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The fourth college football film of 1929.
Screenland (Feb 1930)
Date of Release: Oct 25, 1929
Studio: First National
Director: Eddie Cline
Screenplay: Howard Emmett Rogers, Harvey Gates
Music: Michael H. Cleary, Herb Magidson, Ned Washington
Leading Actors: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Marty Reid), Loretta Young (Patricia Carlyle),
Guinn Williams (Honey Smith), Marion Byron (Mazie), Phyllis Crane (Dot), Bert Rome (Coach Wilson), Lane Chandler (Assistant Coach Kane), Allan Lane (Ed Kirby), Floyd Shackleford (Trainer), University of Southern California football team
In the summer of 1929, Universal released College Love. In quick succession, each of the major studios released their own all-talking, all-singing comedies centered around college football; Paramount’s Sweetie, MGM’s So This is College, and First National’s The Forward Pass. Each of the films featured flirty co-eds, reluctant football stars, newsreel footage of real-life football games, and a down-to-the-wire grand finale win by the home team.
The Forward Pass premiered in Los Angeles on October 25, 1929 at the RKO Theatre. It was billed as a “vaude-film,” whereby a live stage show was presented in conjunction with the film. Variety (Oct 30, 1929) gave the live show a mediocre rating, calling it “disjointed” and “hit-and-miss.” The show featured live performances of songs from the film, as well as the RKO girls performing “collegiate numbers,” Charles Timlin and Partners performing in blackface, the McCune sisters in a dance act, and Dave Franklin performing a comedy piano routine.
The New York premier at the Strand Theatre took place two weeks later, just in time for Thanksgiving and the peak of the football season.
Studio: First National
Director: Eddie Cline
Screenplay: Howard Emmett Rogers, Harvey Gates
Music: Michael H. Cleary, Herb Magidson, Ned Washington
Leading Actors: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Marty Reid), Loretta Young (Patricia Carlyle),
Guinn Williams (Honey Smith), Marion Byron (Mazie), Phyllis Crane (Dot), Bert Rome (Coach Wilson), Lane Chandler (Assistant Coach Kane), Allan Lane (Ed Kirby), Floyd Shackleford (Trainer), University of Southern California football team
In the summer of 1929, Universal released College Love. In quick succession, each of the major studios released their own all-talking, all-singing comedies centered around college football; Paramount’s Sweetie, MGM’s So This is College, and First National’s The Forward Pass. Each of the films featured flirty co-eds, reluctant football stars, newsreel footage of real-life football games, and a down-to-the-wire grand finale win by the home team.
The Forward Pass premiered in Los Angeles on October 25, 1929 at the RKO Theatre. It was billed as a “vaude-film,” whereby a live stage show was presented in conjunction with the film. Variety (Oct 30, 1929) gave the live show a mediocre rating, calling it “disjointed” and “hit-and-miss.” The show featured live performances of songs from the film, as well as the RKO girls performing “collegiate numbers,” Charles Timlin and Partners performing in blackface, the McCune sisters in a dance act, and Dave Franklin performing a comedy piano routine.
The New York premier at the Strand Theatre took place two weeks later, just in time for Thanksgiving and the peak of the football season.
Motion Picture News (Dec 28, 1929)
Around the country, local football teams were used to help promote the film, appearing in newspaper copy and in person at the cinema. In Reading, Pennsylvania, college and high school students were invited to attend special screenings, along with college cheerleaders who led the audience “in the different college songs and cheers.” Fliers were distributed at local football games and the gathered crowds heard announcements about the new feature.
As reported by Variety (Oct 9, 1929), in return for promoting their team in the film, the University of Southern California appointed director Eddie Cline as their mascot for a game.
The Forward Pass opened to full houses, however business declined sharply after a couple of weeks.
The film received mixed reviews. The critics agreed the script and story-telling were nothing new, but overall provided good entertainment. As Motion Picture News stated, “It’s strictly an action picture for the great American game, and will hit for that reason.” The Educational Screen was less enthused about the action shots, claiming that that the live-action footage was below the standard of football footage seen in the newsreels.
The Film Daily credited director Eddie Cline for getting “a lot more from the story than the author put into it.” Eddie Cline was an actor and director. He directed over 170 films in a career spanning over forty years, primarily working on comedies. As an actor he appeared in over forty films, often in small or uncredited roles. Cline also worked as a writer, though the vast majority of his screenplays were written during the silent era.
As reported by Variety (Oct 9, 1929), in return for promoting their team in the film, the University of Southern California appointed director Eddie Cline as their mascot for a game.
The Forward Pass opened to full houses, however business declined sharply after a couple of weeks.
The film received mixed reviews. The critics agreed the script and story-telling were nothing new, but overall provided good entertainment. As Motion Picture News stated, “It’s strictly an action picture for the great American game, and will hit for that reason.” The Educational Screen was less enthused about the action shots, claiming that that the live-action footage was below the standard of football footage seen in the newsreels.
