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lilad03-blog · 8 days

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Did John Wayne Play Fordham University’s Football Coach?

Photos from IMDb.com

Trouble Along The Way (1953) was released through Warner Brothers on April 4th of 1953. This black & white comedy starred Film Legend John Wayne and was directed by the great Michael Curtiz, who is himself best remembered for Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood & White Christmas.

Was this film about Fordham Football?

A Catholic College in The Bronx

Submitted for your approval is the fictitious St Anthony’s Catholic College. It is located in, of all places, The Bronx; Fordham University is located in the Fordham Road community. Which is the busiest commercial section of Bronx County. Also, it is the one Roman Catholic institution in the Borough that played big time football during this era. (Sorry Manhattan College- just in case they are wondering.)

The Society of Jesus (S.J.)

Specifically, it is a Roman Catholic Institute of Higher Learning that is not run by the Archdiocese. But in turn it is managed by “The Order”; Perhaps they mean The Jesuits? No one attempts to explain this any further … So why not.

A Thinly Veiled Version of Cardinal Spellman?

The story includes a fictitious Cardinal O'Shea, who also happens to be a St Anthony’s alumni. In the film, he uses his influence to schedule games with institutions such as the University of Notre Dame. Francis Cardinal Spellman, then the Archbishop of New York, held a B.A., from Fordham University, from 1911. After being elevated to this position back in 1939, he also became the face of the American Catholic Church throughout this period until his death in 1967.

"Winning isn't everything -- it's the only thing."

These words are attributed to Coach Steve Williams, the fictional athletics instructor played by Wayne. In the actual context of the movie, they actually appear in print, on a sign, in his office. However, this sounds a lot like something Vince Lombardi (FCRH Class of 1937) might have said, now doesn’t it?

Dates Sync-Up With Closing Out of the Football Program

Perhaps most importantly, this movie, which was released in 1953, involves a scandal that appears to shut down the football program. It should be noted that Fordham University dropped Big Time Football after the 1954 season.

The Plot Line

Recently divorced, Steve Williams has trouble finding a job due to his inability to get along with his prior superiors. If he doesn't find work soon, he'll risk losing custody of his 11 year old daughter Carole (Sherry Jackson). He needs a job to keep the wolf-at-bay as well as a social worker assigned to see if his daughter should not be taken away from him.

1942 Oscar winner Charles Coburn (right) Photo IMDb.com

Meanwhile, Father Burke, the school’s rector, played by veteran character actor Charles Coburn, hires Williams/Wayne to improve the school’s failing financial situation. St. Anthony's is heavily in debt. They may have to close their doors. Father Burke reasons that the school could get back on its feet if it had a successful football team. He hoped this would secure the financial support of the school’s alumni too.

Coach Wiliams/Wayne’s character violates the preseason training regulations believing the added “practice” time will give him the advantage over Holy Cross, Notre Dame and "Santa Carla" (perhaps a fictitious version of Santa Clara). This was because conference rules prevent these schools from practicing during summer sessions. The New York Archbishop, who is also an alumni, uses his influence to schedule games with the institutions mentioned above.

Note: The only game that is actually played is against the fictional Santa Carla, where St Anthony’s tactics are discovered. This includes paying players and bringing in athletes much older than the accepted age. Perhaps the film’s producers wanted to avoid complaints from the real California University by creating a thinly veiled phony?

Film critic Hal Erickson of All Movie wrote: “Against his better judgment, Father Burke hires the troublesome Steve Williams, who'll stop at nothing to assemble a winning team. Somehow, Williams has to turn into a regular human being and that's where social worker Alice Singleton (Donna Reed) comes in. Described as ‘More sentimental than most Wayne vehicles, Trouble Along the Way is well worth the ride.’”

On The Other Hand: Was this not Fordham Football?

Why Did Fordham Actually Drop Football in 1954?

The team’s record that final year was 1 win; 7 loses; 1 tie. Average attendance, when home games were played primarily at the Polo Grounds, in Upper Manhattan, were 11,950. This was down from the prior year’s average of 16,000 plus. (Football did not return to campus until students brought the sport back as a “club” team in 1964.)

It seems it was not a scandal, but the inability to fund big-time football in the era of television and coast-to-coast jet travel that brought the sport down. According to Fordham Librarian J.P. McCabe, in his monograph 125 Year of Fordham Football: On December 15 (1954) the President of Fordham, Rev. Laurence McGinely, S.J., announced that Fordham could no longer afford to support a football program.

