| Knute Rockne, All American | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lloyd Bacon William K. Howard (uncredited) |
| Written by | Robert Buckner |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis (Exec prod) |
| Starring | Pat O'Brien Gale Page Ronald Reagan |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio |
| Edited by | Ralph Dawson |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $645,618[1] |
Knute Rockne, All American is a 1940 American biographical film that tells the story ofKnute Rockne,Notre Dame's legendary football coach. It starsPat O'Brien as Rockne andRonald Reagan as playerGeorge Gipp, as well asGale Page,Donald Crisp,Albert Bassermann,Owen Davis Jr., Nick Lukats,Kane Richmond,William Marshall, and William Byrne. The film also includes cameos by football coaches"Pop" Warner,Amos Alonzo Stagg,William H. Spaulding, andHoward Jones, playing themselves. It also has a cameo by Olympic starJim Thorpe.
Reagan's presidential campaign revived interest in the film, and as a result, some reporters called him the Gipper.[2]
The movie was written byRobert Buckner and directed byLloyd Bacon, who replacedWilliam K. Howard after filming had begun. In 1997, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United StatesLibrary of Congress and selected for preservation in theNational Film Registry.[3][4]
Lars Knutson Rockne, a carriage builder, moves his family from Norway in 1892, settling inChicago. His son, Knute, saves up his money and enrolls in college at theNotre Dame campus inSouth Bend, Indiana, where he plays football.
Rockne and teammate Gus Dorais star in Notre Dame's historic 35–13 upset over Army at West Point in 1913. The game is historically significant as Notre Dame employed the seldom-usedforward pass to great effect. The publicity from the Fighting Irish's surprise win creates Notre Dame football fans around the country.
After graduation, Rockne marries his sweetheart Bonnie Skiles and stays on at Notre Dame to teach chemistry, work on synthetic rubber in the chemistry lab (under FatherJulius Nieuwland), and, in his spare time, serve as an assistant coach of theFighting Irish football team under head coachJesse Harper.
Outstanding freshman halfback George Gipp leads the Irish to greater gridiron glory. Gipp is stricken with a fatal illness after the final game of the 1920 season. On his death bed, he encourages Rockne to someday tell the team to "win one for the Gipper."
Notre Dame continues its football success with a backfield of stars dubbedthe Four Horsemen. Rockne is killed in a 1931 plane crash on a trip to California, but his legend makes him a campus immortal.
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Bosley Crowther ofThe New York Times called the film "one of the best pictures for boys in years" and wrote that O'Brien conveyed "a valid impression of an iron-willed, dynamic and cryptic fellow who could very well be 'Rock.' As a memorial to a fine and inspiring molder of character in young men, this picture ranks high. But, like theCarnegie Foundation has done on previous occasions, we are inclined to question its overemphasis of the pigskin sport."[5]
Variety called the film "one of the best biographical picturizations ever turned out ... Pat O'Brien delivers a fine characterization of the immortal Rockne, catching the spirit of the role with an understanding of the human qualities of the man."[6]
Film Daily wrote: "Pat O'Brien's life-like Rockne is brilliantly delineated; it's as though Rockne himself were striding across the field once more."[7]
Harrison's Reports wrote: "Very good! It is the first football picture produced without any 'hokum'; it shows how teams are developed and what the game means to both players and coach ... The football scenes should prove thrilling to all."[8]
John Mosher ofThe New Yorker wrote that the story had been "suitably handled for its public of energetic young people and South Bend alumni."[9]
The film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute in these lists:
The last thing George said to me, 'Rock,' he said, 'sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper.'
This quote ranked No. 89 on theAmerican Film Institute's100 Years...100 Movie Quotes list. However, for many years during whichUnited Artists held the rights, the Gipper sequence was cut for television showings. For the film's initial release to home video,MGM/UA restored the sequence as part of the original uncut version, and this is the version that has been used for all home video, television and theatrical reissues since.
The phrase "win one for the Gipper" was later used as a political slogan byRonald Reagan, who was often referred to as the Gipper because he had played the role of George Gipp inKnute Rockne, All American. At the1988 Republican National Convention, Reagan told his vice presidentGeorge H. W. Bush, "George, go out there and win one for the Gipper."Bob Dole used the phrase at the1996 Republican National Convention, as did PresidentGeorge W. Bush at the2004 Republican National Convention in his acceptance speech when he stated "We can now truly win one for the Gipper" shortly afterReagan's death.
The line is spoken by the dying pilot Al Ross in the 1964 filmFlight to Fury.
The speech is parodied in the filmAirplane!, which was released when Reagan wasrunning for the presidency in1980.
NeitherNotre Dame nor theNCAA recognizes Knute Rockne as a (first team)All-American.
Knute Rockne gives the famous "win one for the Gipper," speech at halftime of the 1930 game during his final championship season, but the speech was actually given at halftime of the 1928 game during a season in which Notre Dame finished with a 5–4 record.
