Father Was a Fullback

Father Was a Fullback
Father Was a Fullback
	1950 Theatrical Poster
Directed by	John M. Stahl
Screenplay by	Aleen Leslie ; Casey Robinson ; Mary Loos ; Richard Sale
Story by	Clifford Goldsmith
Produced by	Fred Kohlmar
Starring	Fred MacMurray ; Maureen O'Hara ; Betty Lynn ; Rudy Vallee ; Thelma Ritter ; Natalie Wood ; James G. Backus
Cinematography	Lloyd Ahern
Edited by	J. Watson Webb Jr.
Music by	Cyril J. Mockridge
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox
Release date	September 30, 1949;
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.8 million

Last updated November 24, 2025

Father Was a Fullback is a 1949 black-and-white film from 20th Century Fox based on a comedy by Clifford Goldsmith. The film is about a college American football coach and his woes. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, and Betty Lynn.

Plot

Additional information needed A college football coach struggles with his team's losing streak and family troubles.

Cast

Principals

Fred MacMurray as George "Coop" Cooper, A College Football Coach
Maureen O'Hara as Elizabeth Cooper, His Wife
Betty Lynn as Constance "Connie" Cooper, His Oldest Daughter
Natalie Wood as Ellen Cooper, His Youngest Daughter
Thelma Ritter as Geraldine, His Housekeeper
Jim Backus as Professor "Sully" Sullivan, His Neighbor (billed as James G. Backus)
Rudy Vallee as Mr. Roger "Jess" Jessup, A Football Supporter

Supporting players

Robert Adler as Grandstand Bit Part (uncredited)
Don Barclay as Grandstand "Coach" (uncredited)
Gilbert Barnett as Stinky Parker (uncredited)
Rodney Bell as Grandstand "Coach" (uncredited)
Tom Bernard as Delivery Boy (uncredited)
Harry Carter as Grandstand Bit Part (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford as Neighbor (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin as Ed (uncredited)
Fred Dale as Cheerleader (uncredited)
Gwenn Fields as Daphne Sullivan (uncredited)
Bess Flowers as Football Fan (uncredited)
Charles Flynn as Policeman (uncredited)
Tom Hanlon as Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Sam Harris as Alumnus at Dinner (uncredited)
Joe Haworth as Skip, Reporter in Locker Room (uncredited)
Don Hicks as Bill (uncredited)
Pat Kane as Bellhop (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp as Alumnus at Dinner (uncredited)
Louise Lorimer as Mrs. Jones (uncredited)
Lee MacGregor as Cheerleader (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney as Pete, the Sailor (uncredited)
Buddy Martin as Cheerleader (uncredited)
Mickey McCardle as Jones (uncredited)
John McKee as Cy (uncredited)
Frank Mills as Assistant Football Coach (uncredited)
Forbes Murray as Mr. Higgins, College President (uncredited)
Robert Patten as Manager (uncredited)
Bill Radovich as Football Player (uncredited)
William Self as Willie Davis (uncredited)
Richard Tyler as Hercules Smith a.k.a. Joe Birch (uncredited)
Wilson Wood as Grandstand "Coach" (uncredited)

References

↑ "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. January 4, 1950. p. 59.

External links

Father Was a Fullback at IMDb
Father Was a Fullback at the TCM Movie Database

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[top-1] "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. January 4, 1950. p. 59.

[1]