Parade du football

By all means not a great film, with a silly premise not made any less so. However it is easy to like and does liven up the spirits as long as not too much is expected.

'Pigskin Parade' is mainly notable for being the film debut of 14-year old Judy Garland, but it is worth watching for more than just historical interest. Garland's performance is certainly one of 'Pigskin Parade's' standout features, she is a real charmer here and not only does she look like she is having a lot of fun but she gets ample opportunity to show off her unmistakable vocal pipes and sounds fabulous for so young.

Tony Martin is also very early in his career, and does make an impression singing the film's best song "You're Slightly Terrific". Betty Grable is similarly charmingly perky, while Stuart Erwin, though am personally not sure about the Oscar-nomination especially with greats like Walter Brennan and Basil Rathbone also in the running in the category that year, is fun and endearing. A pre-'The Wizard of Oz' Jack Haley does just fine, while Patsy Kelly comes very close to stealing the show as a less than subtle character. Love her chemistry with Haley, which can be uproarious to watch. Nice to see Elisha Cook Jnr.

Visually, while not exactly lavish 'Pigskin Parade' is attractive enough, everything is shot well and it was made with care. The bright and breezy direction from David Butler helps. The songs are hardly award-worthy and they vary in the memorability and relevance factor but they are very energetic and pleasant, while they are not necessarily "great" songs count me in as somebody who enjoyed listening to them. "You're Slightly Terrific" and Garland's numbers come off best, and they're staged in a way that isn't big and bold but never static or indifferent either, due to that the cast seem to be enjoying themselves too much.

Scripting has its snappy and funny moments, the film never drags and has a breeziness throughout.

Not that 'Pigskin Parade' is perfect this said. The story is thin, does get contrived in places and is as old as the hills. Some of the script is corny and overly-silly, with some of the comedy over-played on odd occasions. Could have done with less of the Yacht Club Boys, they serve little purpose other than their songs and their performing style is neither interesting or fun and grates somewhat, trying to see them pass for college kids even for comedy strains credibility beyond belief.

Overall, not great but good undemanding fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Except for a couple of seemingly endless musical numbers by a male trio or quartet--I don't recall how many there were--called the Yacht Boys, I found this movie to be consistently entertaining. I attribute this to what I found to be a charming cast, some well thought-out and performed musical numbers, and a story-line that doesn't take itself too seriously. In addition to these virtues, the movie offers some skilled comedy playing from Patsy Kelly and Jack Haley and, to a lesser extent, from Stu Erwin, as well as three stand-out musical numbers performed with an appealing vigor by young Judy Garland. Worth a look.

The big draw here is a 14-year old Judy Garland, lighting up the screen whenever she appears. Too bad she doesn't have a starring role and better songs. Also, there's a 20-year old Betty Grable as one of the eye-candy co-eds. The story's nothing special. It's a big football game between little Texas State and big-time Ivy League Yale. Texas has a new coach (Haley) and his behind-the-scenes brains, (wife Kelly). Texas has no chance until wife Kelly spots cornpone farm boy Irwin who has a slingshot arm. With a little finagling they get him enrolled and made team quarterback. Now the little team from the West stands a chance, that is, if wife Kelly gets to make the big decisions.

Irwin has the good-ole-boy drawl down pat, which is pretty funny. On the other hand, Kelly's pretty shrill as the loud mouth missus, undercutting her comedic impact, at least in my book. The college dance scenes, however, sparkle, especially the big one before the game. However, I could do without the Yacht Club Boys whoever they are-- Garland should have gotten their singing spots. And get a load out of that fierce rabbit Elisha Cook playing an aggressive campus communist, of all things. Even then, he appeared as a hapless fall guy. At the same time, somebody spent a bucket load turning the LA Coliseum into a snow bowl for the big game. It's very realistic, but after 40-years, I'm still waiting for real snow on my LA home.

Other than Garland and Grable and a few sparkling moments, there's not much to recommend, unless you're into old time football.

Stepping into the role that was usually reserved for Jack Oakie in these college films is Stu Erwin in Pigskin Parade. That substitution got for Erwin a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the first year of the Supporting Players categories at the Academy Awards.

Pigskin Parade is typical of the college films of the Thirties when students were hardly expected to think about anything of social or political significance. The main thing on the minds of the folks at Yale was who to play in a tune up charity game before the big annual match with Hah-vard. In fact the one guy in the film who does think about issues is Elisha Cook, Jr. and he's a figure of ridicule. Although it is kind of funny how the fraternity boys use his radicalism to help them in their cause of victory over Yale.

But to the students and faculty at Texas State University in Prarie, Texas this is one big deal to show up those Yankees. They have a sad sack football team with a brand new coach from Yankeeland himself in Jack Haley. Although truth be told, it's his wife Patsy Kelly who's the real brains here. A lot of the comedy with Kelly and Haley involves her showing him up and not being too diplomatic about it.

In fact she has the unique idea of utilizing the championship basketball of the school as football players in a unique passing game. Kelly also with Betty Grable and Johnny Downs who discovers Stu Erwin, a natural quarterback in a melon field, heaving melons across it. Thrown in as a bargain is Erwin's little sister Judy Garland who becomes the team mascot.

This film was Judy's feature film debut, she would not make another film outside MGM until she left that studio and did A Star Is Born in 1954. Her songs are negligible, but her talent is apparent to all.

The best song in the film is done by another guy just getting started in the picture business. Tony Martin sings You're Slightly Terrific at a pep rally and he was also going places.

Further down the cast list is Betty Grable and even further down is Alan Ladd who you can see in some of the scenes at the fraternity house and at the football game.

Pigskin Parade is a pleasant enough film with a whole lot of talented people showing their stuff. Did these kids ever go to class in these schools?

Yale invites the University of Texas to compete in a charity football game--but a secretary fumbles the communication and extends the invitation to tiny Texas State University instead. New coach Slug Winters (Jack Haley) and his harridan wife Bessie (Patsy Kelly) manage to whip the team into shape, but when an accident sidelines the star player they find an unexpected replacement in barefoot yokel Amos Dodd (Stuart Erwin)... and before you can say Sis Boom Bah every one is off to the big game! Best known for his later performance of The Tin Man in THE WIZARD OF OZ, Jack Haley was a memorable light comic of stage and screen, and his pairing with Patsy Kelly is truly inspired. In addition to the then-popular quartet The Yachtclub Boys, the film also offers early glimpses of future big names like Betty Grable, Alan Ladd, Tony Martin, and Elisha Cook Jr., not to mention B movie queens Arline Judge and Lynn Bari.

But then as now, the real noise in the film was teenage Judy Garland, who made her feature film debut on loan from home studio MGM with the small role of Amos Dodd's hillbilly sister "Sairy." Slight though the role was, Garland's handful of cornpone-humor scenes and her three songs served as a wake-up call to her MGM handlers, and for the rest of her MGM contract she would never work off-studio again.

Although PIGSKIN PARADE is hardly in the same league with the Paramount, Warner Brothers, or MGM musicals of the same era, the lightweight story, memorable cast, silly dialogue ("Well, Call My Hawgs!") and pleasant if not greatly memorable songs has a great deal of period charm. I do not think it will greatly appeal to any one who isn't already a fan of 1930s musicals, but those who are will enjoy it--and Garland fans will consider it a minor classic.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer