''Hold 'Em Yale'' is a 1935 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Sidney Lanfield Sidney Ivanovich Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs. The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first di ...

and written by

Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American journalist and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway theatre, Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Proh ...

, Paul Gerard Smith, and Eddie Welch. The film stars

Patricia Ellis Patricia Ellis (born Patricia Gene O'Brien; May 20, 1918 – March 26, 1970) was an American film actress from 1932 to 1939, who then had a brief singing career until 1941. Early years Born in Birmingham, Michigan, in 1918 (although she gave he ...

Cesar Romero César Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost 60 years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lover (stereotype), Latin lovers, historical ...

, Buster Crabbe, William Frawley,

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

, and George Barbier; it was released on April 27, 1935, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

Plot

A racketeer known as "Sunshine Joe" specializes in

ticket scalping Ticket resale (also known as ticket scalping or ticket touting when done for profit) is the act of reselling tickets for admission to events. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and then sold for a price determined by the individual or compan ...

. His gang of colorfully nicknamed thugs includes Liverlips, Sam the Gonoph, and Bennie South Street, as well as Georgie the Chaser, who was dubbed that because of his penchant for chasing after women. On a train, Georgie happens upon Clarice Van Cleve, an heiress who loves to fall in love, particularly with men in uniform. This has created many a headache for her father, who already has seen Clarice elope three times with military types, each ending badly. Mr. Van Cleve diverts his daughter to a

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

health resort, where he introduces her to his friend Mr. Wilmot and handsome son Hector, in the hope that Clarice and Hector will hit it off. Georgie the gigolo still has Clarice's eye, however, pretending to be a combat pilot. When Clarice turns up and begins acting like a homemaker, though, driving him crazy, Georgie, learning she has been disinherited by her dad, leaves by claiming he is needed by "the King" to fly a mission. Sunshine Joe runs off with money earned from scalped tickets to the

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

–

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

game. As Hector is a member of the Yale team, all of Joe's goons travel to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, for the game and place bets. Shocked to find Hector is a benchwarmer, they intimidate the coach with a gun and demand that Hector be permitted to play. He kicks a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

to win the game, which results in him, a man in another kind of uniform, in the arms of Clarice.

Cast

as Clarice Van Cleve *

as Gigolo Georgie * Buster Crabbe as Hector Wilmot * William Frawley as Sunshine Joe *

as Liverlips * George Barbier as Mr. Van Cleve * Warren Hymer as Sam The Gonoph * George E. Stone as Bennie South Street * Hale Hamilton as Mr. Wilmot * Guy Usher as Coach Jennings

References

External links

* 1935 films 1930s English-language films Paramount Pictures films American comedy films 1935 comedy films Films directed by Sidney Lanfield American black-and-white films American football films 1930s American films Films based on works by Damon Runyon {{1930s-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links