''Trouble Along the Way'' is a 1953

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Michael Curtiz 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 ...

and

Donna Reed Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger; January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American actress. Her career spanned more than 40 years, with performances in more than 40 films. She is well known for her portrayal of Mary Hatch Bailey in ...

, with a supporting cast including Charles Coburn and Marie Windsor. The black-and-white 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. Di ...

with an aspect ratio of 1.37:1.

Plot

Small, obscure St. Anthony's College, a Catholic university, is in dire financial straits and about to be closed. To save it, and himself from forced retirement, elderly rector Father Burke ( Charles Coburn) hires a down-and-out former big-time football coach, Steve Williams (

), in hopes of building a lucrative sports program. First turning down the job, Williams later accepts it when he learns that his former wife, Anne ( Marie Windsor), now remarried, complained to Social Services that he is an unfit father and plans to sue for custody of their 11-year-old daughter, Carole ( Sherry Jackson). Anne’s actual aim is not to get Carole, in whom she has no interest, but rather to pressure Steve into having an affair with her. Social Services worker Alice Singleton (

), coldly prejudiced against Steve because she suffered from a relationship with her father similar to that between Steve and Carole, is preparing a report in Anne’s favor. Steve attempts to charm Alice and win her over. Desperate to have the football program pay off, Father Burke uses his clerical connections to schedule St. Anthony's against high profile Catholic colleges — Villanova, Notre Dame, etc. — in the upcoming season. Faced with physically inadequate players, Steve uses chicanery to enroll beefy star athletes as freshmen and build a winning team. Father Burke learns of Steve’s dishonest methods, reprimands him and disbands the sports program, knowing this will cause St. Anthony’s to close. Alice submits a report unfavorable to Steve, but she repudiates it in the court custody hearing after recognizing her bias and Anne's lack of honest affection for Carole. Alice also testifies that Steve isn't a properly responsible parent, and under questioning reveals she is in love with him. The judge halts proceedings and places Carole in custody of the State. He assigns her a new case worker until matters can be sorted out. In a surprise move, the Church agrees to continue funding St. Anthony's. Burke nevertheless resigns as rector, believing that he had been behaving selfishly to unnecessarily prolong his position. Before leaving, he reinstates Steve as coach and forgives him his unscrupulous behavior as it was done out of love for his child. The film ends with Carole, accompanied by Alice, walking away from Steve, with the implication that Steve and Alice will wed and the three would be together as a family.

Cast

as Steve Aloysius Williams *

as Alice Singleton * Charles Coburn as Father Burke * Tom Tully as Father Malone * Sherry Jackson as Carole Williams * Marie Windsor as Anne McCormick * Tom Helmore as Harold McCormick *

Dabbs Greer Robert William "Dabbs" Greer (April 2, 1917 – April 28, 2007) was an American character actor in film and television for over 60 years. With nearly 100 film roles and appearances in nearly 600 television episodes of various series, Greer m ...

as Father Peterson *

Leif Erickson Leif Erikson, Leiv Eiriksson, or Leif Ericson, ; Modern Icelandic: ; Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Leiv Eiriksson'' also known as Leif the Lucky (), was a Norsemen, Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to have s ...

as Father Provincial * Douglas Spencer as Procurator * Lester Matthews as Cardinal O'Shea * Chuck Connors as Stan Schwegler *

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

as Football Spectator

Production

Portions of the film were shot at Pomona College and Loyola Marymount University, and various Los Angeles high schools, including Loyola High. Max Steiner provided the music."Review: ‘Trouble Along the Way’", ''Variety'', December 31, 1952
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Reception

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 ...

'' gave it a favorable review, citing "spirited and contemporary" dialogue. Saying that Wayne was "completely at home" in the role, ''Variety'' also found the lines, "a principal factor" in carrying the film. Craig Butler found the film predictable yet heart warming.

References

External links