Would Notre Dame ever play the Fordham Rams?

Would legendary Notre Dame ever play the Rams in football? An examination of Fordham football seasons from 1928 to 1954, an era which saw them playing back-to-back major bowl games, shows many battles against other leading catholic colleges and universities. Boston College, Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s and Villanova pop-up as regular opponents. In reality, Notre Dame never played against Fordham.

In fact, whenever some of the catholic schools talk about rebuilding their Division 1-A program, conversations often turn to possibly booking a game with Notre Dame. Now, the only other Power-5 catholic program-Boston College-has met them 26 times but that rivalry didn’t start until 1975. This was during these latter years when both programs found themselves together in two different major sports conferences-The ACC and before that the now splintered Big East Conference.

“Much like an old-time Irish Ward boss, Notre Dame knows they already have the Catholic Vote. They want to be a national darling; So don’t count on those big pay days.”

A Bronx Setting? The ‘Shoot’ Never Left Southern California.

Many of the exterior football scenes were filmed at Pomona College in Claremont, California. In fact, under IMDB.com Goofs section, there appears to be a State of California Flag on a poll in the background in one scene.

Fordham Has Produced Many Church Leaders

According to the List of Fordham University alumni, there have been almost twenty Archbishops, Auxiliary Bishops, Bishops and Cardinals. This includes our own Class of 1980 Gordon Bennett, SJ, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Mandeville Diocese: https://www.pinterest.fr/bergin0639/famous-fordham-graduates-from-class-of-1980/

It is not really a stretch to imagine a loyal alum in a position of church authority willing to use his influence to acquire top name opposition-now is it? Could the Cardinal Spellman reference simply be a coincidence?

Vince Lombardi Quote Dispute

When this movie comes up, questions arise about the use of a quote that could be attributed to Vince Lombardi (Class of ‘37) and a member of the Seven Blocks of Granite."Winning isn't everything -- it's the only thing." These words were from Coach Williams, the fictional football instructor played by Wayne. This sounds like Coach Lombardi … or does it?

The closest offering I can find under ESPN Classic Vince Lombardi quotes seems to be: “Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-time thing." Nice, but not exactly the same intense language. Besides, with a release date of April 4th, 1953, and actual filming taking place in the fourth quarter of 1952, this would suggest an A-List Hollywood Picture would be trolling for quotations from the then offensive line coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Lombardi would not start on his way to immortality, becoming the head coach for the Green Bay Packers, of the NFL, until their 1959 season.

Hearing From The Fordham Faculty

“As far as I can tell, film-history-wise, there is no direct connection to a football coach or a football scandal at Fordham.” said Karen Williams, Ph.D in Communication & Media Studies, in an email response. “Nowhere in the film's promotional material is it suggested that the story is based on real events. The writer of the film's original synopsis (based on a listing of his papers at Boston University) was Robert Hardy Andrews, and based on that it suggests that it is an original story, not based on a newspaper article or other pre-existing source.”

The Rose Hill campus Senior Lecturer added: “Andrews's background also suggests that he does not have any meaningful connections to Fordham.”

What Do You Think?

The Fordham similarities are pretty clear whether or not they were intentional, subconscious or coincidental. My first exposure to this movie was as a child, long before I entertained any notions of attending Fordham; I walked into the livingroom and my dad, who was raised in The Bronx, had just started watching it. He said simply, “This is about Fordham.” So I’m in the positive camp I guess.

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ADDENDUM

Romance or Assault? Is it still a John Wayne Movie?

Screenshot. Donna Reed who won an Academy Award in 1954 for her work in From Here To Eternity.

Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NVeSPdMm2s

Fordham University has a Graduate School of Social Work.

I forwarded this video clip, contacted several department faculty and asked the following 3 questions:

Were Coach Williams' actions wildly inappropriate? (I know it's the 1950s and he is John Wayne ... but ...?)

What about Ms. Reed's reply?

What would you advise a social worker to do next?

“I'm a fan of re-examining history because we always seem to learn more about ourselves and the world when we do.” Dr. Shirley Gatenio Gabel, the Quaranta Chair for Justice for Children at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service writes: “I'm not sure how you see a social worker being called in here, especially in the 1950s. It appears the character that Donna Reed is playing was being sexually harassed; however, Title VII-the law that prohibits sexual harassment at work-was part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

She added: “I don't know what government agency the Donna Reed character may have called in the 1950s and how a social worker may have gotten involved.”

