Directed by:
William A. WellmanScreenplay:
Niven BuschCinematography:
Arthur L. ToddComposer:
Bernhard KaunCast:
Dick Powell, Ann Dvorak, Pat O'Brien, Arthur Byron, Lyle Talbot, Hugh Herbert, Arthur Hohl, Charles C. Wilson, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Nat Pendleton (more)Plots(1)
Those who only know Pat O'Brien from his later, slightly more avuncular roles may be surprised to see him pumping out almost as much energy as his friend (and sometime co-star) James Cagney, in the lead and title role of College Coach. As James Gore, the head football coach for Calvert College, he leads his team to victory at any cost, including fair-play, decent (if not good) sportsmanship, and honesty -- he's even got his hooks into the financial end of a stadium deal. But all isn't well with those around Gore -- his best and most honorable player, Sargeant (Dick Powell, really wants to get an education while playing college ball, and finally backs out when he sees the hypocrisy around him; and his other top player, Weaver (Lyle Talbott), is a self-centered headline hound with an IQ in low double-digits who is a detriment to the team whenever he isn't scoring touchdowns. And his work seems to be unraveling when his tactics bring about a tragedy on the playing field. But it's when he discovers that his own wife (Ann Dvorak) is feeling so neglected that she's been pushed toward infidelity -- with Weaver -- that he realizes he's gone too far. With Calvert College about to lose much of what it stands for academically over the collapse of its football team, help comes from unexpected places, including a wife who still loves him and the one player Gore had who is smart enough to see the bigger picture. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Dick Powell
USA
Best movies:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
Ann Dvorak
USA
Best movies:
Scarface (1932)
'G' Men (1935)
The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)
Pat O'Brien
USA
Best movies:
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
The People Against O'Hara (1951)
Arthur Byron
USA
Best movies:
20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
The Mummy (1932)
Lyle Talbot
USA
Best movies:
20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
Three on a Match (1932)
Tumbleweed (1953)
Hugh Herbert
USA
Best movies:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Hellzapoppin' (1941)
A Song Is Born (1948)
Arthur Hohl
USA
Best movies:
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
The Yearling (1946)
You Gotta Stay Happy (1948)
Charles C. Wilson
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams
USA
Best movies:
Beggars of Life (1928)
City Girl (1930)
Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941)
Nat Pendleton
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful World (1939)
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
Phillip Reed
USA
Best movies:
The Last of the Mohicans (1936)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
The Tattered Dress (1957)
Donald Meek
UK
Best movies:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
Berton Churchill
Canada
Best movies:
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Stagecoach (1939)
The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)
Harry Beresford
UK
Best movies:
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Dinner at Eight (1933)
The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
Herman Bing
German Empire
Best movies:
Sunrise (1927)
Dumbo (1941)
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)
Joe Sawyer
Canada
Best movies:
The Killing (1956)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Gilda (1946)
Philip Faversham
USA
Best movies:
BUtterfield 8 (1960)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Dave O'Brien
USA
Best movies:
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Ward Bond
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Fury (1936)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Sam McDaniel
USA
Best movies:
Double Indemnity (1944)
Captains Courageous (1937)
Union Pacific (1939)