The Film Daily credited director Eddie Cline for getting “a lot more from the story than the author put into it.” Eddie Cline was an actor and director. He directed over 170 films in a career spanning over forty years, primarily working on comedies. As an actor he appeared in over forty films, often in small or uncredited roles. Cline also worked as a writer, though the vast majority of his screenplays were written during the silent era.
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young. Image from Talking Screen (Oct 1930)
The cast generally received positive reviews. The Film Daily stated that “Young Doug climbs several more notches by his work in this opus, and Miss Young tags along at a nice clip,” and Variety noted that they made a “likeable” screen couple. Loretta Young was also praised for her singing.
Intelligent and dashing Douglas Fairbanks Jr. appeared in over 100 films. Born into a show business family, Fairbanks Jr. started acting as a teenager. He went on to appear on stage and screen in both the USA and England. He was famously married to Joan Crawford, and later Mary Lee Hartford.
Loretta Young was a child star who went on to become one of the leading ladies of cinema throughout the 1930s and 40s. She appeared in over 100 films and for ten years hosted her own television shows, The Loretta Young Show (1953-61) and The New Loretta Young Show (1962-63). Young was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, securing a win in 1948 for The Farmer’s Daughter. In 1988 she was awarded a Women in Film Crystal Award, an award given to women “who have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.”
Both actors had appeared in the spectacular 1929 film revue The Show of Shows.
Intelligent and dashing Douglas Fairbanks Jr. appeared in over 100 films. Born into a show business family, Fairbanks Jr. started acting as a teenager. He went on to appear on stage and screen in both the USA and England. He was famously married to Joan Crawford, and later Mary Lee Hartford.
Loretta Young was a child star who went on to become one of the leading ladies of cinema throughout the 1930s and 40s. She appeared in over 100 films and for ten years hosted her own television shows, The Loretta Young Show (1953-61) and The New Loretta Young Show (1962-63). Young was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, securing a win in 1948 for The Farmer’s Daughter. In 1988 she was awarded a Women in Film Crystal Award, an award given to women “who have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.”
Both actors had appeared in the spectacular 1929 film revue The Show of Shows.
L-R Herb Magidson, Ned Washington, and Michael H. Cleary. Image from Exhibitors Herald World (Oct 5, 1929)
The music team, Michael H. Cleary, Herb Magidson, Ned Washington, had also worked on The Show of Shows. The music in The Forward Pass was generally well received, though Variety claimed the theme song “Hello Baby” didn’t “sound like a 'natural' but possible may get somewhere through forcing.” Exhibitors Herald World was kinder, stating the song was “clever” with a “very catching” melody. Other songs included "One Minute of Heaven," "I Gotta' Have You" and "Huddlin.”
Trained through the US Military Academy, Michael H. Cleary was a composer for stage and screen. His stage credits include Earl Carroll’s Vanities (1928) and Hey Nonny Nonny! (1932). His film credits include No, No, Nanette (1930), Bright Lights (1930), and Lilies of the Field (1930).
Herb Magidson started out in Tin Pan Alley before moving to Hollywood. He won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Continental,” which was featured in The Gay Divorcee (1934). An incredibly prolific writer, his songs include “Gone with the Wind,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Bathtub,” and “How Long Has This Been Going On.” His film credits include The Time, the Place, and the Girl (1929), No, No, Nanette (1930), Bright Lights (1930), Here’s to Romance (1935), and The Great Ziegfeld (1936). Magidson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
Ned Washington started out in vaudeville and went onto become one of the most prolific and highly regarded composers of his day. He was nominated for an impressive eleven Academy Awards for Best Music, winning twice for “When you Wish Upon a Star,” from Pinocchio (1940) and “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’)” from High Noon (1952). As a studio writer, Washington worked for Warner Bros, Paramount, and Walt Disney. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Trained through the US Military Academy, Michael H. Cleary was a composer for stage and screen. His stage credits include Earl Carroll’s Vanities (1928) and Hey Nonny Nonny! (1932). His film credits include No, No, Nanette (1930), Bright Lights (1930), and Lilies of the Field (1930).
Herb Magidson started out in Tin Pan Alley before moving to Hollywood. He won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Continental,” which was featured in The Gay Divorcee (1934). An incredibly prolific writer, his songs include “Gone with the Wind,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Bathtub,” and “How Long Has This Been Going On.” His film credits include The Time, the Place, and the Girl (1929), No, No, Nanette (1930), Bright Lights (1930), Here’s to Romance (1935), and The Great Ziegfeld (1936). Magidson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
Ned Washington started out in vaudeville and went onto become one of the most prolific and highly regarded composers of his day. He was nominated for an impressive eleven Academy Awards for Best Music, winning twice for “When you Wish Upon a Star,” from Pinocchio (1940) and “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’)” from High Noon (1952). As a studio writer, Washington worked for Warner Bros, Paramount, and Walt Disney. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Picture Play Magazine (Dec 1929)
The Educational Screen and New York Times both mused that no one seems to ever open a book in college musicals. The Forward Pass was not designed to make people think. Its job was to combine the popularity of talkies and college football, and make money. For the two weeks of its run, it did exactly that.
The Forward Pass is now considered a lost film.
The Forward Pass is now considered a lost film.
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