Howard Hawks directed Crowd Roars a pre-Code film, starring James Cagney and featuring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Eric Linden, Guy Kibbee, and Frank McHugh
_trailer_2.jpg)
Photo: James Cagney, Ann Dvorak, Joan Blondell
Motor racing champion Joe Greer (James Cagney) returns home to compete in an exhibition race featuring his younger brother Eddie, who has aspirations of becoming a champion.
Joe’s misogynistic obsession with “protecting” Eddie (Eric Linden) from women causes Joe to interfere with Eddie’s relationship with Anne (Joan Blondell), leading to estrangement between Joe and Eddie, and between Joe and longtime girlfriend Lee (Ann Dvorak), who is made to feel “not good enough” to be around Eddie.
This film was remade in 1939 as Indianapolis Speedway with Pat O’Brien in Cagney’s role, Ann Sheridan in Blondell’s role, and McHugh in the same role he played in the original.
(A film of the same name was made in 1938 with a different story, starring Robert Taylor).
Credits:
Directed by Howard Hawks
Screenplay by John Bright, Niven Busch, Kubec Glasmon
Seton I. Miller, Story by Howard Hawks
Cinematography: Sidney Hickox, John Stumar
Edited by Thomas Pratt
Music by Bernhard Kaun
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date: April 16, 1932 (U.S.)
Running time: 85 minutes
Budget: $265,000
Box office: $769,000
