Pigskin Parade (Fox Marquee Musicals)
by David Butler
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Betty Grable, Jack Haley, Johnny Downs, Patsy Kelly, Stuart ErwinDirector: David Butler
Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
Producer: Bogart Rogers
Writer: Arthur Sheekman
Writer: Harry Tugend
Writer: Jack Yellen
Writer: Mark Kelly
Writer: Nat Perrin
Writer: William M. Conselman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-05-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Pigskin Parade (Fox Marquee Musicals)
Movie Review: not bad at all--with Garland stealing every scene she's in
Summary: 5 Stars
(4.5 stars)
Pigskin Parade is a rather underrated movie musical that really should get an "A-." The acting is convincing and the numerous musical numbers are performed with panache; I especially enjoyed Judy's Garland's numbers and The Yacht Club Boys perform some song and dance routine flawlessly. There's a fair amount of action in the last twenty or so minutes of the film when the football game is being played. The cinematography works well; and the choreography for crowd scenes and the musical numbers couldn't have been better. In addition, the plot moves along at a very good pace.
The film begins with Yale University professors having a heated debate over which college football team to invite for their "charity" throw-away game. They decide on a college in Texas; but by accident they invite an especially unsuccessful football team from Texas State University. The kids at Texas State are thrilled including Chip (Johnny Downs) and Laura (Betty Grable), especially because they have their star player Biff (Fred Kohler Jr.). They're even more excited because they're getting a brand new football coach from New York's Long Island, Winston 'Slug' Winters (Jack Haley) who comes by train to Texas with his spunky wife Bessie (Patsy Kelly).
Trouble starts, though, when Winston and Bessie take a look at the team. The kids are enthusiastic but they're not well trained athletes; they've lost a lot of games and now the new coach and his wife see why they have such a poor record. However, Winston tries to get them together for the big game against Yale with the strong encouragement of Bessie; and for a while it seems that they might pull a team together.
But then there's more trouble. Their star player, Biff, breaks his leg in a freak accident when a slightly drunken Bessie tries to show him a sure-fire way to tackle someone. A crisis immediately arises: where and how can they find another young man to replace Biff fast? They try to track down one guy but they fail; however on their way back they stop alongside the road where just by chance they discover the very athletic but rather shy Amos Dodd (Stuart Erwin) and his younger sister Sairy (Judy Garland). They are amazed at Amos's athletic prowess especially after they try him out at their school; and Sairy tags along with Amos to get singing lessons on campus.
After a quick plot twist to let Amos claim to be a student with a totally different identity and outlook on life, Amos must assume the identity of that guy, Herbert Terwilliger Van Dyck. He agrees; and it appears Texas State again has a real chance to beat Yale after all.
What happens from here can be anyone's guess. Will Amos be able to pass for Herbert? How do they get him an assumed identity--and how will they all play against Yale in Connecticut during a very bad snowstorm? Watch and find out!
The DVD comes with some very nice extras. Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft talks about her mother; and there's a "meet the cast" featurette. The extra about Darryl F. Zanuck was very nicely done as well. As another reviewer correctly notes, this film is NOT in color; it's presented here in black and white, the way it was originally filmed.
Pigskin Parade offers a lot and I don't think it's truly a "B" movie; that's selling it short. Sure, it's not the best musical I've ever seen; but it packs a very real punch. We see Betty Grable and Judy Garland at the beginning of their work in feature length motion pictures; and that's excellent. The musical numbers and the action packed football game conclusion make this even better. I highly recommend this film for fans of the actors in it; and people who enjoy classic movie musicals will also enjoy this film.
Summary of Pigskin Parade (Fox Marquee Musicals)
This hilarious comedy stars Jack Haley and Patsy Kelly as married football coaches. Judy Garland in her first film appearance.The first major movie produced by the then-brand-new studio 20th Century Fox, the black and white 1936 musical Pigskin Parade is a story about the power of self-confidence. Stars of the day Stuart Erwin, Jack Haley, and Patsy Kelly are joined by then-newcomers to the screen Judy Garland (on loan from MGM studio), Betty Grable, and Anthony (Tony) Martin for an ensemble cast with incredible talent for singing, dancing, and acting. The story begins with a small, mediocre Texas State University football team being mistakenly invited to play against Yale University in a charity ball. The Texas team doesn't have a chance of winning against the mighty Yale team, so everyone thinks, but a new coach (Jack Haley) and his wife (Patsy Kelly) come to town and, thanks to some inspired instruction, their players begin to develop a new self-confidence that, combined with an unlikely new recruit (Stuart Erwin), makes them true football contenders. Much more than just a sports movie, Pigskin Parade is a true musical production complete with elaborate dance numbers like "You're Slightly Terrific" danced by Dixie Dunbar and a host of great songs including "Down With Everything" and "We'd Rather Be In College" performed by the Yacht Club Boys and the powerful "It's Love I'm After" performed by a young Judy Garland. Bonus features include a "Making of the Team" featurette which looks at the talented cast, a "Remembering Judy" segment featuring Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft, and a "Meet the Coach" featurette that explores producer Darryl Zanuck's career and his instrumental role in the merge between 20th Century Studios and the Fox Film Corporation. Also included are still galleries and a brief restoration comparison. --Tami Horiuchi
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