Campus Confessions

Stuffed shirt William Henry matriculates at college, where his stuffed shirt father, Thurston Hall, is the big donor who hates college athletics. Thanks to an 'interview' with college newspaperwoman Betty Grable, and his personality, it takes about four minutes of screen time for every student to hate Henry, even when he tries to fit in. However, college tailor Fritz Feld and the star center of the college team take to him, and the next year, he's a member of the college's first winning basketball team in memory. Of course, there's the championship game with the school's longtime rival. I feel forced to admire the writers for not making this varsity football. There is even a classroom scene that takes up about three minutes of the film.

The inevitable cliches of the college story aside, there is a fine and swift pace to the entire movie under the direction of George Archainbaud, with some stunt casting and Miss Grable showing some great timing. She had finally risen to the level of lead ingenue the previous year, and this would be the next to last college movie she would appear in as a student. The following year she would be hired by Fox as a threat to Alice Faye. When Miss Faye fell ill, Miss Grable got the lead in DOWN ARGENTINE WAY, and became Queen of the Technicolor Musicals after ten years in the industry.