At key moments with the Chiefs, I truly felt "owned," and the 1973 season proved to be my last because I was cut at the end of the players' strike during training camp in 1974. by former Dallas Cowboy receiver Pete Gent, came to the silver screen in Baby, Dont Get Hooked on Me reached No. game. in 1979, Every time I call it a business, you call it a game! It did not seem fake. A faithful and intelligent adaptation of the best-selling novel by Peter Gent, a former pass receiver with the Dallas Cowboys, "North Dallas Forty" has the ring of authenticity that usually eludes Hollywood movies about professional athletes. Seth Maxwell, the down-home country quarterback and Phil's dope-smoking buddy, was obviously based on Don Meredith. "On any play you got no points for doing your job, you got a In Reel Life: North Dallas is playing Chicago for the conference championship. However, at the end of the movie (a day or so after the game) when Elliott was talking to Maxwell and told him he quit the team, Elliott told Maxwell "Good luck on Sunday.". "We played far below our potential. Gent, who was often used as a blocker, finished his NFL career with 68 When the Bulls management benches Elliot after manipulating him to help train a fellow teammate, Elliot has to decide whether there is more to life than the game that he loves.CREDITS:TM \u0026 Paramount (1979)Cast: Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Steve Forrest, Grant Kilpatrick, John Matuszak, Nick Nolte, G.D. SpradlinDirector: Ted KotcheffProducers: Frank Baur, Jack B. Bernstein, Frank YablansScreenwriters: Ted Kotcheff, Frank Yablans, Nancy Dowd, Rich EustisWHO ARE WE?The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. own abilities is a continuing theme throughout the film, and there's plenty Staggering into the kitchen, he finally locates a couple of precious painkillers, washing them down with the warm dregs of one of last nights Lone Stars. struggles to the bathtub, in obvious agony. These guys right here, theyre the team. He's walking away. Nick Nolte is North Dallas Bulls pass-catcher Phillip Elliott, whose cynicism and independent spirit is looked upon as troublesome by team coaches Johnson (Charles Durning) and Strothers (G.D. Spradlin) and team owner Conrad Hunter (Steve Forrest). Elliot informs him that he quit, prompting Maxwell to ask if his name came up in the meeting. time I call it a game, you say it's a business. Loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys team of the early 1970s. Gent, who played basketball in Widely hailed as not only one the best American football movies, but one of best sports movies of all time, North Dallas Forty continues to score touchdowns with film audiences and it's winning more fans thanks to its debut Blu-ray release from Imprint Films in Australia, limited to 1500 copies. She's a fictional character who appeared in Gent's second novel, "Texas Celebrity Turkey Trot.". "[13], The film grossed $2,787,489 in its opening weekend. intercepted Meredith's final pass should have been on the other side of the "North Dallas Forty," the movie version of an autobiographical novel written by former Dallas Cowboy receiver Pete Gent, came to the silver screen in 1979. Gent, a rookie in 1964, explains in an Mac Davis lived a vast and varied career in the entertainment field that included performing memorable songs and writing monster hits for Elvis Presley. And I knew that it didn't matter how well I did. Dayle Haddon may also be a little too prim and standoffish to achieve a satisfying romantic chemistry with Nolte: Somehow, the temperaments don't mesh. "[6], The film opened to good reviews, some critics calling it the best film Ted Kotcheff made behind Fun with Dick and Jane and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. MovieQuotes.com 1998-2023 | All rights reserved, More Movies with genre: Drama, Comedy, Sport, directed this movie Much of the strength of this impression can be attributed to Nick NolteUnfortunately, Nolte's character, Phil Elliott, is often fuzzily drawn, which makes the actor's accomplishment all the more impressive. If you prefer the DVD, rent it; the disk is pricey and includes nary an extra beyond English subtitles and scene selection. "North Dallas Forty" and another new release, "Breading Away," seem to have received that salutaruy from of screenwriting in which every crucial conflict is adequately resolved and every conflicting viewpoint is adequately -- and sometimes eloquently -- expressed. just another weapon that we had to do the job that had to be done,' said Landry.". He says, "No shots for me, man, I can't stand He's done. Meredith was one of those players. It was the first football movie in which the games looked like real football (rather than the usual odd mix of newsreel footage from actual games and ineptly staged shots of the actors in "action"). Two shots out of that and Hartman is shot to shit, freaked out. Dispensing with music altogether, the director lets the murmur of locker room conversation slowly build to an almost unbearable intensity, until the Bulls owners misguided attempt at a gung-ho speech breaks the spell. Coming Soon. The coach sits down in front of He was one tough SOB. However, he may have missed his true calling, because one of his scenes was the defining moment of North Dallas Forty, delivering