''The Iron Major'' is a 1943 American

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

about the famed college football coach and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

hero, Frank Cavanaugh. Directed by

Ray Enright Ray Enright (March 25, 1896 – April 3, 1965) was an American film director. He directed 73 films between 1927–53, many of them for Warner Bros. He oversaw comedy films like Joe E. Brown vehicles, five of the six informal pairings of Joa ...

, the screenplay was written by

Aben Kandel Aben Kandel (15 August 1897 – 28 January 1993) was an American screenwriter, novelist, and (earlier in life) boxer. He was screenwriter on such classic B movies as '' I Was A Teenage Werewolf'', Joan Crawford's final movie '' Trog'', and one of ...

and

Warren Duff Warren Duff (May 17, 1904 – August 5, 1973) was a film and television writer and producer. As a writer, Duff wrote for films including, ''Fashions of 1934'', ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), '' Experiment Perilous'' (1944), '' Step Li ...

, based on Florence E. Cavanaugh's story. Produced and directed by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

, the film premiered in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on October 25, 1943. The picture stars

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

as Major Cavanaugh, along with

Ruth Warrick Ruth Elizabeth Warrick (June 29, 1916 – January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on '' All My Children'', which she played regularly from 1970 until her ...

and

Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for ...

Plot

Florence Cavanaugh and a priest, Tim Donovan, recall how in the 1890s, her husband Frank was playing college football for Dartmouth and then moved west to become a coach. "Cav" is introduced to Florence and eventually moves back east where he coaches at Holy Cross, where the football team's players include Tim. Although he is father to seven children, Cav enlists in the war effort. A major, he is involved in heavy combat and seriously wounded, but recovers, gaining his nickname in the process. He ultimately returns home to continue coaching at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, but an illness causes Cav to go blind, then ultimately claims his life.

Cast

as Frank/Cav Cavanaugh *

as Florence Ayres Cavanaugh *

as Father Tim Donovan *

Leon Ames Leon Ames (born Harry L. Wycoff;U.S. Federal Census for 1910 for Fowler, Center Township, Benton County, State of Indiana, access via Ancestry.com January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best rememb ...

as Bob Stewart *

Russell Wade Russell Wade (June 22, 1917 – December 9, 2006) was an American actor. Life and career Russell Wade was born on June 21, 1917, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He signed an RKO contract in 1942. Having appeared in 80 films, his last one was ' ...

as Private Manning * Bruce Edwards as Lieutenant Jones * Richard Martin as Davie Cavanaugh

References

External links

* 1943 films American biographical drama films American football films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films scored by Roy Webb Films directed by Ray Enright RKO Pictures films Cultural depictions of players of American football Biographical films about sportspeople 1940s biographical drama films 1943 drama films 1940s American films {{bio-film-stub