last drive of the game the Cowboys got to the Packers' 2-yard line with 28 seconds left. The book had received much. CAPTION: Picture, Nick Nolte in "North Dallas Forty". NEW! How close was the ruthlessly self-righteous head coach to Tom Landry? Davis, playing the role of quarterback Seth Maxwell obviously based upon real-life Dallas Cowboys QB Don Meredith was a Hollywood novice. Were calling the series Revisiting Hours consider this Rolling Stones unofficial film club. As the Cowboys' organization learned more about Four decades later, its hard to imagine that the league would embrace the film any more warmly today. Hell, were all whores, anyway. 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.". Genres SportsFictionFootballNovelsHumorUnited StatesMedia Tie In .more 338 pages, Paperback First published January 1, 1973 Book details & editions reams out Coach Johnson: "Every He didn't make All-Pro. 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"). Gent exaggerated pro football's dark side by compressing a season's or career's worth of darkness into eight days in the life of his hero, Phil Elliott. Released in August 1979, just in time for the NFL pre-season, North Dallas Forty was a late entry in the long list of Seventies films pitting an alienated antihero against the unyielding monolith of The Man. in "Heroes." I lived a double life, half of the year a bearded graduate student at Stanford, the other half a clean-shaven member of the Kansas City Chiefs. In Real Life: Clint Murchison, Jr., the team's owner, owned a computer Elliott's high regard of his Nick Nolte is excellent as the gruff and rough guy with lots of problems on and off the football field. 1 hr 59 min. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Seth happens to have a football, and he tosses one last pass to his buddy Phil, who lets it hit his chest and fall to the pavement. Later, though, the peer pressure gets to Huddle, and he takes a shot so he can play with a pulled hamstring. I kept asking why the white players put up with their black teammates his back. Comedy, The movie was based on a book by the same name, written by Peter Gent (he collaborated on the screenplay). If they want to trade him to the Canadian Football League, as they keep threatening to do, theres really nothing he can do about it. Unsurprisingly, the league refused to have anything to do with a film that took such a pro-labor stance, and which portrayed the organization as treating its players as little more than cannon fodder. He last charted with Secrets in 1981. August 3, 1979. North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - It's a Sport Not a Business, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Breakfast of Champions, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Pre-Game Final Words, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - A Quarterback Sandwich, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - You the Best, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Boy Meets Boy, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Final Play of the Game, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Serious Training, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Ice Bath & Beers, North Dallas Forty: Official Clip - Full-Speed Scrimmage. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! The Bulls industrialist owner likes to speak of his team as a family, but Phil is beginning to understand that hes really just a piece of meat on the field and a series of numbers on his head coachs computer. "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. Coach Strothers is an eloquent spokesman for the authoritarian way, and thanks to Spradlin, we can feel the emotional need behind his pursuit of perfect execution and obedience. own abilities is a continuing theme throughout the film, and there's plenty In fact, Boeke played another season for the Cowboys before being In Real Life: The use of the term "John Henry" to refer to this Published in 1973, North Dallas Forty was a fictional contribution to the radical critique of pro football memoirs being written by Dave Meggyesy, Bernie Parrish, Johnny Sample, and Chip. In Real Life: Gent says he was followed throughout the 1967 and 1968 Gent, a rookie in 1964, explains in an 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. Copyright Fandango. Elliot informs him that he quit, prompting Maxwell to ask if his name came up in the meeting. Unfortunately, the Cleveland defensive back was in the wrong place. The depictions of drug use and casual attitudes about sex were still semi-taboo in the film industry at the time, but Gent wrote the 1973 book from experience as a former Dallas Cowboys player with 68 receptions from 1964-68. Or as Elliott says, "The meanest and the biggest make all the rules. awry. coach called that play on the sideline or if Maxwell called it in the huddle. being forced to live in segregated south Dallas, a long drive to the practice But happily every other important element of the story plays with a zest, cohenrence and impact that might turn Coach Strothers green with envy. In Reel Life: Elliott, in bed with Joanne Rodney (Savannah Smith), Besides, he tells one of his girlfriends, its the only thing I know how to do good., The only guy on the Bulls that Phil can talk to about his misgivings is Seth Maxwell, the teams charismatic starting quarterback. They got your feet at one end, and your pussy at the other, and I wanna fuck you.. The novel is more about out-of-control American violence. He feels physically valnerable and takes pains to protect his aching bones and tender flesh. Suddenly, Jo Bob and O. W. burst in with shotguns blazing, and the novel's opening scenes proceed to play out. course of a high school, college and pro career, an athlete is exposed to all These guys right here, theyre the team. It felt more real than the reality I knew. A TD and extra point would have sent the game into OT. ", In Reel Life: In the last minute of the game, Delma pulls a muscle and goes down. "We were playing in the In Real Life: This happened to Boeke, a former Cowboys lineman, who There are no featured audience reviews for North Dallas Forty at this time. 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). "If I had known Gent "I have always felt that it [the loss] was partly my fault. In Real Life: Many players said drug use in the film was exaggerated, or peculiar to Gent. ability to catch the ball. In one of the great openings in American film, a very unathletic-looking and physically vulnerable Nick Nolte awakens, groaning, on Monday morning, and stumbles to the bathroom where he pulls some clotted material from his nose and slowly inventories the damage to his limbs and joints. Baby, Dont Get Hooked on Me reached No. 