Maker of Men
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Edward Sedgwick
Jack Holt
Richard Cromwell
Joan Marsh
Robert Alden
John Wayne
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The football team at Western University has done poorly for the past two years, and the bad showing has damaged the reputation of coach "Uncle" Dudley. When his son Bob enters the college, Dudley automatically makes him a varsity first stringer. Dudley is a loud man, and is preoccupied with the game and placing Bob in the headlines. To Dudley, nothing in the world is more important than football. Bob dislikes the game and its physical hardships, however, but hides the truth from his father. Despite his knowledge of the game, Bob is only a mediocre player because of his fear of injuries. The team continues to fare badly, and the school's alumni, furious about the losses, scheme to break Dudley's contract. One of the old graduates, McNeill, drinks to celebrate victory and gets plastered if the team is defeated. When Bob loses his nerve before the big game against Monroe, he asks his father if he can quit, but Dudley calls his son a coward and warns him that he will play if he has to be dragged onto the field. The game is lost due to Bob's blunders, and Dudley decides to expel him from the team. Bob's girl friend Dorothy also turns against him because she believes him to be a quitter. Bob begins to pack to leave, but Dudley learns of his intentions and they argue. Bob accuses Dudley of never having been a father to him, and also asserts that all Dudley wanted was a football player, not a son. After Bob storms out, Dudley realizes that he spoke truthfully, and that he has been a failure as a father. Bob enrolls at Monroe and, two years later, returns to play his former teammates. The game will determine Dudley's future as Western's coach, and it is Bob's skillful playing that brings about Monroe's victory. During the final play, however, Bob is badly hurt. Dudley goes to see him in the gymnasium while he is being tended by a doctor, and father and son are reunited. Dudley's own defeat is unimportant, for he is filled with pride over his son's display of courage.
Director
Edward Sedgwick
Cast
Jack Holt
Richard Cromwell
Joan Marsh
Robert Alden
John Wayne
Walter Catlett
Natalie Moorhead
Richard Tucker
Ethel Wales
Ward Bond
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to New York Times, the working title of this film was Yellow. The Motion Picture Herald review claims that the film's football scenes were compiled through "the use of judiciously selected newsreel shots of an actual big game, interspersed with close-ups" of the actors. Still photographs of the production reveal that portions of the film were shot on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, CA.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1931
Released in United States 1931