the blunt reality of pro sports. playoff game against the Browns. Bowled Over: Big-Time College Football from the Sixties Is Greta Thunberg the Michael Jordan of getting carried by police? "North Dallas Forty," the movie version of an autobiographical novel written being forced to live in segregated south Dallas, a long drive to the practice But North Dallas Forty holds together as a film despite directorial crudity and possible bewilderment because Nick Nolte has got inside every creaking bone, cracking muscle, and ragged sigh marking Phil . and points to the monitor. Go figure that out. And he can't conform in the frankly opportunistic, hypocritical style perfected and recommended by his sole friend and allyu on the team, the star quarterback Seth Maxwell (played by Mac Davis) who advises: "Hell, we're all whores anyway -- why not be the best?" The endings are more dramatically different. 1979. Drama. I don't like this Easterbrook should be able to find a shot or two of Roberts, though. Terms and Policies The players also live a far more modest existence off the field than their 2019 counterparts: Phils abode has the shabby look and feel of student housing, while fur coats and silver Lincoln Continentals are the closest things to bling that his teammates possess. [16][17], Last edited on 11 November 2022, at 04:50, "North Dallas Forty, Box Office Information", "- Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times", "The Impact And The Darkness: The Lasting Effect Of Peter Gent's North Dallas Forty", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Dallas_Forty&oldid=1121221647, This page was last edited on 11 November 2022, at 04:50. "[11] In his review for The Washington Post, Gary Arnold wrote "Charlotte, who seemed a creature of rhetorical fancy in the novel, still remains a trifle remote and unassimilated. In Reel Life: Elliott wears a T-shirt that says "No Freedom/No Football/NFLPA." To say they come off as extremely unsettling today, especially when Maxwell defends the linemans aggressive sexual harassment as key to maintaining his on-field confidence, would be an understatement. Football always seemed larger than lifethat was the primary source of its appealand football writing always tended toward extremes of melodrama and burlesque rather than the lyrical realism and understated humor of baseball writing. Football fans will likely find it fascinating. On Tuesday, Chapter 2, Phil awakens to the pain and stiffness left over from Sunday's game. I had come to terms with playing football while opposing the war in Vietnam back in college at Notre Dame. Their pregame psych-up rituals are showstoppers. like an Italian fishwife, cursing and imploring the gods to get the lad back on his feet for at least one more play; Landry would be giving instructions to the unfortunate player's substitute.". Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. "The only way I kept up with Landry, I read a lot of I mean, I never saw a guy having so much fun and crying at the same time! Directed by Ted Kotcheff (who would go on to direct such 1980s hits as First Blood and Weekend at Bernies), it was based on the best-selling, semiautographical 1973 novel of the same name by former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Peter Gent. your job. Davis, playing the role of quarterback Seth Maxwell obviously based upon real-life Dallas Cowboys QB Don Meredith was a Hollywood novice. good as he portrayed himself in the book and the movie. Preparing to play in the conference championship game, Phil has the teams trainer give him a big shot of xylocaine in his damaged knee. One begins to see how playing demystifies the game by constantly imposing limits on a player's ability and aspirations. Nikola Joki is your 2023 NBA MVP right? Nick Nolte, the most stirring actor on the American screen last year as the heroically deluded Ray Hicks in "Who'll Stop the Rain," embodies a different kind of soldier-of-fortune in the role of Elliott. The National Football League refused to help in the production of this movie, suggesting it may have been too near the truth for comfort. e-mail interview: "I was shocked that in 1964 America, Dallas could have an You know, that crazy tourist drink that I fix for stewardesses? Neither is a willingness to endure pain. In Real Life: We know that Page 2's TMQ is surfing around right now looking for cheesecake shots of this year's Miss Farm Implements, but he's wasting his time. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter At the climactic moment in the climactic game near the end of the 1979 film North Dallas Forty, Delma Huddle, having reluctantly let the team doctor shoot up his damaged hamstring, starts upfield after catching a pass, then suddenly pulls up lame and gets obliterated by a linebacker moving at full speed. The murderer is Charlotte's ex-boyfriend and football groupie Bob Boudreau (who is also not in the movie); Boudreau has been stalking her throughout the novel. Seeing through the game is not the same as winning the game., People who confuse brains and luck can get in a whole lot of trouble.. buddy buddy stuff interfering with my judgment." The scenes are the same, then, but the reversal of order makes a difference. He's wide open. Players do leave football for other lives, as Gent and Meggyesy and I did. Marathon debates in Montana House and Senate ahead of key deadline KRTV Great Falls, MT; MTN 10 o'clock News with Russ Riesinger 3-1-23 KTVQ Billings, MT ", In Reel Life: Elliott has a meeting the day after the game with Conrad Hunter (Steve Forrest). I'm fidgeting around like a one-legged cat trying to bury shit on a frozen pond * cause it's NFL . It shows the aging and exhausted Phil Elliot (Nick Nolte), passed out in his bed and awoken by a blaring alarm clock. "They literally rated you on a three-point system," writes Gent He cant sleep for more than three hours. After lighting a joint, he gingerly sinks into his bathtub; momentarily brooding over the pass he dropped the night before, he suddenly recalls the catch he made to win the game, and he smiles. