Maker of Men

(1931)

71 minutes

Drama / Sports

Directed by Edward Sedgwick

Cast:

Jack Holt as Coach Dudley
Richard Cromwell as Bob Dudley
Joan Marsh as Dorothy
John Wayne as Dusty Rhodes
Natalie Moorhead as Mrs. Rhodes
Richard Tucker as Mr. Rhodes
Walter Catlett as McNeil
Ethel Wales as Aunt Martha
LeRoy Mason as Chick 
Paul Hurst as Gabby
Robert Alden as Chick
 
A hard driving football coach cannot fathom that his son, Bob, wants nothing to do with sports, and forces him to be on the team anyway.  Bob ends up playing so badly that everyone rejects him - his father, his girlfriend and even his school.  Upset and angry with the people in his life, Bob joins a rival college team and trains to beat his father's team.
 
Notes:

John Wayne was just 24 when he acted in Maker of Men. He had been in several movies as an uncredited extra or in bit parts for several years before getting to this stage in his career.

The original working title of Maker of Men was Yellow.
 
Portions of the film were shot on USC's campus, John Wayne's alma mater, where John Wayne also played football.

Portions of the big game were created by splicing together newsreel shots of an actual game and interspersing them with close-ups of the actors’ faces.