Movie review - "Idol of the Crowd" (1937) **1/2

One of several non-Westerns John Wayne at Universal of which Arthur Lubin directed a few like this one. It's brisk, unpretentious and spanks along with an hour's running time - I'm surprised it didn't do better. Wayne is believable as a hockey star even though he wasn't familiar with the sport - he's a chicken farmer who accepts an offer to play for a team to earn money for his farm. There's a dame who turns out to be No Good, a cute kid, some comic relief and third act gangsters who help provide the action. I enjoyed this. You have to take it on its terms. The leading lady was ideal.