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Shaddock. In the novel, Charlotte was a widow whose husband was an Army officer who had been killed in Vietnam; Charlotte had told Phil that her husband had decided to resign his commission, but had been killed in action while the request was being processed. scolds the team for poor play the previous Sunday. "And I did." More Scenes from 1970s. Hollywood had to humanize it, but Gent gave them the material to make it human without sentimentality or macho stoicism, Hollywood's usual ways to handle pain and suffering. Four decades later, its hard to imagine that the league would embrace the film any more warmly today. But in the same way that the hit on Delma Huddle seemed more real than reality, Gent's portrait of the relationship between the owners and the owned exaggerated the actual state of affairs in a clarifying way. was married to Bob Cowsill (of the singing Cowsills), and appeared in the TV the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. of genius, and it isn't until you leave the game that you found out you may have met the greatest men you will ever meet. But Meredith's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Tom Brown, sealing the win for the Packers and a heartbreaking loss for Dallas. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. By Paul Hendrickson. He last charted with Secrets in 1981. Gent's script follows his novel closely, with a slight change at the beginning and a large one at the end, both of them significant. Nolte doesn't dominate "Nolte Dallas Forty." B.A. Amyl is used in other scenes in the movie. Except B.A., who says, "No, Seth, you should never have thrown to Elliott Currently you are able to watch "North Dallas Forty" streaming on Pluto TV for free with ads or buy it as download on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand. "[7] Time magazine's Richard Schickel wrote "'North Dallas Forty' retains enough of the original novel's authenticity to deliver strong, if brutish, entertainment". She's North Dallas Forty isn't subtle or finely tuned, but like a crunching downfield tackle, it leaves its mark. All Rights reserved. with that kind of coverage. Unfortunately, the Cleveland defensive back was in the wrong place. The Barista Express grinds, foams milk, and produces the silkiest espresso at the perfect temperature. Based on a fictional story by a former member of the Dallas Cowboys, the drama presents internal conflicts facing an aging . North Dallas Forty movie clips: http://j.mp/1utgNODBUY THE MOVIE: http://j.mp/J9806XDon't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6prCLIP DESCRIPTION:B.A. It's not as true a picture as it was 10 to 15 years ago, when it was closer to the truth. reams out Coach Johnson: "Every At the close of NORTH DALLAS 40, Phil Elliot was forced off the Dallas team and out of professional football. The opening shot of Ted Kotcheff's North Dallas Forty is a tense and memorable one. series "Playboy After Dark" in 1969 and 1970. The Deep," but now he's capitalized on a classier opportunity. Violent and dehumanizing, pro football in North Dallas Forty reproduces the violence and inhumanity of what Elliott calls "the technomilitary complex that was trying to be America.". Cinemark Even though pot is significantly less harmful than any of the amphetamines and painkillers that he and his teammates regularly scarf to get through the season, its an excuse to get rid of their problem player. Hell, were all whores, anyway. Director Ted Kotcheff The films practice and game sequences still hit hard, however, making you admire and fear for the men who have chosen football as their profession. He "North Dallas Forty" uses pro football as a fascinating, idiosyncratic setting for a traditional moral conflict between Elliott, a cooperative but nonconforming loner and figues of authority who crave total conformity. In Reel Life: Mac Davis plays Seth Maxwell, the Cowboys QB and Elliott's close friend. The owner says, "If we win this game, you're all invited to spend the weekend at my private island in the Caribbean." In Reel Life: As he talks with Elliott in the car during the hunting computers, they become a greater factor in the game-plan equation. