‘PIGSKIN PARADE’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

Playing American Football in the Snow

I believe this happens to be a Judy Garland’s film debut! 😀

I’ve reviewed quite a number of films featuring Judy Garland over the years, including ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Babes in Arms’, ‘Strike Up the Band’, ‘Little Nellie Kelly’, ‘Babes on Broadway’, ‘Presenting Lily Mars’, ‘Girl Crazy’, ‘Easter Parade’, ‘Summer Stock’ and 1954’s ‘A Star is Born’. I have enjoyed them!

So, it makes sense for me to review Judy Garland’s very earliest film credit before she became recognised in fame for her role as Dorothy Gale in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Thus, here we are on ‘Pigskin Parade’, a 1936 musical comedy film about American football where the game is played in the snow.

Yes, seriously! 😀 It should be pointed out that Judy Garland doesn’t have a major role to play in the film. It takes a while for Judy’s character to actually make an appearance. I enjoyed ‘Pigskin Parade’ when I saw it on DVD, but I kept wondering when Judy would be making an actual appearance here.

My review is based on the ’20th Century Fox Marquee Musicals’ DVD release that my Dad owns. I suppose it’s taking a while for these classic black-and-white films to be released on a streaming service like Disney+. Then again, I’m not very sure how many people know about ‘Pigskin Parade’. 😐

The film focuses on tiny Texas State University, which gets mistakenly invited to play Yale University in a football game. And no, this isn’t like UK football or soccer as it’s sometimes called. This is like rugby-played-in-America-football, which has also been depicted in the 1947 film called ‘Good News’.

I did wonder if this film was based on a musical play like 1947’s ‘Good News’ was, but it turns out it isn’t and it’s actually a film written by six writers for the big screen. Funny that. This film could’ve easily been adapted from a musical play, considering the musical comedy atmosphere throughout. 🙂

A husband-and-wife couple of college football coaches – Slug and Bessie Winters – try to get the unlikely Texas State University team prepared for the tough match. Things don’t go well when Bessie accidentally injures the star player. The team has to find a replacement before the game day arrives.

Thankfully, they find a melon-tossing farmer named Amos who might fit the bill. He won’t go without his pigtailed sister Sairy though, and this is where Judy Garland comes into the film. Yeah! After what seems like half-an-hour into the film, Judy makes her appearance. Took her long enough!

The film has a calm soothing atmosphere when you watch it. I wouldn’t say the plot is anything special and it does take a while to identify some of the characters. But once you get into it, the film does become enjoyable and you do get into the rhythm of some of the songs featured throughout. 🙂

I’m astonished by how this film ended up with the American football game being played in the snow. I thought this would be just a passing snowstorm and that the rest of the game would be played on dry land with more-or-less dry weather. But nope! The snowstorm soon becomes a blizzard in this. 😐

I don’t think you could play a sports game like that in terrible snowy conditions today. Imagine if this film was shot in colour and you saw the tough atmosphere the game players went through to play the game. If the movie was made in modern times, things wouldn’t be very cheery and light-hearted.

Apparently, this film was plagued with accidents, including a misfired gun loaded with blanks that sent one of the student actors to hospital and an on-set fire when filming a railroad station scene. This clearly wouldn’t have shown when you’re watching the film from beginning to end on the DVD.

The film’s cast has been enjoyable throughout. Stuart Erwin plays Amos Dodd; the farm boy who becomes Texas State University’s new champion after the previous one got knocked out for the count. Stuart Erwin was nominated for Best Actor in a Support Role at the Academy Awards in 1937.

Good for him. 🙂 Jack Haley stars as Slug (unfortunate name), the new coach to train the TSU team. Jack Haley would go on to play the Tin Man in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. He also appeared in ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’. I could see his comedic talents coming into play in this film, as he’s pretty enjoyable.

