Knute Rockne All American (1940)

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

Directors:

Lloyd Bacon, William K. Howard (uncredited)

Writers:

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

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 Treating Knute
Owen Davis Jr.	...	Charles 'Gus' Dorais
John Qualen	...	Lars Knutson Rockne
Dorothy Tree	...	Martha Rockne
Johnny Sheffield	...	Knute Rockne - Age 7 (as John Sheffield)
Moreau Choir of Notre Dame	...	Moreau Choir (as The Moreau Choir of Notre Dame)
Nick Lukats	...	Harry Stuhldreher - The Four Horsemen
Kane Richmond	...	Elmer Layden - The Four Horsemen
William Marshall	...	Don Miller - The Four Horsemen

Storyline

Lars Rockne and his family, including his four year old son Knute, emigrate to Chicago in 1892 from their native Norway. By 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

norway | national film registry | football | forward pass | coach | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Cagney, eager to break out of gangster roles, lobbied hard for the part of Knute Rockne. But Cagney had signed a petition in support of the anti-Catholic Republican government in the Spanish Civil War. Notre Dame University had control over all aspects of the filming and would not okay Cagney for the role.

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Goofs

At 34:37, shadow on Gipp's shoulder.

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Quotes

Father John Callahan: Who can say for certain what a man was really born to be? That's God's will. Someday Knute will find his right place in the world, and when he does, whether it be science or not, I have a feeling it will be the one he was meant to do.

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Alternate Versions

For years TV prints of "Knute Rockne All-Amercian" deleted about 13 minutes of footage, including the famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech, for legal reasons concerning the George Gipps family. When the US video version was released in 1998, all the deleted scenes were restored, and seen for the first time since the original theatrical showings. The restored, complete print has since been released on DVD (as of 2006) and is now available for television viewings.

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Connections

Spoofed in Airplane! (1980)

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Soundtracks

The Notre Dame Victory March
(1908) (uncredited)
Music by Michael J. Shea
Lyrics by John F. Shea
Played during the opening and end credits
Played and sung by the crowd at the railroad station twice
Played as background music often

User Reviews

Pat O'Brien was Outstanding

Recently was traveling in Norway from Bergen, Norway and stopped in the small town of Voss, Norway and there was a monument in honor of Knute Rockne who was born in Voss years ago. The people all know about Knute to this day and tour guides are proud to stop at his monument. This film is a great history of this great man and his great love for Notre Dame Never realized that Knute has such great talents in chemistry and laboratory science and also taught chemistry for years and at the same time coached the football team. Ronald Reagan played the role of George Gipp, (The Gipper) who was an outstanding football player; Reagan had a short role, but gave a great supporting role in this film. Donald Crisp, (Father John Callahan) was outstanding as a priest who always had great faith in Knute during his entire life at Notre Dame. This is a great Classic film and will be viewed by many generations to come. Enjoy.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Knute Rockne All American

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