The Kick-Off!

"Kickoff", part of Hal Roach Boy Friend series, is an entertaining one-reeler directed with great style by George Stevens. The director shows that even at this early stage of his career, he had a knack for presenting his stories and getting his audience involved in what they were watching, as it's the case in this funny tale about football when it was in its infancy.

The story about centers about how even then, bad guys were betting in the results of the game. What they don't count on is the way that Mickey, who is asked to step into the game, is instrumental in the victory. Mickey, whose hair has been half eaten by the team's mascot, proves that in spite of being ticklish he can deliver.

The last part of this short film is pure slapstick as the team comes to the rescue of their kidnapped coach. Mickey Daniels and Grady Sutton are the main reason for watching the film.

It's the big game between Elmira and Cornell, and gangsters have kidnapped Elmira's coach, Harry Bernard. Can Grady Sutton and Mickey Daniels lead Elmira to victory with the help of Mary Kornman, firecrackers, and a slingshot, and then rescue Bernard?

It's an episode of THE BOY FRIENDS, where George Stevens cut his teeth as a director. It starred graduates of OUR GANG and made use of Hal Roach's expert gag writers. It's a decent series, if you can stand the fact that Daniels had grown from a cute kid to a very ugly young man with a limited number of comedy shticks. Here he uses his squirrel-chitter laughter.

The Kickoff is one of the Hal Roach Boy Friends series. The story is pretty standard: a football team is blackmailed to lose the game. However, two dimwits, Mickey and Grady, add comedy by ruining absolutely everything in sight. The gags have been done before and since such as the boys running the wrong way, getting hit easily, and generally playing horribly. Later, the team fights the crooks to save their coach. Thankfully, the Mickey and Grady have personality, and this makes the short entertaining despite the over-used plot and gags.

The problem is trying to find a copy of the film, and then getting one that is watchable. When will the series be formally released?