Pigskin Parade (1936)

Best movie of this year hands down!

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

I'll tell you why so serious

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

While I love Judy Garland (and I think she was the best part of the film), there was really no point to her character. She didn't really add anything to the story. It's almost like she was just added in for the sake of having this child singing prodigy in the film. The only reason I believe that this film is even remembered is because of the future stars that it featured: Garland, Betty Grable and Elisha Cook Jr. Patsy Kelly, who played the wife, was annoying at best. I didn't mind Jack Haley, but he is forever etched in my mind as The Tin Man. When there were multiple comments made to him about having a brain, I was really wanting him to mention his heart somehow, but alas no. I love watching football, so the old timey football scenes, to me, were the best part of the film. I'd love to know how many horrible injuries players sustained during these times, because they aren't wearing very much protection. However, the game seems to be more physical now than it used to be, and the players are also much bigger. I found the logic of basketball players being good at football to be strange. I guess we're presuming that these are pass heavy games and good blocking and tackling abilities aren't required in 1930s football. I really liked the scenes of the football in the snow. Bad weather football is the most fun to watch. 5/10 points are for Judy, Betty and football. Whether it is worth watching even once is a take it or leave it proposition.

By all means not a great film, with a silly premise not made any less so. However it is easy to like and does liven up the spirits as long as not too much is expected.'Pigskin Parade' is mainly notable for being the film debut of 14-year old Judy Garland, but it is worth watching for more than just historical interest. Garland's performance is certainly one of 'Pigskin Parade's' standout features, she is a real charmer here and not only does she look like she is having a lot of fun but she gets ample opportunity to show off her unmistakable vocal pipes and sounds fabulous for so young.Tony Martin is also very early in his career, and does make an impression singing the film's best song "You're Slightly Terrific". Betty Grable is similarly charmingly perky, while Stuart Erwin, though am personally not sure about the Oscar-nomination especially with greats like Walter Brennan and Basil Rathbone also in the running in the category that year, is fun and endearing. A pre-'The Wizard of Oz' Jack Haley does just fine, while Patsy Kelly comes very close to stealing the show as a less than subtle character. Love her chemistry with Haley, which can be uproarious to watch. Nice to see Elisha Cook Jnr.Visually, while not exactly lavish 'Pigskin Parade' is attractive enough, everything is shot well and it was made with care. The bright and breezy direction from David Butler helps. The songs are hardly award-worthy and they vary in the memorability and relevance factor but they are very energetic and pleasant, while they are not necessarily "great" songs count me in as somebody who enjoyed listening to them. "You're Slightly Terrific" and Garland's numbers come off best, and they're staged in a way that isn't big and bold but never static or indifferent either, due to that the cast seem to be enjoying themselves too much.Scripting has its snappy and funny moments, the film never drags and has a breeziness throughout.Not that 'Pigskin Parade' is perfect this said. The story is thin, does get contrived in places and is as old as the hills. Some of the script is corny and overly-silly, with some of the comedy over-played on odd occasions. Could have done with less of the Yacht Club Boys, they serve little purpose other than their songs and their performing style is neither interesting or fun and grates somewhat, trying to see them pass for college kids even for comedy strains credibility beyond belief.Overall, not great but good undemanding fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Funny film where Yale University invites the wrong Texas college team to play against them. A series of comic misfortunes, wrong notes and other items mark this 1936 film.Ironically, Stuart Irwin got top billing in the film and wound up being nominated for best supporting actor. If there were to be acting nominations in this humorous film, they should have gone instead to Jack Haley, as the transplanted Texas coach from Long Island, and his wife, Patsy Kelly, as shrewd as they come.As the 'hick's sister, Judy Garland, 3 years before "The Wizard of Oz," is given the opportunity to sing. Betty Grable and Tony Martin, the latter under the stage name of Anthony Martin, also appear.It's that good old fashioned comedy about college life set to music. It succeeds nicely for the most part.

Yale invites the University of Texas to compete in a charity football game--but a secretary fumbles the communication and extends the invitation to tiny Texas State University instead. New coach Slug Winters (Jack Haley) and his harridan wife Bessie (Patsy Kelly) manage to whip the team into shape, but when an accident sidelines the star player they find an unexpected replacement in barefoot yokel Amos Dodd (Stuart Erwin)... and before you can say Sis Boom Bah every one is off to the big game! Best known for his later performance of The Tin Man in THE WIZARD OF OZ, Jack Haley was a memorable light comic of stage and screen, and his pairing with Patsy Kelly is truly inspired. In addition to the then-popular quartet The Yachtclub Boys, the film also offers early glimpses of future big names like Betty Grable, Alan Ladd, Tony Martin, and Elisha Cook Jr., not to mention B movie queens Arline Judge and Lynn Bari.But then as now, the real noise in the film was teenage Judy Garland, who made her feature film debut on loan from home studio MGM with the small role of Amos Dodd's hillbilly sister "Sairy." Slight though the role was, Garland's handful of cornpone-humor scenes and her three songs served as a wake-up call to her MGM handlers, and for the rest of her MGM contract she would never work off-studio again.Although PIGSKIN PARADE is hardly in the same league with the Paramount, Warner Brothers, or MGM musicals of the same era, the lightweight story, memorable cast, silly dialogue ("Well, Call My Hawgs!") and pleasant if not greatly memorable songs has a great deal of period charm. I do not think it will greatly appeal to any one who isn't already a fan of 1930s musicals, but those who are will enjoy it--and Garland fans will consider it a minor classic.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer