Navy Blue and Gold (film)

Last updated
Navy Blue and Gold
Navy Blue and Gold - 1937- Poster.png
1937 Theatrical poster
Directed by Sam Wood
Screenplay by George Bruce
Based onNavy Blue and Gold
1937 novel
by George Bruce
Produced by Sam Zimbalist
Starring Robert Young
James Stewart
Lionel Barrymore
Cinematography John F. Seitz
Edited by Robert Kern
Music by Edward Ward
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • November 19, 1937 (1937-11-19)
Running time
94 minute
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$458,000 [1]
Box office$1,168,000 [1]

Navy Blue and Gold is a 1937 American Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer dramatic film starring Robert Young, James Stewart and Lionel Barrymore. [2] The plot revolves around the experiences of three young men attending the United States Naval Academy.

Contents

Plot

After each is accepted for admission to the United States Naval Academy, three midshipmen, Dick Gates, Roger Ash and "Truck" Cross, become roommates. Dick is the scion of a wealthy family, Roger a former star football player for another university, and Truck a sailor appointed from the fleet. With a common love of football, all three go out for the plebe squad. Dick is tricked into committing a rules violation by a disreputable upperclassman with a penchant for hazing and is severely paddled. Even though hazing is forbidden by regulations, Roger decides to get even on his own terms. Despite his egotism, his classmates as well as the upperclassmen respect him when he challenges the abuser to a boxing match and wins it.

As upperclassmen, the roommates become varsity players. Dick is undersized but makes the team as a kicker, while Truck becomes a star center. Roger has come to Navy only for the publicity value of playing for the school and makes no effort during a game against a lesser opponent. When varsity coach Tommy Milton benches him for being a "slacker," he goes AWOL. Truck and Dick also go AWOL and find him drunk in a bar. Caught by Milton trying to get Roger back to barracks, the academy's former football coach, Captain "Skinny" Dawes, covers for them with an adroit adherence to the academy's honor system.

Truck faces dismissal from the academy for not using his true name upon enrollment, revealed when he defends the sullied reputation of his father, a disgraced navy ship's captain, [N 1] during a class discussion. Previously dismissive of academy traditions, Roger "prays" at the statue of Tamanend for Truck's exoneration, overheard by Captain Dawes. Truck is dismissed but reinstated when the superintendent grants him clemency based on Truck's dedication to the navy and his father, who has been restored to duty with his record cleared. Truck arrives at the stadium in time to help his roommates win the Army-Navy game. [N 2] At the traditional ceremony celebrating Navy's victory, Roger demonstrates his new-found devotion to the academy by giving up his place of honor to Captain Dawes.

Cast

Production notes

Production Dates: 7 Sep—early Nov 1937. Portions of the picture were filmed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was used as the Southern Institute stadium in the early portion of the film and later as the Naval Academy stadium.

Reception

The film was very popular: according to MGM records it made $884,000 in the US and Canada and $284,000 in other countries, recording a profit of $297,000. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>From Here to Eternity</i> 1953 film directed by Fred Zinnemann

From Here to Eternity is a 1953 American romantic war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three United States Army soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, and Frank Sinatra, stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed portray the women in their lives. The supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Philip Ober, Jack Warden, Mickey Shaughnessy, Claude Akins, and George Reeves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Naval Academy</span> U.S. Navy federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland

The United States Naval Academy is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the second oldest of the five U.S. service academies and it educates midshipmen for service in the officer corps of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The 338-acre (137 ha) campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, 33 miles (53 km) east of Washington, D.C., and 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Baltimore. The entire campus, known colloquially as the Yard, is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments. It replaced Philadelphia Naval Asylum in Philadelphia that had served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1838 to 1845 when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Barrymore</span> American actor, director, screenwriter (1878–1954)

Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul (1931), and is known to modern audiences for the role of villainous Mr. Potter in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethel Barrymore</span> American actress (1879–1959)

Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarded as "The First Lady of the American Theatre". She received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, winning for None but the Lonely Heart (1944).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Staubach</span> American football player and Navy officer (born 1942)

Roger Thomas Staubach, nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former football quarterback who played for 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York Maritime College</span> Public maritime college in New York City

State University of New York Maritime College is a public maritime college in the Bronx, New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1874, the SUNY Maritime College was the first college of its kind to be founded in the United States and is one of only seven degree-granting maritime academies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich University</span> Military college in Northfield, Vermont, US

Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus and online. The university was founded in 1819 in Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six senior military colleges and is recognized by the United States Department of Defense as the "Birthplace of ROTC".

