rdoyle29
Small town American star athlete Robert Taylor gets the opportunity to attend Oxford and discovers that his brash American ways do not go over too well with the British. He romances fellow student Maureen O'Sullivan while earning the hostility of her brother until he makes things right with a personal sacrifice. A decent dramatic comedy about cultures clashing whose incredible cast also features Lionel Barrymore, Vivien Leigh and Edmund Gwenn. Remade as "Oxford Blues" in the 80's.
calvinnme
This film is a humorous examination of the differences between American and British college youth just prior to WWII with an American take on the situation. Robert Taylor plays Lee Sheridan, an American who comes to Oxford to study and also to run track and field. He runs into difficulty with everything from the English driving on "the wrong side of the road" to the British valuing tradition and teamwork over rugged individualism. Not helping matters is that Lee is a swaggering over-confident albeit talented braggart by the standards of any nation. To complicate matters, Lee's chief rival on the track team is the brother of a girl (Maureen O'Sullivan) in whom Lee is romantically interested.To make such an "American fish in British waters" film just three years later after the war broke out and the US and England were allies would have been practically a precode in the eyes of the censors, even though cultural differences are always a problem, especially where boisterous youths are involved. It's an enjoyable little film featuring a young Vivien Leigh as she was waiting to become Scarlett O'Hara, and some fine character actor work from Edmund Gwenn as a dean who is still lovable as always even though he is openly contemptuous of Lee whose forward ways leave him shocked and flustered.
judithh-1
"A Yank at Oxford" is one of several films intended to "toughen up" Robert Taylor's image after his success in a number of boudoir romances. Taylor plays Lee Sheridan, a college boy who has been spoiled rotten by his newspaper owner father, played by Lionel Barrymore. Father Sheridan's habit of holding the presses for Lee's latest athletic triumph has only contributed to the boy's swollen head.Despite his lack of academic focus, Taylor is offered a place at Oxford. Upon his arrival, he immediately encounters a group of his fellow students, who begin a campaign to humiliate him. He also meets the leading lady, Maureen O'Sullivan.The rest of the delightful and humorous picture focuses on the relationships among three people: Taylor and O'Sullivan, boyfriend and girlfriend; Taylor and Griffith Jones, his leading tormentor; O'Sullivan and Jones, brother and sister. A nymphomaniac Vivien Leigh adds spice to the mix."A Yank at Oxford" allows Robert Taylor to show that he is not only a fine actor but also a fine athlete. Granted that the script specified that he would always win, Taylor is believable as a runner and as a rower. He can also swim.O'Sullivan is a charming coed torn between her boyfriend and her loyalty to her brother. Jones and Taylor cover up for one other for different peccadilloes. They evolve from antagonists to teammates to friends. A remarkable scene that deserves special mention concerns the venerable English tradition of "debagging." The cast is uniformly good. Taylor looks and acts younger than his twenty-seven years. Jones is one of a fine contingent of British actors including Edmund Gwenn, Robert Coote and Edward Rigby. Lionel Barrymore shines as the older Sheridan. A pre-Scarlett Vivien Leigh is lovely and engaging."A Yank at Oxford" was MGM's first British-made film. Jack Conway, the American director keeps things moving at a brisk pace. Harold Rosson's photography has a newsreel-like immediacy. And Oxford, of course, looks wonderful.
neithernor2000
In 1938, when the Great Depression had ended and a World War was about to begin, it was easy for elitist British college students to make fun of a transplanted American athlete. But the romantic counterpoint to the culture clash works very well thanks to the great chemistry between Robert Taylor and Maureen O'Sullivan. A memorable quote from this enjoyable period piece needs to be acknowledged. In a morning after scene, Robert Taylor says to Maureen O'Sullivan: "Don't wipe the sleep from your eyes. It's a beautiful sleep." The scriptwriter responsible for that line was F. Scott Fitzgerald.
AD
