Independent Films, Film Profiles

Knute Rockne, All American
by Lloyd_Bacon

Knute Rockne, All American is a 1940 biographical film which tells the story of Knute Rockne, perhaps the most famous of all of the football coaches at Notre Dame, one of the most successful football programs in history. It stars Pat O'Brien, Ronald Reagan, Gale Page, Donald Crisp, Albert Bassermann, Owen Davis, Jr., Nick Lukats, Kane Richmond, William Marshall and William Byrne. It also included a cameo by legendary football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, who played himself. The role of "George 'The Gipper' Gipp" by Ronald Reagan gave him the nickname of "The Gipper" for the rest of his life.The movie was written by Robert Buckner and directed by Lloyd Bacon. In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry.Trivia note: In the Lux Radio Theatre broadcast (12-2-1940) of the movie, Fay Wray portrayed Mrs. Rockne.