Pigskin Parade (1936)

There are more than a few bad ideas running around out there. Particularly in shortsighted efforts to combine two or more innocuous entities into one grand triumph. Some of these disastrous pairings range from the curious - Clamato, dessert pizza, dancing and stars - to the sinister; “blue collar” comedy, Fox Television and news, sandwiches with meat for bread, and McCain/Palin.      

One such combination we did get right however. The blending of musical whimsy, spirited hijinks and college football. Is there anything more nostalgic, more enjoyably hokey than a bleacher full of football fans dressed in large fur coats, straw boater hats and two-toned Oxfords waving small pennants to the sounds of “Boola, Boola”? Now, have Judy Garland come out on the field, clad in cowboy boots and rodeo duds to perform the halftime show and you’ve got a slice of Americana straight out of Norman Rockwell’s portfolio.

It was 1936. 20^th Century Pictures had recently done some conglomerating of its own in a deal with the Fox Film Corporation. The new head of production, Darryl F. Zanuck was looking for projects to keep the newfound company viable against the other industry heavies. The low budget musical became a staple in his arsenal.

Song and dance performers from vaudeville, revues and musical theater all lined up for their big “Hollywood” break. Zanuck’s instinct for talent was acute. He realized that he could take gambles on unsung performers (without having to pay huge salaries to established stars) and by keeping budgets low and productions simple, the fledgling studio could pump out numerous titles rapidly to stay afloat in the early days of their enterprise. In turn, the success of the smaller films could be used to promote the studio’s larger, more prestigious projects. It worked like a charm.

While MGM and Warner Brothers were pouring money into huge, lavish musical productions, 20^th Century Fox took the low road and, in doing so, discovered the likes of Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman, Carmen Miranda and Sonja Henie.

Zanuck’s knack for bringing along the unproven was never more considerable than in a small 1936 production called Pigskin Parade. A fifteen year old, baby faced prodigy was in the MGM stable. She had been used very little in musical shorts for the studio and was looking for her big break. Zanuck signed her on loan from MGM and proceeded to give her three numbers and a supporting role in the football folly. It was her feature length film debut. She sang her heart out and so impressed the cast and crew that one of the numbers had to be re-shot because of the impromptu burst of applause from the onlookers on the set. Her name was Judy Garland. MGM would not loan her out again for many years. The rest, as they say, is Hollywood and entertainment legend.

Pigskin Parade’s storyline is essentially a David vs. Goliath romp. Lowly Texas State University has mistakenly been asked by football powerhouse Yale (Wow, this film is old!) to compete in a game for charity (Yale thought they were asking the University of Texas). TSU’s Athletic Director (Johnny Downs) believes the invitation stems from the reputation of their newly hired football coach (Jack Haley) who is actually a bumbling idiot. The coach’s wife (a fun turn by the brash Patsy Kelly) is the real brains behind the outfit and much of the film’s humor revolves around her browbeating him into submission. After confiscating some gin at a campus dance, she gets drunk and accidentally breaks the leg of TSU’s star player (Fred Kohler Jr.). She and the AD set out to find a replacement, bringing them to the melon patch of a rube farmer named Amos (the Oscar nominated Stuart Erwin) and his sister Sairy (Judy Garland). The shoeless bumpkin can hurl a melon a country mile. They sign him up and bring the two back to TSU to prepare for the big game.

In the meantime, campus monkeyshines, spontaneous musical numbers and pitfalls erupt. The school’s “good time girl” gets her hooks into Amos. A radical socialist (a very young Elisha Cook Jr.) is duped into surrendering his application papers so Amos can be eligible to play. The coach is continually frustrated by mishaps beyond his control and his wife must take charge of the situation to insure the team has a possibility of winning. All the while, musical ditties from Garland, Haley, The Yacht Club Boys (middle-aged men laughably playing college age students), Dixie Dunbar and Tony Martin (later husband to Alice Faye) keep the pace lively and enjoyable.

The film borrowed themes and comedic situations from the Marx Brothers’ Horse Feathers made four years earlier at Paramount and undeniably played off the success of that film. Betty Grable has a bit part (she would rise to superstardom in the ‘40s at Fox and as a WWII pinup girl) and a young uncredited Alan Ladd can be seen as a student in one of the campus gatherings. There is also a surprising amount of political and social context for a film so dedicated to lightheartedness and frivolity. Socialism, female gold digging, classism, “loose” women, economic depression, scholastic elitism, recruiting violations and regional prejudice all have brief moments in the script. None of these topics are weighted too heavily and most are mentioned passively or are used as the basis for humor or song.   

Pigskin Parade is pure hokum; silly, unlikely, good natured, spirited fun. It has all the elements of quality, escapist fare. For a nation mired in the depths of financial depression and looking out at a world creeping closer to international turmoil and war it represents that “can do” nature at the heart of the American soul. When times get tough, put your shoulder to the wheel, pull up your bootstraps, face your adversaries head on and, gosh darn it, break out into song and dance. Boola, Boola.



Comments

[M. Lars van der Cleven]

We all know that too much Garland makes men gay. Which leads me to wonder what the locker room scene were like....

[C. Adolph Moores]

There was a lot of Tiger Balm.