Customer Reviews

Trouble Along the Way

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie features John Wayne not as a cowboy but as a football coach. It is not one of his most famous ones probably because it is not the genre of what most fans think of when they think of John Wayne, comedy. It is a good movie though. When I first watched it I was amazed. Everyone (from Wayne to the actress that plays his daughter) does an excellent job. John Wayne's first role was in a silent in which he played a football player, and he also played football at USC for a couple of years with Ward Bond. So it is a subject he knows well. Overall, it gives light to a new side of the Duke, the comical side (which isn't bad). It isn't one of the best, I grant you, but it is great because it shows Duke's acting talents with a great script and cast.

"Trouble Along the Way," is one of my favorite "little" movies -- films I loved growing up in the 1950s, often for quite personal reasons, ranging from Tony Curtis in "The Great Imposter," to this gem.

Sherry Jackson, who plays Football coach Wayne's precocious daughter, also starred in the Danny Thomas show on TV and all grown up as one sexy android on Star Trek. She turned out so beautiful that I don't think she got as much of a chance to act as one might have wished. She's wonderful in this and I get a crush on her in a paternal sort of way everytime I watch it, and I can't say the same about that Star Trek role, ah hem.

Donna Reed as Wayne's love interest never looked more beautiful nor exuded more charm with the possible exception of her turn in "It's a Wonderful Life."

Charles Colburn as the old priest at suffering St. Anthony's is utterly convincing and entertaining every second he's on screen.

When I first saw this in the 50s, I liked Wayne in it very much because my father looked a bit like him, probably more in my imagination than reality. Still, as another reviewer notes, this film holds up remarkably well and I still enjoy it every time I see it.

I won't bore you with story details as this film has already been reviewed. Being in my mid-50's I have seen everything the Duke has done and this wonderful, light romantic comedy has been a favorite of mine for years. A divorced father raising a daughter on his own...it went against the Hollywood stereotypical ideal of family. I continue to watch this film on my off-air copy. I only wish it would come out on DVD. Let's face it, if Wayne's early Lone Star westerns can get the DVD treatment, surely this little gem deserves the same. If you've never seen "Trouble Along the Way", sit and enjoy!

This film is still ahead of it's time,today.What a surprise it was for me one day,long ago,to sit down in front of this movie and find myself enjoying it as much as I did,and still do.A quiet masterpiece,I must agree with a previous reviewer who mentioned how mature the approach is here.If you love The Duke and haven't seen this film,do it now.You'll enjoy yourself so much.It works on so many levels,this movie is one of those for which the phrase-"They don't make 'em like they used to..." applies so well.Understated,intelligent,good-humored and sweet,all at the same time.A Classic waiting for Time to discover it.

I thought this was a very good movie. It was different having John Wayne as a football coach instead of a cowboy. I reccomend this movie to people who like John Wayne movies, and to people who like older movies.The reason why I watch these movies is because my family likes them so I watch them to.

Trouble Along The Way

The Movie
A story about saint andrews church. From the very begining its clear the plot is that st andrews church needs money and teh duke is the man they think can provide. He plays Steve a former football coach who was thrown out for being dishonest. He also has a daughter who he is raising.Along comes Donna Reed as a social worker and the plot thickens.

The Video
it doesn't have the DisneyTreatment but is watchable on my 42 inch plasma. It has mments of grain and goes out of focus in some frames but its brief and barely a distraction.it is presented in. It is in Black & White and is full frame.

The Audio
It is mono 1,0 nothing that is going to rattle the walls but it works for this movie.

The Extras
So You Think You Can't Think Sleep.
A charming story of a man who can't sleep its runs about 15 minutes and is very looney tunes. I enjoyed it not sure i watch it again but was entertaining once.

Muscle Tusle
A Merrie melodies cartoon with daffy duck
Its the one wher a muscle bound duck keeps stealing daffy's gall and he tries to beef up to compete. Most viewers have seen this one many times

Theatrilce Trailer
Like most older trainlers it doesn't really tell you what the movie is about. It is not restored it looks very bad with the white blips but it is a piece of the duke

My Opinion
It turns out to be one of the more enjoyable non cowboy pictures of the duke. I bought this in the six disc set. For those who have seen it is worth a new viewing for those who havn't its a worth while effort.

A warmhearted comedy-drama starring John Wayne? He's had a few of these, including one of my favorite John Wayne films ever, THE QUIET MAN. The Duke didn't just do westerns and cop and war flicks. He's a better actor and had more dimensions than people assume. He's so effective and natural in pictures like TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY that I wish he'd done more of it.

