''A Yank at Oxford'' is a 1938

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by Jack Conway and starring Robert Taylor,

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...

and

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won th ...

. The screenplay was written by

John Monk Saunders John Monk Saunders (November 22, 1897 – March 11, 1940) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. Early life and career Born in Hinckley, Minnesota, to Robert C. Saunders and Nannie Monk Saunders, his family (6 children) move ...

and

Leon Gordon Judah Leib (Ben Asher) Gordon, also known as Leon Gordon, (December 7, 1830, Vilnius, Lithuania – September 16, 1892, St. Petersburg, Russia) (Hebrew: יהודה לייב גורדון) was among the most important Hebrew poets of the Jewish E ...

. The film was produced by

MGM-British MGM-British was a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer initially established (as MGM London Films Denham) at Denham Film Studios in 1936. It was in limbo during the Second World War; however, following the end of hostilities, a facility was acquired ...

Denham Studios Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's '' Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s t ...

. ''A Yank at Oxford'' was Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor's first film appearance together; they would later appear as the romantic lead couple in the remake of ''

Waterloo Bridge Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the ...

'' (1940). Before this film, Taylor was seen as the "romantic love interest" and thus as a 1930s equivalent to

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

, with men therefore starting to doubt Taylor's masculinity. His casting in this film (by Mayer) was a successful attempt to put paid to such doubts, and dramatically boosted his reputation with both men and women.

Plot

A cocky American athlete named Lee Sheridan ( Robert Taylor) receives a scholarship to attend

Cardinal College Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1937. At first, Lee is reluctant to go to the college owing to his father, Dan's, (

) limited income, but he finally does attend. Once in England, Lee brags about his athletic triumphs to Paul Beaumont ( Griffith Jones), Wavertree (

Robert Coote Robert Coote (4 February 1909 – 26 November 1982) was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of ''My Fai ...

), and Ramsey (Peter Croft) on the train to Oxford. Annoyed, they trick Lee into getting off the train at the wrong stop. Lee, however, does make his way to Oxford where the students attempt to trick him again, this time into thinking that he is getting a grand reception. Seeing through the deception, he follows the prankster impersonating the Dean and after chasing him is thrown off and ends up kicking the real Dean of Cardinal (

) before retreating. This begins a contentious relationship between them when Lee reports to apologize. Lee considers leaving Oxford but stays on after being convinced by Scatters (

Edward Rigby Edward Coke MC (5 February 1879 – 5 April 1951), known professionally as Edward Rigby, was a British character actor. Early life Rigby was born at Ashford, Kent, England, the second son of Dr William Harriott Coke and his wife, Mary Elizab ...

), his personal servant. Lee meets Elsa Craddock (

), a married woman who "helps" the new campus students, and starts a relationship with Paul Beaumont's sister Molly (

). Lee makes the track team by outpacing other runners while wearing a cap and gown. Just when he begins to fit in, he is hazed for refusing to rest during a crucial relay race at a track meet and pushing his replacement Paul out of the way in his zeal to win. In a fit of anger, Lee goes to a pub, which students are forbidden to frequent, to confront Paul, finding him in a private booth with Elsa. He starts a fight with Paul but Wavertree warns them of the arrival of the Oxford University police, the "Bullers". Lee and Paul run and when they are almost caught by one of the Bullers, Lee punches him. Paul is called before the Dean, who fines him and warns him for hitting the Buller. He is scorned for revealing it was Lee who did it, and Lee is soon the favorite of Paul's old friends. Molly begins to see Lee again, but he still feels regretful for what has happened between him and Paul. Lee begins rowing for

Oxford University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) is the rowing club for male, heavyweight oarsman of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century. The Boat Race The club races agai ...

and in the

bumps race A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. The form is mainly used in intercollegiat ...