<i>Annapolis</i> (2006 film) 2006 American film

Annapolis is a 2006 American drama film directed by Justin Lin and starring James Franco, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Donnie Wahlberg, Roger Fan, and Chi McBride. The film revolves around Jake Huard, a teenager who dreams of one day attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

<i>Captains Courageous</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Victor Fleming

Captains Courageous is a 1937 American adventure film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore and Melvyn Douglas. Based on the 1897 novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, the film had its world premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. It was produced by Louis D. Lighton and made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Filmed in black and white, Captains Courageous was advertised by MGM as a coming-of-age classic with exciting action sequences.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1934 film) 1934 film

Treasure Island is a 1934 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Nigel Bruce. It is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous 1883 novel of the same name. Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map and travels on a sailing ship to a remote island, but pirates led by Long John Silver threaten to take away the honest seafarers’ riches and lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monte Blue</span> American actor (1887–1963)

Gerard Montgomery Blue was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player in a wide range of motion pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen football</span> American athletic football program of the nations US military Naval Academy

The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Naval Academy completed its final season as an FBS independent school in 2014, and became a single-sport member of the American Athletic Conference beginning in the 2015 season. The team is currently coached by Brian Newberry, who was promoted in 2022, following his stint as the Midshipmen defensive coordinator. Navy has 19 players and three coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame and won the college football national championship in 1926 according to the Boand and Houlgate poll systems. The 1910 team also was undefeated and unscored upon. The mascot is Bill the Goat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen</span> Sports teams of the United States Naval Academy

The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 36 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams. Both men's and women's teams are called Navy Midshipmen or "Mids". They participate in the NCAA's Division I, as a non-football member of the Patriot League, a football-only member of the American Athletic Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (men), Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (men), Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges, Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (men), Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference (men) and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Navy is also one of approximately 300 members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Pennick</span> American actor

Ronald Jack Pennick was an American film actor. After working as a gold miner as a young man, serving as a U.S. Marine, he would go on to appear in more than 140 films between 1926 and 1962. Pennick was a leading member to in the informal John Ford Stock Company, appearing in dozens of the director's films. Pennick also drilled the military extras in John Wayne's The Alamo (1960).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Purcell</span> American actor (1905–1944)

Richard Gerold Purcell Jr. was an American actor best known for playing Marvel Comics' Captain America in the 1944 film serial, co-starring with Lorna Gray and Lionel Atwill. Purcell also appeared in films such as Tough Kid (1938), Accidents Will Happen (1938), Heroes in Blue (1939), Irish Luck (1939), The Bank Dick (1940), and King of the Zombies (1941).

<i>Shell Chateau</i>

Shell Chateau was a musical variety radio series heard on NBC from April 6, 1935 to June 26, 1937. Sponsored by Shell Oil, the hour-long program, sometimes called The Shell Show, was broadcast on Saturday evenings at 9:30pm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Barrymore on stage, screen and radio</span>

Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen, and radio. He also directed several films, wrote scripts, created etchings, sketches, and composed music. He was the eldest child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgie Drew Barrymore, and his two siblings were John and Ethel; these and other family members were part of an acting dynasty. Reluctant to follow his parents' career, Barrymore appeared together with his grandmother Louisa Lane Drew in a stage production of The Rivals at the age of 15. He soon found success on stage in character roles. Although he took a break from acting in 1906–1909 to train in Paris as a painter, he was not successful as an artist, and returned to the US and acting. He also joined his family troupe, from 1910, in their vaudeville act.

<i>That Navy Spirit</i> 1937 film by Kurt Neumann

That Navy Spirit is a 1937 American sports film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Lew Ayres, Mary Carlisle and John Howard. It is also known by the alternative title Hold 'Em Navy. It follows two members of the American football team at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis who compete over the same girl before the varsity game against West Point.

<i>Shipmates Forever</i> 1935 film by Frank Borzage

Shipmates Forever is a 1935 American musical film directed by Frank Borzage and written by Delmer Daves. Set at the United States Naval Academy, the film stars Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Lewis Stone, Ross Alexander, John Arledge, Eddie Acuff, and Dick Foran. The film was released by Warner Bros. on October 12, 1935.

References

Notes
  1. Truck's father, Commander Carter, was dismissed from the US Navy under circumstances closely resembling those of the Honda Point disaster in 1923.
  2. Navy won the 1936 game with Army played before the film was made but lost the 1937 contest played shortly after production of the film wrapped.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. Frank S. Nugent (December 24, 1937). "NY Times review". New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2009.