''King of Hockey'' is a 1936 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Noel M. Smith Noel Mason Smith (May 22, 1895 – September 20, 1955) was an American film director and writer. He directed more than 120 films between 1917 and 1952. He was born in Rockland, California, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected fil ...

and written by George Bricker. The film stars

Dick Purcell Richard Gerold Purcell Jr. (August 6, 1905 – April 10, 1944) was an American actor best known for playing Marvel Comics' Captain America in the 1943 film serial, co-starring with Lorna Gray and Lionel Atwill. Purcell also appeared in fil ...

Anne Nagel Anne Nagel (born Anna Marie Dolan; September 29, 1915 – July 6, 1966) was an American actress. She played in adventures, mysteries, and comedies for 25 years. She also appeared in television series in the 1950s. One book described her as "one ...

, Marie Wilson,

Wayne Morris Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including ''Paths of Glory'' (1957), '' ...

George E. Stone George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in films, radio, and television. Life and career Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Łódź, Congress Poland, into ...

and

Joseph Crehan Joseph A. Creaghan (July 15, 1883 – April 15, 1966) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1916 and 1965, and notably played Ulysses S. Grant nine times between 1939 and 1958, most memorably in ''Union Paci ...

. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

on December 19, 1936.

Plot

College hockey hero Gabby Dugan turns professional, and he and new teammate/roommate Jumbo Mullins become acquainted with the O'Rourke sisters, Kathleen and Peggy, who bring their family to a game. Prior to the game, Gabby is approached by gambler Nick Torga offering to pay him to intentionally take

penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

that will harm his team chances. He refuses the offer but nonetheless proceeds to intentionally take penalties because the O'Rourkes sit next the

penalty box The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence not ...

and his being sent there allows him to court Kathleen. Noting Gabby's excessive penalties but unaware of his true motives, Nick assumes Gabby has decided to help him after all and sends a payment to his residence. Upon seeing the money, Jumbo also concludes that Gabby has agreed to take payment in exchange for intentionally losing games. When Jumbo accuses Gabby directly, they fight and Jumbo clubs Gabby over the head with a stick. Gabby's head injury results in a degradation of his eyesight. His doctor advises him to immediately begin wearing glasses to head off further damage, but Gabby refuses, planning to make it through the remainder of the playoff season first. In the meantime, team officials have also noticed his seeming intent upon taking penalties and are now also suspicious that he's involved in throwing games for gamblers. In the next game, Gabby's poor eyesight causes him to play poorly, including shooting the puck into his own team's net. For the coach, this confirms his suspicions and he has Gabby kicked out of the league. Meanwhile, the delay in treating his eyesight causes him to go completely blind. The only hope for restoring Gabby's eyesight is an operation that he cannot afford. But he stubbornly refuses to ask for help, especially not from the wealthy Kathleen, and he instead retreats into a life a solitude. When Jumbo comes across Gabby one day, Gabby explains what had really occurred but still angrily demands to be left alone. Jumbo reports the situation to Kathleen, who then visits Gabby herself and convinces him to have the operation. In the end, Gabby's eyesight is restored and he resumes both his on-ice heroics and his romance with Kathleen.

Cast

as Gabby Dugan *

as Kathleen O'Rourke * Marie Wilson as Elsie *

as Bill 'Jumbo' Mullins *

as Nick Torga *

as Mike Trotter *

Ann Gillis Alma Mabel Conner (February 12, 1927 – January 31, 2018), known professionally as Ann Gillis, was an American actress, best known for her film roles as a child actress. She performed the voice of Faline in the 1942 Disney animated film ' ...

as Peggy 'Princess' O'Rourke *Gordon Hart as Dr. Vernon Noble *Dora Clement as Mrs. O'Rourke *

Guy Usher James Guy Usher (May 9, 1883 – June 16, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1932 and 1943. Born in Mason City, Iowa, Usher acted on stage before venturing into films. Billed as James Guy Usher, h ...

as Mr. O'Rourke *

Garry Owen The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...

as Jitters McCarthy, the Referee *Max Hoffman Jr. as Torchy Myers *

George Beranger George Beranger (27 March 1893 – 8 March 1973), also known as André Beranger, was an Australian silent film actor and director in Hollywood.Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Centra ...

as Evans, Kathleen's Chauffeur *

Frank Faylen Frank Faylen (born Charles Francis Ruf, December 8, 1905 – August 2, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Largely a bit player and character actor, he occasionally played more fleshed-out supporting roles during his forty-two ...

as Swede *Frank Bruno as Loogan *

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...

as Tom McKenna

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0027848, King of Hockey 1936 films Warner Bros. films American drama films 1936 drama films Films directed by Noel M. Smith American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links