Review #1345: Pigskin Parade.Cast:
Stuart Erwin (Amos), Jack Haley (Slug), Patsy Kelly (Bessie), Arline Judge (Sally), Grady Sutton (Mortimer), Fred Kohler, Jr. (Biff), Johnny Downs (Chip), Tony Martin (Tommy), Dixie Dunbar (Ginger Jones), Betty Grable (Laura), Judy Garland (Sairy), Si Jenks (Baggage Master), and the Yacht Club Boys. Directed by David Butler (#1334 - Just Imagine and #1342 - Bright Eyes)
Review:
It always seems the lightest entertainment can provide the best debut for a star, no matter how big or small the role is. This was the feature film debut of Judy Garland, a thirteen year old singer and actor who was born to vaudevillian parents and toured with her sisters (under her original name of Gumm at first) before being discovered and soon brought to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While she would spend 15 years with the company, her debut would be with newly merged 20th Century Fox in this film. MGM didn't know what to do with her at first, so they loaned her to Fox for a few weeks, with her role being a small but notable one, having two songs to herself to sing.
Who better to make a light mix of comedy and song than David Butler. He was the son of an actress and a stage director, and he soon found his way into acting starting in 1910, appearing in various parts directed by people such as John Ford and D.W. Griffith. He made his directorial debut with The High School Hero (1927), and he directed films in five different decades for multiple studios with numerous stars, ranging from Doris Day to Shirley Temple to Walter Brennan, with the latter two being honored by the Academy with awards for acting in a Butler film. This is an ensamble piece, filled with a slim plot that goes by the numbers you can see coming right away (take one guess about if this team will lose to Yale), but there is a charm to it that makes things roll comfortably without seeming dopey. It's a humble movie, full of actors who mostly were just known for small roles or b-movie films (with Garland, Haley, and Grable being exceptions), but they zip the film along through 93 minutes with moderate zingers and decent production value. The songs aren't really anything grandly memorable, but the actors (more so for Garland) sing them adequately enough. Highlights include a fair turn for Erwin (garnering a surprising Oscar nod) as a barefoot college football star, Haley and Kelly as a couple with a few biting wisecracks on and off the field, and a charming Garland (whether singing or not) whenever on screen. One knows there are better football films or better musical comedies out there than this, but one can't go wrong with a movie like this when it comes to achieving quality escapist entertainment without being too empty inside, serving with a fair cast and fair direction to make an equally fair time. Average isn't a bad place to be with a film like this.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