for Cardinal's boat club, tries to make amends to Paul after winning a race, but Paul rejects the offer of friendship. Despite this, Lee still helps Paul by hiding Elsa in his own room when Elsa is looking for Paul. The Dean catches the two of them together and expels Lee from Oxford. Lee's father, Dan, comes for the races having not heard of Lee's expulsion from Oxford University. When Lee tells him that he had been having an affair with Elsa, Dan believes he is lying. Judging from Lee's effusive letters about Molly, he feels that Lee could not possibly have had an affair with Elsa. Dan meets with Molly and the two devise a plan to get Lee back into college. Dan meets with Elsa at the bookstore and convinces her to talk to the Dean. After flirting with the Dean and telling him that Lee was only hiding her from Wavertree, Lee is allowed back into Oxford and Wavertree, who has spent the entire story trying to be expelled so he can come into an inheritance, receives to his disappointment only a minor punishment. Lee and Paul make amends and win

the boat race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

Cast

* Robert Taylor as Lee Sheridan *

as Dan Sheridan *

as Molly Beaumont *

as Elsa Craddock *

as Dean of Cardinal * Griffith Jones as Paul Beaumont *

C. V. France Charles Vernon France (30 June 1868 – 13 April 1949) was a British actor, usually credited as C. V. France. Stage career France appeared (along with Ralph Richardson) in William Somerset Maugham's 1932 play ''For Services Rendered: A Play ...

as Dean Snodgrass *

as Scatters *

Morton Selten Morton Selten (6 January 1860 – 27 July 1939) was a British stage and film actor. He was occasionally credited as Morton Selton. Biography At birth, Selten was given the name Morton Richard Stubbs and claimed as the son of Morton Stubbs, a ...

as Cecil Davidson, Esq. *

Claude Gillingwater Claude Benton Gillingwater (August 2, 1870 – November 1, 1939) was an American stage and screen actor. He first appeared on the stage then in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1939, including the Academy Award-nominated ''A Tale of Two ...

as Ben Dalton *

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

as Cephas *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1882 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the Lo ...

as Dean Williams *

as Wavertree * Peter Croft as Ramsey *

Noel Howlett Noel Howlett (22 December 1902 – 26 October 1984) was an English actor, principally remembered as the incompetent headmaster, Morris Cromwell, in the ITV 1970s cult television programme ''Please Sir!'' He was the subject of infatuation by De ...

as Tom Craddock *

Ronald Shiner Ronald Alfred Shiner (8 June 1903 – 29 June 1966) was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall. Career Early life and career When he was seventeen, Shiner joined the Royal Nort ...

as bicycle repairman (uncredited) *

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

as extra (uncredited, his first film)

Production

''A Yank at Oxford'' was MGM's first British production, with MGM head

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...

taking a personal interest in casting. He visited the set several times. British playwright

Roland Pertwee Roland Pertwee (15 May 1885 – 26 April 1963) was an English playwright, film and television screenwriter, director and actor. He was the father of ''Doctor Who'' actor Jon Pertwee and playwright and screenwriter Michael Pertwee. He was al ...

was one of several uncredited writers, and

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

also spent three weeks working on the script, touching up rough points and adding pieces of dialogue. Mayer and Balcon later got into a fight on set, within earshot of Vivien Leigh and Maureen O'Sullivan, that led to Balcon resigning as the producer.Looney, Debora
"Article: 'A Yank at Oxford'."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: 27 January 2015. To the surprise of other actors, Taylor was able to do all of the physical scenes himself, especially running and rowing. He had competed in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

as a student at

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burling ...

.Kral, E. A. ''Nebraska History'', Volume 75, Issue 4, Winter 1994, pp. 280–290.} At first, Mayer was reluctant to cast the then little known Vivien Leigh in the role of Elsa Craddock, until persuaded by

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in West London from 1938 to 1955. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British film ...

