film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
sports film
A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the s ...
directed by David Miller. It is also known as ''Idols in the Dust'', and stars
John Derek
John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and photographer.Donna Reed. ''Saturday's Hero'' was the first film for
Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray (born Aldo Da Re; September 25, 1926 – March 27, 1991) was an American actor of film and television. He began his career as a contract player for Columbia Studios before achieving stardom through his roles in ''The Marrying Kind ...
, who was still going by Aldo DaRe, but it was released after his second acting job in ''My True Story'' (1951). The film was also the debut score of
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...
.
Plot
Steve Novak, a Polish-American immigrant from a small New Jersey mill town, decides to go to a college in Virginia to play football. He becomes a star player as a freshman, but hears stories of teammates receiving money for their play.
Steve falls for Melissa ( Donna Reed), the daughter of one of the school's rich benefactors, TC McCabe. When he suffers injuries on the field, Steve realizes that a college education will mean more to his future than football will. He also tries to win Melissa's love, over her uncle’s strong objections.
Cast
*
John Derek
John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and photographer.Donna Reed as Melissa
*
Sidney Blackmer
Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles.
Biography
Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...
as TC McCabe
*
Alexander Knox
Alexander Knox (16 January 1907 – 25 April 1995) was a Canadian actor on stage, screen, and occasionally television. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Woodrow Wilson in the film '' Wilson'' (1944).
...
as Professor Megroth
* Elliott Lewis as Eddie Adams
*
Otto Hulett
Otto Hulett (February 27, 1898 – September 1, 1983) was an American film, television and stage actor.
Hulett was born in Chicago, Illinois. As an actor, he was best known for his roles in '' The Mob'' (1951), '' Saturday's Hero'' (1951), an ...
Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray (born Aldo Da Re; September 25, 1926 – March 27, 1991) was an American actor of film and television. He began his career as a contract player for Columbia Studios before achieving stardom through his roles in ''The Marrying Kind ...
as Gene Hausler (as Aldo DaRe)
* Alvin Baldock as Francis 'Clay' Clayborne
* Wilbur Robertson as Bob Whittier
* Charles Mercer Barnes as Moose Wagner
* Bill Martin as Joe Mestrovic
* Mickey Knox as Joey Novak
* Sandro Giglio as Poppa Jan Novak
* Tito Vuolo as Manuel
Production
Columbia bought the novel specifically as a vehicle for John Derek.
The film was known in production as ''The Hero''.The shoot went for 80 days including 35 days of football sequences.