''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

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.

References

External links

*
Idol of the Crowds
at BFI
Idol of the Crowds
at 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