Local Boy Makes Good is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and written by Robert Lord, Raymond Griffith and Ray Enright.[2] The film stars Joe E. Brown, Dorothy Lee, Ruth Hall, Edward Woods, Edward Nugent and Wade Boteler. The film was released by Warner Bros. on November 27, 1931.[3][4]

Local Boy Makes Good
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMervyn LeRoy
Screenplay byRobert Lord
Raymond Griffith
Ray Enright
StarringJoe E. Brown
Dorothy Lee
Ruth Hall
Edward Woods
Edward Nugent
Wade Boteler
CinematographySol Polito
Edited byJack Killifer
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • November 27, 1931 (1931-11-27)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$310,000[1]
Box office$643,000[1]

Plot

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Sheepish bookstore employee John Miller has become infatuated with a college girl, Julia Winters, he has never met. His love letters to her are accidentally mailed, so Julia comes to visit, under the mistaken impression John is a college track star.

While co-worker Marjorie helps continue his deception, John tries to join the school's team. His wild javelin throw nearly kills other athletes, who chase him off the field. The college's coach is amazed at how fast John can run.

Julia figures out she's been had. A psychology student, she analyzes John as a boy with an inferiority complex. After the coach finds John and invites him to run, Julia persuades him to race against her old boyfriend, Spike Hoyt, a star athlete and a bully. Majorie eventually talks John into it, even getting him drunk enough to do it.

Cast

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Box office

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According to Warner Bros records the film earned $500,000 domestically and $143,000 foreign.[1]

Preservation status

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 13 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1893-1993:Local Boy Makes Good
  3. ^ "Local Boy Makes Good (1931) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Hall, Mordaunt (November 27, 1931). "Movie Review - Local Boy Makes Good - THE SCREFN; A Mighty Failure. A Comic Botany Student". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.105 c.1978 by The American Film Institute
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