The Drop Kick
About The Drop Kick
Jack Hamill, a college football star, drifts from Molly toward Cecily Graves and toward Eunice, wife of his friend Brad Hathaway, the coach. Brad has stolen team money, and after he sees Jack with Eunice he kills himself, leaving a note that asks Jack to keep her clear of scandal. Jack agrees to marry her, but his mother uses the note to force Eunice out. He wins the big game with a drop kick and goes back to Cecily.
Cast & crew
More about The Drop Kick
Millard Webb directed. Winifred Dunn wrote the scenario from Katherine Brush's 1925 novel Glitter. Dwinelle Benthall and Rufus McCosh wrote titles. Arthur Edeson and Alvin Knechtel photographed. Richard A. Rowland and Ray Rockett produced. First National released it. In Britain it was called Glitter.
Themes
Making
The suicide note is the hinge. Brad writes that he took the team's money and asks Jack to save Eunice. Jack's mother then uses that paper against the marriage.
Look
Arthur Edeson and Alvin Knechtel photographed the campus, the party, and the game.
Preservation
Prints are at the Library of Congress and at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research in Madison.
Notes
- John Wayne, then 20, plays a USC football player.
- Richard Barthelmess is Jack Hamill. Barbara Kent is Cecily Graves. Dorothy Revier is Eunice Hathaway. Eugene Strong is Brad. Alberta Vaughn is Molly. Hedda Hopper is Mrs. Hamill.
- A title card introduces Jack as an all-around athlete whose approach is sure, whose stroke is swift, and whose service is perfect.
- Another card says he found it easy to settle down and harder to settle up.
- Associated Artists Productions put a silent print onto 16mm in the 1950s, and United Artists Television did the same in the 1960s.
Scenes
- Brad's note asks Jack to shield Eunice, then Jack's mother turns the same note against her.
- Jack wins the game with a drop kick through the posts.
Influenced by
- Katherine Brush's novel Glitter (1925)
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (The Drop Kick (1927).webm)
Quotes
I stole it!
Dear Jack, I can't face the boys. I took the money they trusted me with and spent it.
