If so, watch out for this football coach, 'cause he packs a lot of drama in addition to a mean scrimmaging plan. He's got a trampy ex-wife (Marie Windsor, no less), and their devoted daughter (Sherry loves him, hates her mother, and wants no part of the repressed social worker's plan to take her away from Wayne & pass her onto his mom. That social worker is Donna Reed, as far from her "From Here to Eternity" character the very same year. She's instantly antagonistic towards Wayne, but warms up to him somewhat after seeing the loving relationship between father and daughter she can relate to. Unfortunately, that father/daughter relationship Reed had made her repressed around the boys who considered her plain, which here she is anything but. But for some reason, on and off throughout the film, she takes the neglectful mother's side, whose backstory we see in a flashback Wayne has in the middle of the film. This cold-hearted ex is only really interested in getting Wayne's attention and has no idea of how to relate to the little girl. There is one scene where the re-married ex-wife tries to seduce her ex, indicating that there is no physical relationship between her and her second husband (Tom Helmore). At a party for the little girl, it is made apparent that she has no interest in her daughter, which Reed witnesses.
In addition to all of this soap opera, there is the head of the Catholic college Wayne has gone to work for, played by the always lovable Charles Coburn. The aging priest hopes to keep his college open by creating a winning football team. Coburn, whose character of the priest complains of being considered obsolete, seems to be anything but; In fact, he would continue to play lovable old codgers for another 7 years, most notably opposite Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and as the American uncle his rich British family wants to kill in "How to Murder a Rich Uncle". One of the other priests is played by "Little House on the Prairie" preacher Dabbs Greer who is instantly recognizable from his first appearance on screen. Chuck Connors and an unbilled James Dean also appear. There are some great affectionate scenes between Sherry Jackson and Charles Coburn, but they are overshadowed by the drama which the film focuses on. Had the script focused more on the football team, the survival of the school, and the loving relationship between father and daughter, it would be less cloying. The trouble is how it is set up in the first 10 minutes, you would never realize that it's going to be more than 75% dramatic. Wayne, likable as always, remains unscathed, but Reed's character is sadly too cold and unfeeling to make her character believable and likable, let alone any possibility of a romance between Wayne and Reed likely. Windsor does what she can to add some humanity to her cold character, but the script is against her. Jackson manages to make the little girl likable. A false promise at the start leads to an unsatisfying film as a whole.
In addition to all of this soap opera, there is the head of the Catholic college Wayne has gone to work for, played by the always lovable Charles Coburn. The aging priest hopes to keep his college open by creating a winning football team. Coburn, whose character of the priest complains of being considered obsolete, seems to be anything but; In fact, he would continue to play lovable old codgers for another 7 years, most notably opposite Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and as the American uncle his rich British family wants to kill in "How to Murder a Rich Uncle". One of the other priests is played by "Little House on the Prairie" preacher Dabbs Greer who is instantly recognizable from his first appearance on screen. Chuck Connors and an unbilled James Dean also appear. There are some great affectionate scenes between Sherry Jackson and Charles Coburn, but they are overshadowed by the drama which the film focuses on. Had the script focused more on the football team, the survival of the school, and the loving relationship between father and daughter, it would be less cloying. The trouble is how it is set up in the first 10 minutes, you would never realize that it's going to be more than 75% dramatic. Wayne, likable as always, remains unscathed, but Reed's character is sadly too cold and unfeeling to make her character believable and likable, let alone any possibility of a romance between Wayne and Reed likely. Windsor does what she can to add some humanity to her cold character, but the script is against her. Jackson manages to make the little girl likable. A false promise at the start leads to an unsatisfying film as a whole.