Navy Blue and Gold is a 1937 sports comedy-drama film directed by Sam Wood. The film stars Robert Young, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, and Tom Brown. Navy Blue and Gold is based on George Bruce’s 1936 novel of the same name.
Director: Sam Wood
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast: Robert Young, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Florence Rice, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Samuel S. Hines
US Box Office: $2,210,000 ($88,100,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Sports, Comedy, Drama
Release Date: November 19, 1937
Plot Summary: College football star Roger Ash (Robert Young), sailor “Truck” Cross (James Stewart), and wealthy young Dick Gates (Tom Brown) are all accepted to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and become roommates. The three bond over their shared love of football and all join the Naval Academy’s football team. Roger and Truck both have romantic feelings for Dick’s sister Patricia Gates (Florence Rice). Trouble starts brewing for the football team when Roger is sidelined for his arrogance and Truck is threatened with expulsion from the academy once details about his past are revealed.
Production: In early 1937 MGM producer Sam Zimbalist began working on a film adaptation of George Bruce’s novel Navy Blue and Gold. The novel was about a group of three football players attending the Naval Academy. Bruce was hired by MGM to write the screenplay for the Navy Blue and Gold film based on his original novel. Sam Wood, who had a contract with MGM at the time, was chosen to direct Navy Blue and Gold. Wood had recently directed the Marx Brothers in two comedy films: A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937). Wood also recently directed the dramas Whipsaw (1935) and The Unguarded Hour (1936).
MGM originally wanted to cast George Murphy in the role of Naval Academy midshipman Roger Ash. Murphy was later replaced with Robert Young. Young was one of MGM’s B-list contract stars at the time, though he was sometimes loaned to other studios, for example he recently had a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Secret Agent (1936), which was produced by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. Young also recently starred in the comedy film Dangerous Number (1937) and the mystery The Longest Night (1936). James Stewart was cast as midshipman “Truck” Cross. Stewart’s film career only began in 1934 and like Young he was also an MGM contract star at the time. Stewart recently starred in the B-list action drama Speed (1936) and had a supporting role in the A-list mystery comedy After the Thin Man (1936).
Director Sam Wood began filming Navy Blue and Gold in September of 1937. The exterior scenes set at the Naval Academy were filmed on location at the real United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was used to represent the three football stadiums featured in Navy Blue and Gold: the Southern Institute stadium at the beginning of the film, the Naval Academy stadium, and the Army-Navy game stadium. Archive footage of crowds at the 1936 Army-Navy game was used in the Army-Navy game scene. Interior scenes were shot on set at MGM Studios.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Navy Blue and Gold was the second of five films to feature Lionel Barrymore (Captain “Skinny” Dawes) and James Stewart together. The other films are: The Gorgeous Hussey (1936), You Can’t Take It with You (1938), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), and Malaya (1949). It is also worth noting that archive footage of Stewart and Barrymore from different films was included in Cecil B. DeMille’s historical documentary Land of Liberty (1939). Land of Liberty was a documentary about American history created by editing scenes from various historical drama films together and narrating over the scenes to tell the story of the United States.
The Marine Second Lieutenant was played by actor Dennis Morgan, who was credited under his real name Stanley Morner. Morgan later became a leading man and starred in a number of movies including the war film God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), the comedy Christmas in Connecticut (1945), and the musical My Irish Rose (1947). Alyce Gates was played by actress Billie Burke. Burke had been a stage actress and a silent film star and is best known to modern audiences for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Reception: Navy Blue and Gold was released in the United States on November 17, 1937. Although by no means a massive box office hit, Navy Blue and Gold was a minor success for MGM and it earned a modest profit. The following year Jimmy Stewart starred in Frank Capra’s comedy film You Can’t Take It with You. That film served as Stewart’s breakout role and turned him into a popular leading man.
Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times gave Navy Blue and Gold a positive review. Nugent had strong praise for Stewart’s performance and also approved of Young, Brown, and Barrymore. He also applauded Navy Blue and Gold for its positive portrayal of Navy values and described the film as “one of the more agreeable entertainments the screen has provided this season.” The magazine Photoplay ranked Navy Blue and Gold as one of the best films of the month in January 1938. Photoplay also considered the performances of Stewart, Young, and Brown as being among the best of the month.
Why You Should See It: Navy Blue and Gold is an enjoyable and entertaining sports film. Sam Wood did a great job balancing the comedy and drama in the film. He was able to add plenty of humor to the film, without lessening the impact of the dramatic moments. Jimmy Stewart, Robert Young, and Lionel Barrymore all give good performances. The Army-Navy football game in Navy Blue and Gold was exciting and well choreographed. The film also has a positive message and skillfully extols noble Navy values.