Ramon Novarro stars in Huddle the story of a steel worker from Gary, Indiana who gets a scholarship from the company because he's considered a bright kid. Novarro was 33 at the time he made Huddle and certainly looked his age. Not fitting in at first, he discovers football.Ramon Novarro is not the first choice of actor to play a jock, But I think MGM padded him up somewhat to make a plausible if not convincing. Ralph Graves does well as the Yale football coach.As do John Arledge and Frank Albertson as Novarro's roommates, Martha Sleeper as the college vamp, and Madge Evans as the rich girl he aspires to.I agree with the other reviewer though a lot of college set films rarely show much academics. The Paper Chase is a glorious exception there, it's all about academics. One thing though, they sing a lot at Yale. Just like the Welsh coal miners in How Green Was My Valley.

After hearing mostly negative comments about this film, I was impressed. It offered an interesting view into the elitist collegiate atmosphere of the time, was frank about relationships, and had another fine performance by Ramon Novarro.Novarro looked more convincing as a student than some of the other players, and yet was thirty-three at the time. He certainly looked more age-appropriate than William Haines in West Point, and Haines was five years Novarro's junior when that film was made. I liked that fact that Novarro's character was made more life-like by conflicting traits as well. He was studious, promiscuous, proud, humble, a "dirty" fighter, and yet devoted to "weak" friends as well. Madge Evans' presence was not appreciably felt in this film, although her close-up during the commencement scene was a true eye-opener for me. Never had I seen her look so beautiful! Also, after seeing Martha Sleeper's "vamp," I'd love to view more films of hers.What interested me greatly was the depiction of college life in the film. How these snobbish upper-crust sorts had, at the same time, a code of honor, and would fill noble places in society is an interesting question. There were times when their treatment of Novarro was revolting, but yet they seemed good fellows at the end--how true in life. I doubt that the same sense of honor and tradition is present at these blue-blood universities today. I agree with the other viewer about the sound recording. It was abominable in some scenes, particularly when one had the already daunting task of penetrating thick Italian accents.A viewer should be pleased by this film. However, the fact that its reach exceeded its grasp should be no surprise when one considers that MGM through second-rate films destroyed the careers of its leading silent actors Gilbert, Haines, Keaton, and yes, Ramon Novarro. If they had really cared (say as much as they cared about Robert Montgomery's films), this film would be more focused.

A young steelworker earns a scholarship to Yale, where he eventually joins the prestigious football team. But will he ever get to HUDDLE with the best player's upper-class sister?Ramon Novarro, MGM's chameleon star of the 1920's & '30's, gives this minor film the old college try, but is ultimately defeated by the plot & story line. His acting is good, as usual, and he even gets to sing a little, but he's simply too old to be playing a university football hero (he turned 33 in 1932).The real difficulty, however, is that the film tries for some degree of social consciousness in its dealing with class struggle, but the framework is just too flimsy for such a weighty, albeit noble, subject. It is difficult to get much solemnity out of a sports film, especially when sprinkled with such ludicrous scenes as Novarro drunk in a public restroom or fist fighting with his coach. The game sequences seem a trifle interminable and MGM didn't help by giving the movie rather cheap production values.One expects action & romance from a Ramon Novarro picture, not a message film, but the Studio was obviously losing interest in its star. Novarro had become a relic from a bygone era, his private life was always a worry to the front office, and by 1935 his career at MGM would be over.Novarro's costars, although rather boisterous, are ultimately defeated by the script as well. Pretty Madge Evans is the girl Novarro pines after for four years. John Arledge plays Novarro's loyal roommate; their scenes together, perhaps unconsciously, tend to be a mite gynandrous. Frank Albertson (an actor who deserved major stardom, but never achieved it) is a college buddy, while Kane Richmond is Novarro's nemesis.Ralph Graves, who was actually a year younger than Novarro, gives a fine performance as Yale's football coach. Una Merkel is a Southern doll with an almost impenetrable accent. Henry Armetta & Ferike Boros add more than a dash of ethnicity as Novarro's Italian-American parents.Finally, Ramon Novarro still remains the principle reason to watch most of his MGM sound films. As a young immigrant, he had persevered over much hardship to become a major silent screen star. Charming & talented, it is a shame that today Novarro is remembered chiefly for the manner of his death rather than his contribution to American movies.

There is no doubt that there is a potentially great film hiding in HUDDLE, but sadly it gets lost somewhere. The movie is a serious attempt to look at the consequences of the class system in a supposedly egalitarian America. RAMON NOVARRO is excellent as the poor son of Italian immigrants struggling to be accepted as a student at Yale. He comes up against the class system at every turn, including his love-life, and he feels he must constantly prove himself to be accepted by his peers. This results in him putting himself in great physical danger in a very well-acted climactic sequence. Novarro was truly a fabulous actor, much under-rated.But the film goes on way too long, and loses its focus. In attempting to include lots of college hi-jinks and comedy sequences, the theme gets lost, and much of the film plays poorly in comparison with the great 1926 silent film BROWN OF HARVARD, which covers similar territory. It's all a bit of a shame given that all the players are terrific and the theme quite radical for its day. For a 1932 film too the sound-recording is quite bad, with the annoying song sequences badly out of sync (did Yale students really sing that much!?).But there are some rather risque sequences, a touch of gay sub-text (involving Ramon's room-mate, played very well indeed by JOHN ARLEDGE - again BROWN OF HARVARD handles this situation much better), lots of male and female youthful beauty to admire (Ramon looks great, and KANE RICHMOND must be one of the best looking men ever filmed), and sufficient action to see you through to the end. If only the script editor, and then the film editor, had been a little more vigilant, this may have turned out to be a really great film. Who was it who said "every film is a missed opportunity"?