''The Crowd Roars'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film directed by

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A ...

starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

and featuring

Joan Blondell Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on ...

Ann Dvorak Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told ''The Literary Digest'' in 1936: "My fake name is properly pronounced ''vor'shack ...

, Eric Linden,

Guy Kibbee Guy Bridges Kibbee (March 6, 1882 – May 24, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was editor of the ''El Paso Herald-Post'' newspaper, and Kibbee learned how to set type at age ...

, and

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

. A film of the same name was made in 1938 with a different story, starring Robert Taylor. The driver in the film's

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

sequences was

Harry Hartz Harry Hartz (24 December 1896 – 26 September 1974) was an American auto mechanic and race car driver. Career Harry Hartz was born in Pomona, California, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. At age eighteen, he began to drive in support eve ...

, a successful board track and

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

race professional. It was remade in 1939 as '' Indianapolis Speedway'' with Pat O'Brien in Cagney's role,

Ann Sheridan Clara Lou "Ann" Sheridan (February 21, 1915 – January 21, 1967) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the films ''San Quentin'' (1937) with Humphrey Bogart, ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938) with James Cagney ...

in Blondell's role, and McHugh in the same role he played in the original.

Plot

Motor racing champion Joe Greer (

) returns home to compete in an exhibition race featuring his younger brother Eddie, who has aspirations of becoming a champion. Joe's misogynistic obsession with "protecting" Eddie ( Eric Linden) from women causes Joe to interfere with Eddie's relationship with Anne (

), leading to estrangement between Joe and Eddie, and between Joe and his longtime girlfriend Lee (

), who is made to feel "not good enough" to be around Eddie. During the race, a third driver, Spud Connors (

), wrecks and is burned alive. Driving lap after lap through the flames and the smell of burning flesh (and maybe past the burning body) while blaming himself for the accident, Joe loses his will to race. Eddie goes on to win. Afterward, Joe's career plummets as Eddie's rises. The power of love eventually triumphs, and Joe's career and his relationships with Lee and Eddie are rehabilitated.

Cast (in credits order)

Production

''The Crowd Roars'' is loosely based on the play ''The Barker: A Play of Carnival Life'' by

Kenyon Nicholson Kenyon Nicholson (May 21, 1894 – December 19, 1986) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Early life John Kenyon Nicholson was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on May 21, 1894, the oldest son of Thomas B. and Anne (Kenyon) Nichols ...

. Hawks developed the script with Seton Miller for their eighth and final collaboration and the script was by Miller, Kubec Glasmon,

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

and

Niven Busch Niven Busch (April 26, 1903 – August 25, 1991) was an American novelist and screenwriter of movies such as the acclaimed '' The Postman Always Rings Twice''. His novels included ''Duel in the Sun'' (1944) and ''California Street'' (1959). H ...

. Blondell and Dvorak initially were cast in each other's roles but swapped after a few days of shooting. Shooting began on December 7, 1931 at Legion Ascot Speedway and wrapped on February 1, 1932. Hawks used real race car drivers in the film, including the

1930 Indianapolis 500 The 18th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1930. The race was part of the 1930 AAA Championship Car season. Pole position winner Billy Arnold took the lead on lap 3, and led t ...

winner Billy Arnold. Certain scenes were filmed at the now defunct Nutley Velodrome race track in Nutley, New Jersey with

standing in for James Cagney. In original prints of the film the big racing scene at the end was printed on tinted "Inferno" stock. A French-language version, ''La foule hurle'', starring

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), '' La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ...

, was produced in 1932. Warner Bros. remade ''The Crowd Roars'' in 1939 as '' Indianapolis Speedway''. Sentimentalism is downplayed in this

film. The lingering stench of Spud's burning body is implied strongly by the horrified expression on each driver's face as he passes through the smoke and tongue of burning gasoline that marks the wreck site, sometimes pushing his scarf against his nose.

Box office

According to Warner Bros records, the film earned $524,000 domestically and $245,000 foreign.

Notes

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crowd Roars, The 1932 films 1930s sports drama films American sports drama films Films directed by Howard Hawks American black-and-white films American auto racing films Films about brothers Films with screenplays by Kubec Glasmon 1932 drama films Warner Bros. films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films