Summaries

The story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne.

Lars Rockne and his family, including his four year old son Knute, emigrate to Chicago in 1892 from their native Norway. By his mid-twenties Knute saves enough to attend obscure Notre Dame University, where he excels in football and chemistry. He and a teammate develop the forward pass as an offensive weapon while working as life guards on summer break and use it to upset heavily favored Army in a historic game. After graduation Rockne becomes a teacher while coaching part-time but ultimately abandons academics to devote all his energies to football. During his tenure as head coach at the school, he develops such outstanding players as George Gipp, who dies prematurely from a strep infection, and the Four Horseman while introducing many innovative tactics including the backfield shift. Rockne, known for his staccato motivational speeches, devotes his life to maintaining the integrity of the sport he loves and promoting it as an integral component in the development of the American character.—duke1029

Biopic of the famed Notre Dame football coach. Knute immigrated to the United with his parents and after working as a mail sorter for several years, he saved enough money to attend Notre Dame. He was a good student and athlete and did well enough in chemistry to be asked to participate in one of the professor's lab studies for a summer. He and a teammate perfected the forward pass, something that had not often been used in football to that point. Knute accepts a position as an instructor but he's also coaching the football team, which becomes his full-time job. His innovations make Notre Dame one of the premier football powers of the 1920s. Knute Rockne died in a plane crash on March 31, 1931.—garykmcd

May it be noted that Knute Rockne got the idea for The Forward Pass while watching some of the on stage dancers and started diagramming their moves on his cocktail napkin with the customary XXX's like on as chalk board.. That is what made that Evening trip out that night So integral to the story line of the plot.—Nelcha Cross (daughter of Nellie "Colt" Cross)

Details

Keywords
  • national film registry
  • college football
  • priest
  • narration
  • university of notre dame
Genres
  • Drama
  • Family
  • Biography
  • Sport
Release date Oct 4, 1940
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) Approved
Countries of origin United States
Language English
Filming locations University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, USA
Production companies Warner Bros.

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 38m
Color Black and White
Aspect ratio 1.37 : 1

Synopsis

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