$1,000 a Touchdown
$1,000 a Touchdown is a 1939 American comedy film directed by James P. Hogan, written by Delmer Daves, and starring Joe E. Brown, Martha Raye, Eric Blore, Susan Hayward, John Hartley and Joyce Mathews. It was released on October 4, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.[1]
$1,000 a Touchdown | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | James P. Hogan |
Produced by | William C. Thomas |
Screenplay by | Delmer Daves |
Starring | Joe E. Brown Martha Raye Eric Blore Susan Hayward John Hartley Joyce Mathews |
Music by | Charles Bradshaw John Leipold Leo Shuken |
Cinematography | William C. Mellor |
Edited by | Chandler House |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 71 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
Marlowe Booth and his wife Martha inherit a tapped out college and decide to strengthen the college's football team in order to increase funding, so they decide to give 1,000 dollars for each touchdown made.
Cast
- Joe E. Brown as Marlowe Mansfield Booth
- Martha Raye as Martha Madison
- Eric Blore as Henry
- Susan Hayward as Betty McGlen
- John Hartley as Bill Anders
- Joyce Mathews as Lorelei
- George McKay as Mr. Fishbeck
- Syd Saylor as Bangs
- Tom Dugan as Popcorn vendor
- Matt McHugh as Brick Benson
- Don Wilson as Announcer
- Paula DeCardo as Dora (uncredited)
- Dot Farley as Hysterical Girl (uncredited)
- Bill Thompson as Animal and Bird Impersonator (uncredited)
- Adrian Morris as Two Ton Terry (uncredited)
Reception
Frank Nugent of The New York Times said, "Paramount must have been carried away when it finally succeeded in bringing Joe E. Brown and Martha Raye (and their mouths) together in a comedy. Only it wasn't carried far enough away. $1,000 a Touchdown, played at the Criterion yesterday, is a painfully witless football farce of almost fantastic unoriginality. There is even a scene in which Eric Blore turns to Mr. Brown and says, "Now I leave you to Morpheus." (That wasn't a take-em, folks: it was Joe Miller clutching Mr. Brown's shoulder). It ends with Joe E. scoring the last-second touchdown by being thrown over the goal posts. They threw the wrong man: Delmer Daves, who wrote it, would be our choice—and we'd insist on a field goal."[2]
References
- "$1,000 a Touchdown (1939) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- Nugent, Frank S. (1939-10-05). "Movie Review - 1 000 a Touchdown - THE SCREEN". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2015-07-08.