Patsy Kelly plays Bessie, Slug’s often domineering wife and begrudging unsung coach of the TSU team. According to my Dad, Patsy Kelly appeared in ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’. I can see that being the case, considering Patsy is playing half of the comedic married couple bickering with each other. 🙂

Arline Judge stars as attractive student Sally Saxon, whom Amos Dodd falls for in the film. I believe Sally sings a couple of songs in the film before Judy Garland’s character shows up. I wouldn’t say the ‘romance’ (if you can call it that) between Amos and Sally is that strong as you’re watching the film.

This is considering Sally is rather full of herself in this. Grady Sutton plays Mortimer Higgins, Sally Saxon’s rich suitor, who becomes jealous when Amos Dodd falls for her. Again, there’s not much explored in terms of the relationship between Sally and Mortimer when you watch them in this film.

There’s Johnny Downs as Chip Carson, who’s like the main student motivator throughout this film to get the TSU American football team together. I’m surprised Johnny Downs wasn’t given more of a top billing in the film’s cast compared to Stuart Erwin, as he is more-or-less the main character here.

Although he doesn’t actually play in the game like Peter Lawford did in 1947’s ‘Good News’. There’s also Anthony Martin as Tommy, Dixie Dunbar as Ginger Jones, and Betty Grable as Laura Watson. Most of these are Chip’s contemporaries at TSU. I’m certain Betty Grable is playing Chip’s girlfriend.

In fact, ‘Pigskin Parade’ was Betty Grable’s first exposure to the public after being a RKO contract player. Although an attempt was made to introduce Betty Grable to mainstream film audiences, her performance here was overlooked by audiences and critics who favoured newcomer Judy Garland. 😐

Judy Garland is pretty enjoyable to watch as Sairy Dodd, Amos’ sister in the film. It’s funny how she started out as a plain farm girl before she became a singer at some of TSU’s social gatherings and at the American football game itself. It’s also amazing Judy would go on to be in many films after this one.

Talking about the songs and music featured in the film, they include ‘You’re Slightly Terrific’, ‘Woo! Woo!’, ‘We’d Rather Be In College’, ‘Down With Everything’, ‘The Balboa’, ‘The Texas Tornado’ and ‘It’s Love I’m After’. Some are performed by Judy Garland and some are sung by the Yacht Club Boys.

Yeah, there’s a quartet of American comic singers, including Charlie Adler, George Kelly, Billy Mann, and Jimmie Kern, who sing a number of songs at the TSU parties as well as Judy Garland who takes her turn later on. I’m quite sure that one of these four singers looks like Basil Rathbone somehow. 😀

The film also includes Fred Kohler Jr. as Biff. Yeah, he looks like a real ‘butt-head’ in this. 😀 And he was TSU’s star player that got knocked out by Bessie here. 😀 There’s Si Jenks as the baggage master and uncredited cast players like Carol Adams as a student and Lynn Bari as a football game spectator. 🙂

There’s also Muriel Scheck as a dancer in the film. I’m sure the film focuses more on the musical comedy aspects rather than on story and character. I don’t mind this so much, as it seems pleasantly harmless. Mind you, I think the Americans might be way more obsessed with sport than us in the UK. 😀

The DVD special features are as follows. There’s ‘Making the Team: The Talent of Pigskin Parade’ featurette, the ‘Remembering Judy: Lorna Luft on Judy Garland’ featurette, the ‘Meet the Coach: Darryl F. Zanuck’ featurette, a restoration comparison and still galleries. Surprised there’s no trailer!

‘Pigskin Parade’ is an enjoyable 1936 film featuring Judy Garland’s debut in the movies. It was interesting to see how Judy Garland began her film career before she got recognised in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. The film itself is pretty harmless enough and I enjoyed the musical comedy plot throughout. 🙂

It was fun to see Jack Haley and Patsy Kelly’s double act, and the American football game being played in the snow was such a marvel. I’m curious whether that was planned or if the snow came by chance as the film was being made. It’d still be very dangerous to play a game like that in those conditions.

‘Pigskin Parade’ rating – 7/10

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