Knute Rockne, All American

Plot

Lars Knutson Rockne moves his family from Norway in 1892, settling in Chicago. His son Knute saves up his money and enrolls in college at the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, where he plays football.

After graduation, Rockne marries sweetheart Bonnie Skiles and stays on at Notre Dame to teach chemistry, work in the chemistry lab under Father Nieuwland on synthetic rubber and in his spare time serve as an assistant coach of the Fighting Irish football team under Coach Jess Harper. He and his college roommate, quarterback Gus Dorais, develop the forward pass, which enables Notre Dame to defeat the traditionally strong team from West Point.

An outstanding freshman halfback, George Gipp, leads the Irish to greater gridiron glory. Gipp is stricken with a fatal illness, however, and encourages the team to go out and "win one for the Gipper."

Notre Dame continues its football success with a backfield of stars dubbed "the Four Horsemen." Rockne, tragically, is killed in a 1931 plane crash on a trip to California, but his legend makes him a campus immortal.

Cast

Reception

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called the film "one of the best pictures for boys in years" and wrote that O'Brien conveyed "a valid impression of an iron-willed, dynamic and cryptic fellow who could very well be 'Rock.' As a memorial to a fine and inspiring molder of character in young men, this picture ranks high. But, like the Carnegie Foundation has done on previous occasions, we are inclined to question its overemphasis of the pigskin sport." Variety called it "one of the best biographical picturizations ever turned out ... Pat O'Brien delivers a fine characterization of the immortal Rockne, catching the spirit of the role with an understanding of the human qualities of the man." Film Daily wrote, "Pat O'Brien's life-like Rockne is brilliantly delineated; it's as though Rockne himself were striding across the field once more." Harrison's Reports wrote, "Very good! It is the first football picture produced without any 'hokum'; it shows how teams are developed and what the game means to both players and coach ... The football scenes should prove thrilling to all." John Mosher of The New Yorker said the story had been "suitably handled for its public of energetic young people and South Bend alumni."

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

"Win one for the Gipper"

This quote is ranked #89 on a poll of AFI 100 Years...100 Quotes. The phrase "Win one for the Gipper" was later used as a political slogan by Ronald Reagan, who was often referred to as "The Gipper" due to playing the role in the movie. A famous use of it was at the 1988 Republican National Convention when Reagan told his Vice President George H. W. Bush, "George, go out there and win one for the Gipper." It was also used at the 1996 Republican National Convention by Bob Dole, as the 1996 Republican National Convention was held in Reagan's home state of California. It was used again in the 2004 Republican National Convention by President George W. Bush in his acceptance speech when he stated "we can now truly win one for the Gipper," shortly after Reagan's death.

The speech is parodied in the movie Airplane!, which was released when Reagan was running for the presidency in 1980.