, who stated that she was already living in Britain and it would cost much more to fly someone else out to England.Landazuri, Margarita
"Article: 'A Yank at Oxford'."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: 27 January 2015. During the filming of ''A Yank at Oxford'', Leigh gained a reputation for being "difficult" to work with. According to her biographer Alexander Walker, Leigh felt judged by Maureen O'Sullivan, whom she had befriended years earlier at school, because O'Sullivan was happily married and Leigh was in the midst of an affair with

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

and awaiting word of a divorce from her first husband, Leigh Holman. Therefore, the relationship was "strained." Also Leigh had developed a foot problem whereupon she asked to go to London to seek treatment. As Leigh was preparing to leave, the wardrobe department cut a hole in her shoes so that her toe would be at ease. According to Leigh, she was forced to pay for her own shoes and demanded that MGM help her make some of the payments. On the other hand, MGM said that they bought all of Leigh's shoes and she didn't have to pay a penny on the film. Because of the dispute, her manager,

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)David O. Selznick for ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Win ...

''. Regardless of her prior behavior, Leigh managed to make her way through the filming of ''A Yank at Oxford'' without much additional acrimony and made an impression on her costar, Robert Taylor. Taylor returned to Hollywood talking about the great English actress he had worked with and suggested to Selznick, who was still searching for his

Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler is a fictional character and the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind'' and in the 1939 film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Leigh. She also is the m ...

, that they ought to look at her.

Reception

''A Yank at Oxford'' was reviewed by Frank S. Nugent in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as a "pleasant spoof." He wrote that the film "turns out to be an uncommonly diverting show. It can't be the story, for we've read the one about the old college spirit before. ... It must be the accents, the caps and gown, the cycles and the remarkably credible chaps Metro hired to play dean and tutor, scout and students. When the camera turns upon them you can jolly well smell the fog, you know." The film review in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' concentrated on Taylor's appeal. "Robert Taylor brings back from Oxford an entertaining rah-rah film which is full of breathless quarter-mile dashes, heartbreaking boat race finishes and surefire sentiment—Metro's first British-made film under Hollywood supervision and with Hollywood principals and director." ''A Yank at Oxford'' and ''

A Yank at Eton ''A Yank at Eton'' is an American comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Mickey Rooney, Ian Hunter, and Peter Lawford. Released in 1942, it is a kind of junior thematic sequel to MGM's British-made fil ...

'' (1942), portrayed the British in a mainly positive light, and set the scene for other films that were financially successful in both the United States and the United Kingdom during the war years.Glancy 1999, p. 59. The film was later parodied in the

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

film ''

A Chump at Oxford ''A Chump at Oxford'' is a Hal Roach comedy film produced in 1939 and released in 1940 by United Artists. It was directed by Alfred J. Goulding and was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Roach studio. The title echoes the film '' ...

'' (1940) and remade as ''

Oxford Blues ''Oxford Blues'' is a 1984 British comedy-drama sports film written and directed by Robert Boris and starring Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Amanda Pays. It is a remake of the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''A Yank at Oxford'' and was Lowe's first ...

'' (1984) .

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,291,000 in the US and Canada and $1,445,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $513,000.

References

Notes Bibliography * Capus, Michelangelo. ''Vivien Leigh: A Biography''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2003. . * Glancy, H. Mark. ''When Hollywood Loved Britain: The Hollywood 'British' Film 1939-1945''. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1999. . * Taylor, John Russell. ''Vivien Leigh''. London: Elm Tree Books, 1984. . * Vickers, Hugo. ''Vivien Leigh: A Biography''. London: Little, Brown and Company, 1988 edition. . * Walker, Alexander. ''Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh''. New York: Grove Press, 1987. . * Wayne, Jane Ellen. ''Robert Taylor''. New York: Warner Paperback Library, 1973. .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yank at Oxford, A 1938 films 1938 comedy-drama films British black-and-white films British comedy-drama films Films directed by Jack Conway Films set in 1937 Films set in England Films set in Oxford Films set in universities and colleges Films shot at Denham Film Studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Rowing films Films produced by Michael Balcon Films with screenplays by John Paddy Carstairs Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s English-language films 1930s British films