''Idol of the Crowds'' is a 1937 American drama sport film directed by
Arthur Lubin
Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 – May 11, 1995) was an American film director and producer who directed several ''Abbott & Costello'' films, ''Phantom of the Opera'' (1943), the ''Francis the Talking Mule'' series and created the talking-horse TV se ...
and starring
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
as an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player. It was one of a series of non-Westerns Wayne made for Universal. The film was originally called ''Hell on Ice'' but the
Hays Office
The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...
requested this be changed.
Plot
The New York Panthers ice hockey team is struggling in the standings. A scouting team headed by Kelly (Hopton) heads to Maine where they've heard of a promising former amateur player. He turns out to be John Hanson (Wayne), now a chicken farmer.
Hanson does not wish to return to the game, but when he learns how much money he can make, he agrees solely so he can make enough to upgrade his farm. His skills make him an instant sensation, but as the team heads toward the championship series, he runs afoul of crooked gamblers and the beautiful woman (Bromley) they tempt him with.
Cast
*
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
as Johnny Hanson
*
Sheila Bromley
Sheila Bromley (born Sheila LeGay; October 31, 1911 – July 23, 2003), (The reference work ''Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003'' gave her birth date as October 31, 1907). sometimes billed as Sheila LeGay, Sheila Manners, Sheila Manno ...
as Helen Dale
* Charles Brokaw as Jack Irwin
*
Bill Burrud
William James Burrud (January 12, 1925 – July 12, 1990) was a child actor and a television host and producer best known for his travel programs.
Biography
Born in Hollywood, California, Burrud was a son of Leland Burrud, who had produced on ...
as Bobby
* Jane Johns as Peggy
*
Huntley Gordon
Huntley Ashworth Gordon (October 8, 1879 – December 7, 1956) was a Canadian actor who began his career in the Silent Film era.
Profile
Gordon was born in Montreal, Quebec, educated in both Canada and England. He had various jobs including w ...
as Harvey Castle
* Frank Otto as Joe Garber
*
Russell Hopton
Harry Russell Hopton (February 18, 1900 – April 7, 1945) was an American film actor and director.
Biography
Hopton was born in New York City, New York. He appeared in 110 films between 1926 and 1945, often playing streetwise characters f ...
as Kelly
* Hal Neiman as Squat Bates
*
Virginia Brissac
Virginia Brissac (June 11, 1883 – July 26, 1979) was a popular American stage actress who headlined theatre companies from Vancouver to San Diego during the heyday of West Coast Stock in the early 1900s. An ingénue and leading lady known for ...
as Mrs. Dale
*
George Lloyd as Spike Regan
*
Clem Bevans
Clem Guy Bevans (October 16, 1880 – August 11, 1963) was an American character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men.
Early life
Bevans was born in Cozzadale, Ohio.
Career
Bevans had a very long career, starting in va ...
as Andy Moore
* Wayne Castle as Swifty
* Lloyd Ford as Hank
* Lee Ford as Elmer
Production
The film was announced in April 1937. In May Universal announced the film as part of its upcoming output.
Filming took place in May. Wayne later said "I'm from Southern California. I've never been on
xpletiveskates in my life. I was in the hospital for two
xpletivedays after that."
[John Wayne's (gratefully) forgotten hockey movie: A non-skater made Idol of the Crowds Hughes, James. The Guelph Mercury June 7, 2014: D.9.]
Wayne's biographer
Scott Eyman
Scott Eyman (born March 2, 1951) is an American author, and former book editor and art critic of ''The Palm Beach Post''. He is a frequent book reviewer for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and ''Film Comment,'' and was a contributor for ''The New York ...
later said "It was a fish-out-of-water experience" for the actor. "Hockey was just something completely alien to him. This was before television, so he'd probably never even seen a hockey game... As for his skating, he basically gets away with it. He's OK as long as he's moving in a straight line."
Reception
The ''Christian Science Monitor'' said it had "sufficient excitement".
Lawsuit
Madison Square Gardens sued Universal Pictures over the movie claiming the hockey scenes damaged its reputation, by falsely representing that the violent games in the film took place at the Garden. The suit was unsuccessful.
See also
*
List of films about ice hockey
The following is a list of films about ice hockey
See also
* Ice hockey in popular culture
* List of sports films
* List of highest-grossing sports films
{{Sports films
Ice hockey films
Ice hockey
Films
A film also called a movie ...
*
John Wayne filmography
American actor, director, and producer John Wayne (1907–1979) began working on films as an extra, prop man and stuntman, mainly for the Fox Film Corporation. He frequently worked in minor roles with director John Ford and when Raoul Walsh sugg ...
References
External links
*
Idol of the Crowdsat BFI
Idol of the Crowdsat Letterbox DVD
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idol Of The Crowds
1937 films
1930s sports drama films
American sports drama films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Arthur Lubin
1930s English-language films
Universal Pictures films
American ice hockey films
1937 drama films
1930s American films