Freshman Love (1936)

Director:

William C. McGann

Writers:

George Ade (story)
Earl Felton (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 January 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Laughs -- Cuties and Syncopating Rhythm!

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Reputation | Athletic Coach | Orchestra | Party | Bandleader

Cast

Patricia Ellis	...	Joan Simpkins
Warren Hull	...	Bob Wilson
Frank McHugh	...	Coach Speed Hammond
Mary Treen	...	Squirmy
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Robert C. Wilson, Sr. (as Joe Cawthorn)
Alma Lloyd	...	Sandra
George E. Stone	...	E. Prendergast Biddle
Henry O'Neill	...	President James T. Simpkins
Anita Kerry	...	Princess Oggi
Johnny Arthur	...	Mr. Fields
Walter Johnson	...	Tony Foster
Joe Sawyer	...	Coach Kendall (as Joseph Sawyer)
Florence Fair	...	Mrs. Norton
Spec O'Donnell	...	Eddie

Also Known As:

Rhythm on the River

Runtime:

67 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #1710)

Filming Locations:

Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Both Ben Hall as "Goofy Freshman" and George Beranger as "Master of Ceremonies" are in studio records/casting call lists for their roles, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie.

Movie Connections:

Version of Maybe It's Love (1930)

Soundtrack:

The Collegiana

Very slight film that is still enjoyable

Frank McHugh is the coach of Billings University's crew team. However, they lose again and again--mostly because the college president has the nerve to expect his athletes to be scholars and actually have brains. But, with the president's nice looking daughter, McHugh is able to trick several hot crew prospects into joining the team and making them contenders.

This is a relatively low budget film for Warner Brothers, as the film starred the perennial supporting actor McHugh. Otherwise, most of the rest of the cast is relatively unknown, though you might recognize a few stock players such as George E. Stone (as "Biddle"--he was also "Runt" in the Boston Blackie films), Joe Sawyer, Warren Hull and Henry O'Neill--all secondary actors under contract with the studio. Now despite the low budget and the occasional lulls (especially because there are too many musical numbers), the film itself is rather fun and likable. Not especially deep or memorable, but a decent little time passer.

PS--Look close and you'll see a very young Lloyd Bridges in a short little cameo.