The College Hero
About The College Hero
Bob Cantfield, a football player, is hurt in practice by a jealous teammate and is not expected to play. He comes back for the season’s key game. Robert Agnew plays Bob. Pauline Garon plays Vivian Saunders. Rex Lease plays Jim Halloran. Ben Turpin plays the janitor. Charles Paddock, the USC sprinter, plays the coach and was the technical adviser. Walter Lang directed.
Cast & crew
More about The College Hero
Harry Cohn produced. Joseph Walker photographed it. Arthur Roberts edited. The AFI Catalog dates the release 9 October 1927, a New York opening at the Hippodrome on 21 November 1927, and the length at 5,628 feet in six reels. College Pictures Corp. is the AFI distribution company. Copyright is 4 November 1927, LP24627. A Moving Picture World item had named a Willard Mack story. Harrison’s Reports later said Henry Simonds wrote the original story. One reference credits Dorothy Howell with the screenplay. Production was in September 1927. A print survives, contrary to older lost-film reports.
Themes
Making
Columbia shot the football comedy in September 1927 and opened it in October. Paddock, still known as a runner, stood in as coach and told Lang how the practice should look.
Look
Joseph Walker shot the practice injury and the championship game.
Preservation
The film survives. A copy is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- Churchill Ross plays Sampson Saunders. Joan Standing plays Nellie Kelly.
- Paddock’s coaching credit is the reason a champion sprinter is in the cast list.
- The character names on the AFI page are Bob Cantfield and Vivian Saunders, not Tom Madison and Betty.
- A Commons file is titled The College Hero (1927).
Scenes
- A jealous teammate injures Bob in practice.
- He appears for the championship game after being written off.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (The College Hero (1927).webm)
