Local Boy Makes Good (1931): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1931, Local Boy Makes Good is a comedy, romance and music film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, running about 68 minutes. “Napoleon of nonsense, Gulliver of glee, hijacker of the blues, king of komics, he-man of hilarity, foremost funster of them all.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. John is a timid student who works at the University Book Store. He is studying to be a botanist and has a secret crush on the lovely Julia. One day, one of his letters gets accidentally mailed and Julia receives it. When the letter says that he is a fraternity man and a big track star, Julia rushes right over to see him. But John is neither and Spike, Julia's boyfriend, is a track star at a nearby College. John does not want to enter the track meet so Julia tries to use psychology on him. That and a good wrestling hold makes John timidly agree to enter the race, but Spike still scares him.

Who’s in it. Local Boy Makes Good stars Joe E. Brown as John Augustus Miller, Dorothy Lee as Julia Winters, Ruth Hall as Marjorie Blake and Edward Woods as Spike Hoyt, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Local Boy Makes Good has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Local Boy Makes Good page.

If you liked it. Fans of Local Boy Makes Good tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.