Note: Having re-watched this movie recently-for the 3rd time-I thought the producers didn’t know what to do with any potential romantic development either. Despite publicity stills suggesting they become one-big-happy-family (see below) these questions go largely unanswered by the film’s ending.

IMDb.com: People: John Wayne, Donna Reed, Sherry Jackson

External Links: https://www.pinterest.fr/bergin0639/is-trouble-along-the-way-actually-fordham/

Did John Wayne Play Fordham's Football Coach?

#johnwayne #fordhamuniversity #vincelombardi #notredame #donnareed #ostoncollege #villanova #holycross #santaclara #pologrounds #warnerbrothers #football #sports

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chiefarbitermoon · 8 months

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Making It As A Writer?

For alumni of-a-certain-age, it might be time to kick-back, smell the roses, stop frantically ripping open those monthly envelopes with the 401K numbers and start working on some of those “me” projects. Now, if your direction takes you to writing you must find the topic(s), the writing space, the time and the sticktoitiveness to complete that epic poem or your personal offering for the Great American Novel.

When it is finished, you would naturally sit back and wonder which you should pursue first: The financial reward or the artistic adoration? Perhaps you should meet Daina Smith (FCRH Class of 2008). You don’t know her-for good reason-but she has already completed 10 feature film scripts and 2 TV series. She has earned 2 options for her work and has two scripts current in pre-production with talent and award winning directors attached.

(IMDb.com)

“I wrote my first screenplay at ten years of age,” said the Westchester County native. “So, I went to Fordham and concentrated on independent study in the art of acting, literature, and film and had a concentration of screenwriting.”

Listed in Forever Fordham under her maiden name of Defrancesco, the one time Finlay Hall resident (that’s ‘Old Chem’ to some of us and the former home of the medical school to no one alive today) once completed an internship with a Broadway producer. A passionate writer for most of her life, she spent her college years focusing on screenwriting and attending meet-ups with her mentor, former Fordham professor Meir Ribalow, at The Players in Manhattan. After graduating she began teaching Visual and Performing Arts courses, while keeping her writing goals at the forefront.

Question: Screenwriting, show biz, seems so foreign, even dangerous, to many of us. I recall reading that people like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Heinrich Mann went to Hollywood and figured it would be easy money. (After all, if you can write Great Gatsby or The Blue Angel how hard can this movie stuff be?) Yet they got frustrated and both apparently became alcoholics.

Heartland, a Canadian TV Show, that stars Amber Marshall and Kerry James. These two have signed on to star in and produce Daina’s original screenplay called Elke’s Magic that is in pre-production. Daina wrote the screenplay based on the novel Elke’s Magic by author Inger Margaret Foster. Stay tuned!

A Question That Came With Its Own Answer

Hearing this talk about Canada, I noted the other three names mentioned above were all born in the Great White North. I asked if she did much traveling?

At that most opportune moment, her 5 year old daughter came into the room. She apparently had a “bump” and needed comforting; mom had to call me back.

Question: Do you travel much for these assignments?

Smith: (The now Connecticut resident confirmed) In addition to being a writer I’m also a full-time Mom to my 5 year old daughter and 7 year old son.

For Those Who Want To Get Involved

For those who want to take on writing on their own, she offers help in the form of Scriptwriting Coaching, Script Coverage, and Creative Copywriting services. She has written everything from screenplays to Bosch advertisements to radio scripts for 106.7 Lite FM.

Question: It is said that the toughest thing for a person who is new to the craft of writing is to avoid too much expository writing.

Smith: It is very important to remember that it is better to show something than to tell something. If “Laura is sad, don’t tell me that Laura is sad. Say that “Laura is sitting in her chair, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Just as the phone RINGS she begins to cry.” It’s a tricky thing to learn, but once you understand that this is a movie- and it’s all about visuals- you become accustomed to SHOWING what you mean.

Daina can be reached at https://dainasmithwrites.com/

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Other Fordham Connections

Daina wanted us to know that her father is a full-time member of the Fordham faculty as a lecturer, in marketing, for the Gabelli School of Business. He has held that position since 2009 after completing a career with Pitney-Bowes. Her brother Matt is a Fordham Prep alum, and her brother Anthony is a Fordham Graduate School of Business alum as well. The DeFrancesco (Smith) family obviously loves Fordham!

