Grade: D
Synopsis: A cynical college football coach (Pat O’Brien) stops at nothing to turn around a floundering school’s football program.
College Coach is a pretty standard melodrama highlighted by an inside look at the underbelly of college sports.
Pat O’Brien is passable in the titular role. While he’s only given third billing, this is more or less his movie to carry. Unfortunately, O’Brien never really registers beyond the minimum necessary to make the part work. Granted, some of the fault has to go to the script, but O’Brien’s reluctance to really dial in the ruthless side of Coach Gore hurts the film.
Dick Powell has top billing, but is almost a non-entity. His and Lyle Talbot’s characters are cookie-cutter stereotypes that add nothing to the story. Further, Powell just doesn’t seem to have the physical presence of a football player, especially for the team of near-pros in the film.
The biggest problem with College Coach is the complete lack of drama. The script telegraphs its plot points and, as a result, there’s never any real doubt as to how the story will end.
Still, the 76-minute running time helps make College Coach watchable, and if you watch closely, you’ll catch a very young John Wayne in a bit part when Dick Powell arrives at the college.
Bottom Line: For die-hard John Wayne fans and college football history buffs only.
