Local Boy Makes Good
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Mervyn Leroy
Joe E. Brown
Dorothy Lee
Ruth Hall
Edward Woods
Edward J. Nugent
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Ohio university student John Miller is too involved with his botanical experiments to participate in college life. He is not too busy, however, to develop a crush on Julia Winters, a beautiful student at a rival college. He writes her love letters in which he pretends to be a great athlete and top fraternity man, but has no intention of sending them. By accident, the chambermaid picks up one of them and drops it in the mail. Meanwhile, student librarian Marjorie Blake starts work at the same bookstore where John is employed. As they are both shy, they strike up a friendship. When John receives a letter from Julia announcing her imminent arrival on campus, he begs Marjorie for advice. Even though she is in love with John, she counsels him to try and become what he has pretended to be. To this end, John shows up at the track to practice javelin. He is terrible and one of his wild throws almost hits a runner, who chases him off the track. To everyone's surprise, John outruns the fastest runner on the team as he escapes. The coach tries to call John back to the track, but thinking he will be punished, John does not turn back. Later, he contemplates suicide. When Julia arrives at the bookstore looking for John, Marjorie, who is an old school friend, pretends that John is someone else. Soon Julia, who is a psychology student, learns the truth. As she is scolding him, the coach appears and asks John to run in the track meet. When he refuses, Julia decides he has an inferiority complex and offers to psychoanalyze him. She finally convinces him to run in the same two races as her boyfriend, Spike Hoyt. Spike's threats frighten John so much that he loses the first race. He refuses to run in the relay until Marjorie fills him full of grain alcohol and gives him a kiss. He wins the race and by the next day, has undergone a complete personality change. Emboldened by his success, he asks Marjorie to marry him.
Director
Mervyn Leroy
Cast
Joe E. Brown
Dorothy Lee
Ruth Hall
Edward Woods
Edward J. Nugent
Wade Boteler
John Harrington
William Burress
Crew
Thomas Brannigan
Ray Enright
C. Dave Forrest
Raymond Griffith
Michael Joyce
Jack Killifer
Irving Lippman
Robert Lord
Earl Luick
David Mendoza
Robert Mitchell
Jack Okey
Sol Polito
Thomas Riddell
Film Details
Technical Specs
Articles
Local Boy Makes Good (1931)
Local Boy Makes Good (1931)
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of the film was The Poor Nut. According to a June 1931 news item in Film Daily, Walter De Leon worked on the screenplay for the film. The exact nature of his contribution is not known. Some scenes were filmed on location in Lincoln, NE. A French-language version of the film entitled L'athlète incomplet was made in the United States in 1932. In 1927, Richard Wallace directed Jack Mulhall and Jean Arthur in a First National production of the Nugents' play, entitled The Poor Nut.