John Wayne plays Steve Williams, a disgraced former football coach currently making do by hustling for pool hall money and being an oddsmaker. A single parent, Steve is raising his perceptive eleven-year-old daughter Carol, and even though they're struggling, life is still good for these two. But then the icy Ms. Alice Singleton (Donna Reed), a Children's Court officer, knocks on his door. To get back at him, Steve's spiteful ex-wife is fighting for custody of Carol. Steve comments on how nice Ms. Singleton's legs are, and this doesn't help his cause.

To sway Ms. Singleton to his side by demonstrating more stability in his life, Steve accepts an offer to coach football for tiny St. Anthony College, a Catholic university in New York. St. Anthony's is deep in hock for over $170,000 (at which the college's rector, Father Burke, ruefully remarks: "When I take a vow of poverty I go all the way."). The college is doomed to get shut down in six months, and the desperate hope is that the football program will garner ample gate revenue to cover the debt. An incredulous Steve exclaims: "Why, with the material you have at St. Anthony's, you couldn't whip Vassar at tiddlywinks." But the faculty gives him carte blanche in how he goes about establishing his program, and the college shouldn't have done this. Steve is an effective coach but he'd been fired from his several major college coaching gigs for his... er, let's call it "noncomformity" instead of "questionable methods." What do you expect from a guy whose motto is "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."? There are grave repercussions to what Steve does for St. Anthony's College.

TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY is one of John Wayne's frequently overlooked pictures, and it's maybe because there aren't horses or combat zones or cops and robbers in this one. But you'll be missing out if you miss out on this one. John Wayne demonstrates his range as an actor; I think he's superb as the cynical coach and loving father, infusing Steve Williams with a layered complexity. Steve gets up to his shady old tricks, but Wayne keeps him an appealing character. It doesn't hurt that Michael Curtiz is directing or that his supporting cast is so good.

Donna Reed's role is a far cry from what she did on her television show or from the obliging wife in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Alice Singleton, prim and distant and feisty, coolly marches up to John Wayne, and it's an inevitable clash of wills. Charles Coburn, one of the fantastic character actors of his time, is wonderful as the benevolent Father Burke. For fans of THE RIFLEMAN television series, Chuck Connors has a bit part.

The best moments of this movie, no question about it, belong to whenever John Wayne and the young and very good Sherry Jackson (who plays his daughter) share a scene. These two actors have great chemistry together. The dialogue between them isn't sappy and is often funny, and it's because Ms. Jackson gets plenty of chances to fire back with some put-down one-liner. John Wayne always did play the straight man part well. So the heart of this film revolves around their father-daughter relationship, and I do like that the screenwriter doesn't ultimately make it out to be this perfect thing. One character eventually thoughtfully raises an issue: Carol as a tomboy may now look up to her father, but what happens as she grows older and still without the benefits of a mother's presence? This hits Steve right between the eyes.

This is a warm and sentimental family drama, with some sports stuff thrown in and just a whiff of GOING MY WAY. It does have its share of surprises. For one thing, it's refreshing that the story doesn't get wrapped in a neat little bow. The final frame surfaces with things still unresolved, even if the general tone suggests that it'll all probably turn out okay. Give this one a try, even if it's not the usual John Wayne picture. If it makes you feel any better, he does get to slug a guy thru glass.

The DVD's bonus features offer the vintage Joe McDoakes comedy short "So You Think You Can't Sleep"; the classic cartoon "Muscle Tussle" featuring Daffy Duck on the beach versus a muscly duck for the attentions of a winsome female duck; and the theatrical trailer for TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY.

Football Coach John Wayne and College Rector Charles Coburn combine in an underrated, light comedy which defines liberal arts under religious auspices. The values of both men are profound; the flaws, transient. Purpose transcends both plot and budget as the heroes struggle for ideals, make mistakes, and begin again. Their stories reflect the human condition of all who strive maturely. You can define life by people like this. There is response to grace in them. And its warming fire reaches out finally to all who perceive. Definitely worth seeing!

I had not seen this John Wayne movie before ordering it but like John
Wayne. It was a good story. Movie is black & white.

Of all John Wanes movies this is one of my favorite. Not only does it have John Wayne but Donna Reed now what could you ask for. I love this movie so much I watch it often & each time it gets better. So many GOOD actors in it & such a great love story. Fact is my copy is getting bad & I'm going to have to get another one myself.
I can not say enough how great this movie is.