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. If a player is contributing and performing the way he ought to, he will usually conform We just can't get along with a player who doesn't conform or perform. A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team "family" is bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches. in "Heroes." The 1979 film "North Dallas Forty" skewered NFL life with the fictional North Dallas Bulls and featured Bo Svenson (left), Mac Davis (center), and John Matuszak. The doctor will look after him. Cartwright contrasted Landry's style with Lombardi's: "When a player was down writhing in agony, the contrast was most apparent: Lombardi would be racing "In the offseason after the '67 season and all during '68 they followed me," he says in "Heroes." Gent shares screenwriting credit with director Ted Kotcheff and producer Frank Yablans, and this admirable distillation makes a few improvements on the novel: including lighter bouts of doping and orgying and the invention of a witty new conclusion to the last game played by the protagonist, flanker Phil Elliott. A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team "family" is bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches.. usually took a couple months for the pain and stiffness to recede," says bears some resemblance to Tom Landry, who coached says he's got the best hands in the league. "They had guys on me for one whole season." ", NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle denied any organized blacklist, but told The Post, "I can't say that some clubs in their own judgment (did not make) decisions based on many factors, including that they did not like the movie. he can't sleep for more than three hours at a stretch because he's in so much pain. North Dallas Forty #1 North Dallas Forty Peter Gent 3.90 1,439 ratings88 reviews This book is a fictional account of eight harrowing days in the life of a professional football player. North Dallas Forty is excessive, melodramatic, and one-sided. English." Every time I say it's a business, you call it a game! A basketball, not football, player from Michigan State, Gent played wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys from 1964 through 1968, then was traded and cut, and started writing a novel. The screenplay was by Kotcheff, Gent, Frank Yablans, and Nancy Dowd (uncredited). The book had received much. Half the time, he . Comedy, The conflict in values never becomes one-sided or simple-minded. In Real Life: The use of the term "John Henry" to refer to this If anything, the towering, madcap Matuszak is the commanding physical presence. B.A., Emmett Hunter (Dabney Coleman), and "Ray March, of the League's internal investigation division," are also there. In Real Life: Gent really grew to despise Cowboys management. Smoking grass? North Dallas Forty (1979) Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. It's an astonishing scene, absolutely stunning, the most violent tackle ever shown in a football film, and it has not been surpassed. older, the pain took longer and longer to recede after the season.". By David Jones |. treated alike," Landry told Cartwright in 1973. But in recent years, the NFLs heated, repeated denials of responsibility for brain trauma injuries suffered by its players not to mention its apparent blackballing of Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid for taking a knee during the national anthem to protest systemic racism and police brutality hardly point to an evolved sense of respect for the men who play its game. In Real Life: Many of Gent's teammates have said he wasn't nearly as Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise. Suddenly, Jo Bob and O. W. burst in with shotguns blazing, and the novel's opening scenes proceed to play out. A man in a car spies on them. Privacy Policy Much of North Dallas Forty revolved around the characters portrayed by Mac Davis and Nick Nolte, a fun-loving quarterback and a worn-out receiver, respectively. She Profanely funny, wised-up and heroically antiheroic, "North Dallas Forty" is unlikely to please anyone with a vested interest in glorifying the National Football League. Presumably to Charlotte and a new life. They just depreciate us and take us off the goddamn tax returns!. When the coach starts to lay the blame on Davis, Matuszak intervenes with a rant punctuated by salty language so brilliant that it feels as though he was speaking from experience rather than reciting a script. "That is how you get a broken neck and fractures of the spine, a broken leg and dislocated ankle, and a half-dozen broken noses." In Real Life: "In Texas, they all drank when they hunted," says Gent NEW! Similarly, we're allowed to accumulate contradictory impressions about the pro football fraternity. wasn't that Landry was wrong; Cleveland just wasn't right.". An explosive physical presence as Hicks, Nolte has let his body go a little slack and flabby to portray Elliott, a young man with a prematurely aged, crippled body. A satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team family are bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches.A satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team family are bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches.A satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team family are bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches. The site's critical consensus states: "Muddled overall, but perceptive and brutally realistic, North Dallas Forty also benefits from strong performances by Nick Nolte and Charles Durning. In Real Life: Landry stressed disciplined play, but sometimes punished