Anthony DeFrancesco

https://www.fordham.edu/gabelli-school-of-business/faculty/full-time-faculty/anthony-defrancesco/

#fordhamuniversity #fordham-class of 1980 #ThePlayersinManhattan #Heartland #CBC #amber marshall #kerryjames #IngerMargaretFoster

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toounknownpaper · 1 year

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38#毕业证 #成绩单#学位证书 #diplomma #degree#PITT#匹兹堡大学#UniversityofPittsburgh#克莱姆森大学##克莱姆森大学#ClemsonUniversity#福特汉姆#福坦莫#福特汉姆大学#FordhamUniversity#TwinCities分校##明尼苏达大学#UniversityofMinnesotaTwinCities#TAMU#德州A&M大学#TexasA&MUniversity （在 Fordham University） https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck6jrDFhYbP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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apehousemagazine · 2 years

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www.esowe.com Fatou. Born in Senegal, she is currently living in Chicago, but was in NYC for summer internship. She is a student, studying economy. We met as she was on her lunch break. ____________________________________________________ . . . #portrait #portraitphotography #portrait_perfection #flashportrait #flashportraitphotography #flashphotography #godoxad200pro #ad200pro #godox #fujifilmxpro3 #streetportrait #nycstreetportrait #fordhamuniversity #student #senegalese #senegalesegirl #esowe #apehouse #blackbeauty #nigerianphotographershub #nigerianphotographer #esoweimages (at Soho, N.Y.C) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cha_6X4O-Wu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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ginalover · 2 years

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ginagershon Before the #Met Ball- there was the Peoples Ball last night in Brooklyn! Its a public , open , beautiful version of the Met Gala Ball that is really for the Community. Where different students of design from #FIT #brooklyncollege #fordhamuniversity #pratt #sunyweatchestercimmunitycollege #kingsboroughcommunitycollege all competed to win - the winner gets to show their design at the Met Gala tonight. Congrats to Brooklyn college. So much fun to be a judge with @robertbuilla @paultazewell @souleouniverse @elizabethkoke and my beautiful froend @arcostanzo whose incredible #akhnaten which is returning to #metopera inspired the whole evening! Congrats to The Brooklyn Library Peoples Ball! #costumes #innovation #design #inclusivity #designcompetition #housingworks #metopera #akhnaten #metgala #peoplesball peoplesball

#gina gershon #the peoples ball #juging the fashions #ginas IG

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surveycircle · 1 year

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Tweeted

Participants needed for online survey! Topic: "Online Media Habits Survey" https://t.co/IzwJsbzOcq via @SurveyCircle #SocialMedia #usage #online #digital #OnlineMedia #habits #FordhamUniversity #survey #surveycircle https://t.co/O6UuwqtZ7L

— Daily Research @SurveyCircle (@daily_research) Mar 16, 2023

#IFTTT #Twitter

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huaisi-cen · 1 year

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Inspiring Titan Talks with @bess.freedman and @barbaracorcoran at @fordhamuniversity (at Fordham University-Lincoln Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CophZZVuIqv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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mellowmonkeydecor · 2 years

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May has been an extraordinary month of celebration. And now, Ally - a new graduate of @fordhamuniversity yesterday with a degree in Biological Science. In addition to being family, she also worked at the store last year and is part of the Mellow Monkey family too. In fact, she is the second person at the store recently scoring a Biological Science Major (and they’re both women!) Please join us in congratulating her for this awesome achievement! @mellowmonkeydecor (at Mellow Monkey Gifts and Home Decor) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd4SI7TMYWG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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chiefarbitermoon · 9 months

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Sherry Britton: Fordham Class of '82

Do Any Of Our Fordham University Alumni Recognize This Lady?

College enrollment will begin to decline in the next few years. Around the year 2026, the number of high school graduates in the United States is expected to drop significantly and for maybe as long as a decade. Maybe longer. What are some of the tactics the institutions of higher learning are taking to combat these enrollment/revenue deficits?

Schools have lobbied the government for the use of Pell Grants which, starting this year, will expand the eligibility of people in prison (750,000+) to receive college educations.

In 2020, New York State relaxed the definition of the term university. It is hoped this will make it easier to market to foreign students who often viewed the term “college” as simply 2-year junior colleges.

Some of the major for-profit universities have been sold to major private schools to provide turn-key operations for encouraging on-line learners.

Another important area, built into these business models is the adult learner-Introducing Ms. Sherry Britton!

Dec. 9, 1945 issue of Yank, the Army Weekly

“Here is the story of The Great Britton or Stripeasaurus Sex

and a College Graduate from the Class of 1982 graduate.”

