Crazylegs
US (1953): Sports/Biography
Republic made this bio of footballer Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch on a shoestring and even has Hirsch playing himself. Nothing much happens in this life except for a skull fracture which effects the All-Star's coordination (the slow and successful healing of which removes any real drama). There is an overly lush and romantic score that it totally out of place here - sounds like it was lifted from another film and dropped here accidentally.
The effective intercutting of lots and lots of newsreel footage depicting Hirsch in his high achievement moments with the film proper earned editor Cotton Warburton an Oscar® nom, but this achievement does not seem of merit to today's viewers. The Los Angeles Rams' "Fighting Song," heard over the credits, is excruciatingly awful. Hirsch does show a great ease with the camera and his "aw shucks" acting style is endearing. He seems to have been a sweet and kind individual, dedicated to a life of athletics. His craggy face and build would put him in the hunk category even by today's standards. This is a crashing bore of a film for general audiences, but I imagine sports fans, and especially football fans, will find much here to enjoy. It is recommended solely to the latter audience. Directed by Francis D. Lyon. (Arne Andersen, IMDb)
1 nomination
· Film Editing 1953: Irvine "Cotton" Warburton