Camino de adversidad

This is a light hearted uplifting tale directed by the talented Michael Curtiz. John Wayne plays a divorced man trying to keep custody of his young daughter(Sherry Jackson)and at the same time regain his self- respect by coaching football at a small, money strapped Catholic college.

This sentimental yarn has an all star supporting cast that includes: Charles Coburn, Donna Reed, Leif Erickson, Dabbs Greer and Chuck Conners.

This is one John Wayne movie with which I was not familiar and with which his biography barely deals. While often stock & predictable, it is truly a heart-warming movie which nevertheless contains a rather frank expose and indictment of the "professionalism" present in college football. When one considers that when the movie was made, college football was MUCH bigger than professional football, it is amazing that the movie is so realistic in this regard.

Perhaps because "Trouble Along the Way" is so unusual a film for John Wayne, I rank it among my favorites.

He is a little more down to earth in this one; there is no violence; there is humor.

There is also a superb cast, some of the finest players with whom the Duke ever performed.

I highly recommend "Trouble Along the Way," to everyone, but especially to anyone who isn't familiar with the wide range and great ability of John Wayne.

For a guy who was very much a part of the University of Southern California football team, John Wayne did not do too many films involving sports. In one film College Coach if you look fast you can see the Duke in a film called College Coach that starred Pat O'Brien and Dick Powell.

The usual problems of college athletics are here, problems we make for ourselves with this foolish definition of amateur and professional athlete. Trouble Along the Way also adds to the mix some of Wayne's domestic problems. He's a single parent raising a young girl in not the greatest atmosphere in the world. He's got an ex-wife, Marie Windsor who wants custody now, and a social worker, Donna Reed who has trouble keeping her personal and professional lives separate.

As in They Were Expendable, Wayne and Reed, have good chemistry. But Wayne's scenes with little Sherry Jackson are something special. They avoid the usual sentimentality, but you will react to them.

Charles Coburn plays the father/rector of small Catholic college St. Anthony's which is on it's financial uppers. He gets the idea that a standout football team as a gate attraction will bring his college out of debt. He hires Wayne, a down on his luck football coach to achieve that end. Wayne does it in the tried and true way that schools always do. It gives Coburn an ethical problem.

Films from as far back as College Coach to the fine James Caan film, The Program have dealt with these issues. Twenty years from now, other films will do the same.

But this is a nice family picture for John Wayne. He gets to go back to one of his first loves and probably the Duke was happy to be in modern dress for a change.

James Dean is supposed to be one of the students. See if you can spot him.

The quote "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" was actually a quote made by John Wayne in this 1953 film, "Trouble Along The Way". John Wayne does a fine job playing a college football coach, Steve Williams, who get's incorrectly caught up in a recruiting scandal. Sherry Jackson plays his daughter who idolizes him and demonstrates her excellent acting ability. I'm not a big football fan, but really enjoyed this film. Not only for the nostalgic look at the days when college football was fun and not the principal business of the university, but for the ethics that were around during that period of time.

Wayne makes the statement in the film many years before Vince Lombardi is credited with it.