Hooray for old, leather helmet football movies. The passage of time has helped this one as entertainment for 21st century old movie fans. I would like to give it a 7 rating. Johnny Mack Brown, a football player acting the part of a football player and Dorothy Jordan playing the role of a loyal co-ed in love are a plus but a 7 rating is too high due to the promenance of a drunkard reporter and novice sports broadcaster. Even Charlie Ruggles is not enough to make that character viable or entertaining (check out the bullet holes in the racoon coat). The 6.5 rating is offered to 21st century old movie fans, instead of a 6, due to the absence of an actress and singer who is not even accorded an "uncredited" status. 21st century old movie fans will perhaps enjoy guessing if that singer and actress is Ruth Etting.
Those who are not familiar with Ruth Etting will find plenty of information available on line. In addition to much more, she appeared in a long series of movie shorts between 1929 and 1936. The movie being rated is from 1932. The viewer may want to take a brief look at her on line in cyber space singing while Eddie Lang plays the guitar in another 1932 movie called A Regular Trouper). There she sings a song called "Without That Man". It was more commonly known as "Without That Gal". In 70,000 Witnesses there is again a change of gender in the lyrics to suit the putative Ruth Etting when she is singing a brief bit of "Don't Tell Him What Happened to Me". Ruth Etting recorded that tune in 1930. It is commonly known at "Don't Tell Her What Happened to Me".
Later in the movie, after the demise of Johnny Mack Brown before 70,000 football fans, the movie goes on to other scenes. One of those involves a character, a criminal bookie, whose name is Slip Buchanan. He is back from the big game and relaxing at home. Is the character who he is shown with Slip buchanan then played by Ruth Etting? She wonders why he did not take her because she likes football. He says he had business to do. She replies that sometimes mixing pleasure with business is "awful nice honey". When a visitor wants to come in the door, she says that perhaps she had better get dressed.
I hope that the reader of this evaluation will enjoy making up his or her own mind about whether it was Ruth Etting appearing in the 1932 movie and agree that 70,000 witnesses deserves a boost for 6. To 6.5.
Those who are not familiar with Ruth Etting will find plenty of information available on line. In addition to much more, she appeared in a long series of movie shorts between 1929 and 1936. The movie being rated is from 1932. The viewer may want to take a brief look at her on line in cyber space singing while Eddie Lang plays the guitar in another 1932 movie called A Regular Trouper). There she sings a song called "Without That Man". It was more commonly known as "Without That Gal". In 70,000 Witnesses there is again a change of gender in the lyrics to suit the putative Ruth Etting when she is singing a brief bit of "Don't Tell Him What Happened to Me". Ruth Etting recorded that tune in 1930. It is commonly known at "Don't Tell Her What Happened to Me".
Later in the movie, after the demise of Johnny Mack Brown before 70,000 football fans, the movie goes on to other scenes. One of those involves a character, a criminal bookie, whose name is Slip Buchanan. He is back from the big game and relaxing at home. Is the character who he is shown with Slip buchanan then played by Ruth Etting? She wonders why he did not take her because she likes football. He says he had business to do. She replies that sometimes mixing pleasure with business is "awful nice honey". When a visitor wants to come in the door, she says that perhaps she had better get dressed.
I hope that the reader of this evaluation will enjoy making up his or her own mind about whether it was Ruth Etting appearing in the 1932 movie and agree that 70,000 witnesses deserves a boost for 6. To 6.5.