She was born in 1918 as Edith Zack. After fleeing an adolescence marred with domestic violence, foster homes and an abusive first husband, Sherry Britton started stripping at the age of fifteen at the People's Theater on The Bowery in Lower Manhattan. She received ten cents a performance. She was also a trained belly dancer and acted on Broadway.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jane Margaret Laight

She was named an honorary brigadier general by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for entertaining our troops during World War II.

She Married Her Millionaire

In 1971, Britton, who had been married twice previously, and who once said she'd been engaged "14 times," married wealthy businessman Robert Gross. Gross urged her to attend Fordham University. Although Britton had never attended high school, she was admitted to the Lincoln Center campus as an undergraduate where she majored in courses “appropriate for pre-law students”. Gifted with a very high IQ, she graduated magna cum laude in 1982, at the age of 63.

Perhaps A Little Too “Tradeschoolish” For A Serious University?

Attending a burlesque show is not like going to a strip club.

“Burlesque is a form of variety theater.” said Edward Bristow, former Dean at FCLC who has served at the Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts. Program, ”It includes both dance and singing. It was most popular in the late 19th century and early 20th Century.” Bristow added: “I don’t think there is any formal training in stripetease.”

Note: Unlike the striptease performer, you should not necessarily expect nudity on a burlesque stage. Dancers at a burlesque show plan their routines carefully and do a lot of training, just like ‘exotic dancers’ do.

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

(L-R) Sherry Britton, unidentified actress, and Tom Poston in the stage revue The Best of Burlesque

Behind the Burly Q (2010)

Sherry is seen in archive footage in the Leslie Zemeckis directed film documentary that attempted to examine the golden age of American Burlesque in the first half of the 20th century. It takes a behind-the-velvet-curtain peek at the golden age of burlesque, meeting the women and men who pushed the envelope of social propriety.

The Legitimate Theatre Too.

She appeared on Broadway in the 1958 three act comedy, Drink To Me Only. At the George Abbott Theatre on 154 West 54th Street. She played a character named Princess Alexandria for 77 performances.

(https://www.ibdb.com/broadway)

After Robert Gross died in 1990, Britton lived a life of retirement. She died of natural causes on April 1, 2008, in New York City.

Sherry Britton talks about burlesque and its history in NYC

youtube

{This article originally appeared in the Fordham University Class of 1980 Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/537184563628982}

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Some Other Fordham Connections

When she co starred in Drink To Me Only she worked with Screen,

Stage and TV veteran John McGiver (FCRH 1938 B.A. English)

(IMDb.com)

Also interviewed in Behind the Burly Q, was Alan Alda (FCRH Class of 1956). His father, Robert Alda (right), had worked as a burlesque singer and straightman.

(IMDb.com)

End Notes

1.https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2021/01/27/one-way-colleges-can-weather-the-coming-enrollment-squeeze/?sh=657acf016aaf

2.https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4073299-around-30000-prisoners-soon-to-be-eligible-for-free-college-with-pell-grant-expansion/

3.https://www.news10.com/news/ny-news/nys-board-of-regents-changes-definition-of-university/

University of Phoenix being bought by the University of Idaho (estimated price is $550 million). 4.https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2023/05/18/sale-of-university-of-phoenix-nears-after-deal-with-university-of-idaho-550-million/70234256007/

5. Kaplan University bought by Purdue University for $1.00 (share revenue over next 30 years.)

6.https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-04-27-purdue-buys-for-profit-kaplan-university-for-1-to-create-new-kind-of-public-university

7. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000509/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

8. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sherry-britton-100411

9. Hevesi, Dennis (3 April 2008). "Sherry Britton, 89, a S

10. https://www.1923lv.com/what-to-expect-from-a-burlesque-show/

11. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/drink-to-me-only-2696

12. Hevesi, Dennis (3 April 2008). "Sherry Britton, 89, a Star of the Burlesque Stage, Dies". The New York Times.

13. Freeman, William M. (September 10, 1975). "John McGiver, Actor, 62, Dies. Did TV, Film Character Roles" (PDF). New York Times. 14. Gelt, Jessica (6 July 2013). "'Behind the Burly Q' a revealing portrait of burlesque's stars". Los Angeles Times.

#fordhamuniversity #sherry britton #burlesque #Behind the Burly Q #alan alda #tom poston #john mcgiver #george abbott #edward bristow #pell grants #for profit universities #Leslie Zemeckis #robert gross #Robert Alda

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