A quaint, if corny, image of Americana in the near-postwar era. College football star (who will be playing in the Rose Bowl) is in love with poor girl. Jim Backus as poor girl's dad in a role he'll refine for Rebel W/O A Cause. Typical gags such as worn chair with springs sticking out. While the movie is typical of so many B movies (thin, simple plot), I watched this while staying up all night on New Year's Eve and enjoyed it greatly.
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Dave-6404 August 1999
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mark.waltz11 October 2011At 73 minutes, you'd think "The Rose Bowl Story" would be at least a passable time filler, but unfortunately it isn't. The storyline is almost non-existent, and the cast (filled with many familiar names) gets shafted with a screenplay filled with TV sitcom clichés. The most exciting thing about this movie is the opening description of Pasadena and the annual New Year's Day event. Standing in Times Square, waiting for the ball to drop in freezing weather, then being pushed out immediately after midnight by the police, is a better alternative than sitting through this, waiting for the big game to occur.
When Jim Backus can't even be funny recalling his football days (using a vase instead of a football), that's pretty sad. Natalie Wood, after a promising start in films like "Driftwood" and "The Miracle on 34th Street", needed another holiday after this dog. Typecast as the annoying teenager during this time, she would have every right to become a rebel without a cause towards her agent for getting her tripe like this.
You can't expect much from Monogram films, especially one directed by William Beaudine, but this one moves at a snail's pace. Something worth mentioning in the film's favor, is pretty good cinecolor, but other than that and people like Backus and Clarence Kolb, this film is worse than a New Year's Day hangover. -
stretchrunner18 November 2002This is an entertaining little gem that seems to have disappeared from TV screens everywhere. I first saw this as a kid on TV each year around New Years Day and seeing it again after many years has rekindled the fun of those simpler times.
The actors in this movie are all familiar faces and everyone plays their roles in a pleasant, relaxed manner except for a teen-age Natalie Wood, whose character is just brimming with youthful enthusiasm. The plotline is simple and transparent but it's fun to just watch it unfold.
The Rose Bowl story is a glimpse back into the postwar past when the "Grandaddy of Bowl Games" was a big and exciting tradition and not the media-fueled extravaganza it has become today.
If you're looking for a nice and relaxing little story as well as a little-seen vehicle for Natalie Wood, this is a good movie to catch in the "bowling season".