leplatypus In this digital jungle, it's hard to pick an old movie because by definition, I lack my familiar faces : my loved cast, directors, stories may not still be born yet so it's really about luck and discovering new roads: when i saw the title of this one, i was caught : a movie about Harvard ! Today, this institution is still essential in american legend so it would be great to get into its past !So this movie is interesting because it seems that we are indeed in the campus but 1 century before : Back then, the big difference with French higher education was already clear : sports are inside the program while in France, they are outside (that's why our sports idols are dumb and our grey matter physically unfit !) ; A bit like the Harry Potter movies, the sports events are exciting traditions for all students, the families and outside. The Harvard stadium is totally amazing and breathtaking and this single university beats all French stadiums, even today !Paradoxically, the movie is silent about teachings and lessons because we pick up about students lives. And that's when i pick my 2nd bird because the american icon John Wayne is playing : 1st movie for him - OK i didn't see him as a Yale Player but he is really in. I didn't know as well the hero, William Haines but he looks like a very young Russel Crowe as physically as in the loose, cool attitude. I'm sure that today this movie would be not put in production because this Brown has a aggressive manner of seduction but that doesn't implies that today society is much better ! At last, my last bird was his attraction, the cute Mary Brian : she was so candid, so polite that she motives me to see more of her and that's how i pick my future 1924 movie : Peter Pan ! So finally, i start to map this faraway country of silent movies era !

zardoz-13 The chief significance of "Red Headed Woman" director Jack Conway's sports saga "Brown of Harvard" now is the uncredited appearance of John Wayne as one of the Yale football players. You'll have to search very hard to spot the Duke, because he is terribly difficult to distinguish from the remainder of the team. Otherwise, this 85-minute opus qualifies as an entertaining, sometimes unpredictable, chronicle of a college student's life during his freshman and sophomore years. Tom Brown (William Haines of "Navy Blues") doesn't treat either life or college as seriously as his closest friend Jim Doolittle (Jack Pickford of "Burglar by Proxy") does. Not only does this prove to be Jim's misfortune, but also Tom's fortune. Fitting into Harvard College comes with trials and tribulations for our easygoing protagonist who quickly makes enemies of another student, Bob MacAndrew (Francis X. Bushman, Jr. of "Never Too Late"), as well as Bob's girlfriend Mary Abbott (Mary Brian of "College Rhythm"), the pretty daughter of a Harvard professor. Tom competes with Bob in virtually everything, including Mary, and Mary seems to find Tom annoying despite the time that she spends with it. Tom has other enemies, too. One of the worst is Hal Walters (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams of "Santa Fe Trail") because he blocks Tom's entry into the Harvard Honor Society. Tom pursues Mary, but she rebuffs him, primarily because he behaves in such an obnoxious manner. Meantime, the rivalry between Tom and Bob escalates as Bob is chosen over Tom to row for the Harvard regatta team. Miraculously, Bob injures his hand, and Tom is tapped to replace him. Unfortunately, Tom learns too late about this sudden change of plans, and he is too "stewed" to handle his share of work. Consequently, Harvard loses to Yale in the regatta race. During his sophomore year, Tom tries out for the Harvard varsity football team, where he encounters Bob again. During the big game between Harvard and Yale, Tom's parents (David Torrence and Mary Alden) show up to root for their son. After enduring loud shouts about their son's 'quitter's' attitude, the parents reconcile with the other fan after Tom proves himself on the football field and Harvard manages an eleventh-hour victory out of the game. Moreover, although Tom got Harvard into scoring position, he changes his mind about carrying the pigskin into the end zone because he suspects that Yale will follow his moves too closely. Instead, Tom suggests that Hal hand the ball over to Bob, and Bob rushes into the end zone with little difficulty. Throughout the ball game, Tom has been anxious about the status of his Jim because his friend braved inclement weather conditions to notify him about his status with the football team. Incredibly, Jim dies and Jim's death finally convinces Mary that Tom is a decent, caring human being and she falls in love with him. At fade-out, not only are Tom's parents appreciative of his efforts, but also he has won over both Bob and Hal. This silent movie is an above-average movie, primarily for its sudden twists and turns and the changes that occur in Tom's character. Nevertheless, I had a tough time trying to spot the Duke.

broadway_melody_girl as to why this film has such a high rating on the IMDb. Sure, it's okay but it's not all as great as it's cracked up to be. At it's very best, BROWN OF HARVARD is a 7. It's about a college freshman, Tom Brown (William Haines) and his life Harvard. The movie was dragging a bit for a while, but it really picked up in the last 40-30 minutes. Jack Pickford was pretty good as William's nerdy best friend/sidekick, considering he was supposed to be a real ladies' man/ ne'er do well in real life. Mary Brian was fine as the girl Haines falls for. I think the script of Brown of Harvard could've been more interesting. The characters do not do much. William tries out for sports and hits on girls. Jack just good-naturedly listens to anything Haines has to say. Mary Brian stands around for most of the film smiling and occasionally looks slightly indignant. She hardly gets angry when William drops all her groceries on purpose, and doesn't even pay for replacements. If some fresh guy wrecked my groceries that I paid for and didn't even pay for them after he wrecked them I would be very angry, no matter how smooth and handsome he (thinks) he is. And for a while, William Haines' character seemed a bit annoying to me, and came across as a little too self-confident to me. But after a while you can see that the overflowing self-confidence is just something his character uses to hide his weaknesses. Haines was very good. If you are a William Haines fan then Brown of Harvard is really worth seeing. If you are looking for a worthwhile silent college flick I say skip this one for now and watch THE PLASTIC AGE (1924).

drednm One of the biggest hits of 1926, Brown of Harvard is a exciting comedy/drama featuring regatta and football scenes that gave William Haines the role he needed to become a major star. It's patented Haines all the way: brash smart aleck who takes nothing serious until he is rejected by everyone wises up and becomes a man/hero and wins the girl. No one worked this formula like Haines. A terrific comic actor (Little Annie Rooney with Mary Pickford, Show People with Marion Davies), Haines could swing from comedy to tragedy with a change in facial expression. He is a total joy in this film as he was in Tell It to the Marines (with Lon Chaney) and West Point (with Joan Crawford), where he repeats the formula. Mary Brian is good as the girl, Jack Pickford is very good as the sickly roommate, Ralph Bushman is the rival. Edward Connelly, Mary Alden, David Torrence, Guinn Williams, and Grady Sutton co-star. This film is noted now for its homoerotic relationship between Haines and Pickford and for being John Wayne's film debut as a Yale football player (but I never spotted him). Haines was a top-five box office star starting with this picture through 1932. It's a shame he has been largely forgotten and that most of his films appear to be lost. He was one of the most appealing and talented actors of his time.