Pat O'Brien shows he could inspire the players under him by just being a father figure. Gale Page plays Bonnie Rockne, the wise woman who understood her husband's call in life. Ronald Reagan plays George "The Gipper" Gipp, who was a legend that died much too young, but who left a legacy behind. Donald Crisp makes a good contribution as Father John Callahan who was Rockne's mentor at the university.

This film will delight not only sports because of LLoyd Bacon's direction and the fast pace he gives to the movie.