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. Just confirm how you got your ticket. in 1979, Every time I call it a business, you call it a game! yells, "Elliott, get back in the huddle! You're almost there! North Dallas Forty Scene Final Play Scene Vote. It's still not the honest portrait of professional athletics that sport buffs have been waiting for. the Cowboys quarterback's life would become more and more topsy-turvy as the And a good score in a game was 17 And they would read your scores out in front of everybody else. career." We may earn a commission from links on this page. I have always suspected Lee Roy (Jordan) as the snitch who informed the Cowboys and the league that I was 'selling' drugs (because), as he says so often in the press, 'Pete Gent was a bad influence on the team.' The characters weren't "real," but collectively they conveyed the brutality, racism, sexism, drug abuse, and callousness that were part of professional footballjust a part, but the part that the public rarely saw and preferred not to acknowledge at all. "That story in 'North Dallas Forty' of being in a duck blind and great skills and his nerve on the field during a period of time in the NFL seasons (more about this later): "One time a neighbor told me, 'Pete, now Smoking grass? The National Football League refused to help in the production of this movie, suggesting it may have been too near the truth for comfort. The psychotic outbursts Nolte dispayed as Hicks are now characteristics of Elliott's bigger, tougher, crazier teammates, notably the Brobdignagian offensive guards Jo Bob Priddy and O.W. Meredith led a quick Dallas drive for one TD, and on the The essentially serious nature of the story seems to enhance the abundant, vulgar locker room humor. The movie is more about the pain and damage that players like Phil Elliott endure in order to play football. This weeks special, Super-Bowl-weekend edition: Dan Epstein on the football-movie classic North Dallas Forty. (In an earlier scene, Phil is seen wearing a t-shirt that reads No Freedom/No Football, which was the rallying cry of the NFL Players Association during their walkout.) Football fans will likely find it fascinating. 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. So, did that mean that Meredith was a dope-head? In the scene, Matuszak gets into an argument in the locker room with a coach following a loss. North Dallas Forty (1979) Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. bears some resemblance to Tom Landry, who coached Single-bar helmet face masks abound; poorly-maintained grass fields that turn into hellish mud pits at the first sign of rain; and defensive players have to wrap at least one hand around the quarterbacks throat before the referee will even consider throwing a roughing the passer flag. More Scenes from 1970s. Our punting team gave them 4.5 yards per kick, more than our reasonable goal and 9.9 yards more than outstanding ", In Real Life: Landry rated players in a similar fashion to what's A winner all around. While there's never been a better fictional film about pro football, league officials and franchise owners are more or less duty-bound to regard it as offensive and possibly a threat to national security. Released in August 1979, just in time for the NFL pre-season, North Dallas Forty was a late entry in the long list of Seventies films pitting an alienated antihero against the unyielding monolith . But the Texas natives greatest contribution to music may have been his collaborations with the legendary Elvis Presley. The movie is a milestone in the history of football films. "Gent would become Meredith's primary confidant and amateur psychologist as He was one tough SOB. Writing a quintessential 1960s novel, Gent shared the apocalyptic vision of writers such as Vonnegut, DeLillo, Pynchon, and Mailer. "Were they too predictable Strother to Tom Landry, and Elliott to Gent. When the coach starts to lay the blame on Davis, Matuszak intervenes . 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. Elliott's attitude is unacceptable: He hasn't internalized the coach's value system and he can't pretend he has. In the late-1970s, Phil Elliott plays wide receiver for the North Dallas Bulls professional football team, based in Dallas, Texas, which closely resembles the Dallas Cowboys.[3][4]. Charlotte, who seemed a creature of rhetorical fancy in the novel, still remains a trifle remote and unassimilated. In the scene, Matuszak gets into an argument in the locker room with a coach following a loss. By contrast, in the movie version of "Semi-Tough" the same kind of jokes seemed cute and affecred. But Gent had larger aims. At the close of NORTH DALLAS 40, Phil Elliot was forced off the Dallas team and out of professional football. 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.. a computer, scrolling through screen after screen of information. Best of 2022 Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. In Reel Life: During a meeting, the team watches film of the previous Sunday's In Real Life: "I've come to the conclusion that players want to be Football fans will likely find it fascinating. "When I was younger, the pain reached that level during the season and it 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. Please reference Error Code 2121 when contacting customer service. (Nanci Roberts, credited as "Bunny Girl") is lined up for Jo Bob. Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Jurassic Park Movies Ranked By Tomatometer, The Most Anticipated TV & Streaming Shows of March 2023, Pokmon Detective Pikachu Sequel Finds Its Writer and Director, and More Movie News. North Dallas Forty isn't subtle or finely tuned, but like a crunching downfield tackle, it leaves its mark. Maybe its time to just walk away, build a ranch and raise some horses, but the thrill of competition keeps bringing him back. 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. "North Dallas Forty," the movie version of an autobiographical novel written We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. North Dallas Forty was to football what Jim Bouton's Ball Four was to baseball, showing the unseemly side of sports that the people in charge never wanted fans to know about. ", "Maybe Ralph can't remember," Gent responds in his e-mail interview. thinking of Boeke when he wrote this scene. Gent on the Cowboys. For a movie revolving around the sport of pro football, North Dallas Forty didnt have much in the way of on-the-field footage along the lines of Any Given Sunday. Revisiting Hours: How 'Walk Hard' Almost Destroyed the Musical Biopic. It But he was surrounded by Nick Nolte, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, and noted NFL wildman John Matuszak. there was anything wrong with them. His teammates include savvy quarterback Maxwell (Mac Davis) and lunk-headed defensive lineman Jo Bob Priddy (Bo Svenson), who deal with the impersonality and back-biting of the game through off-field diversions. No way. On Tuesday, Chapter 2, Phil awakens to the pain and stiffness left over from Sunday's game. time I call it a game, you say it's a business. He's done. North Dallas Forty is something of a period piece in other ways, too. North Dallas -- which was one of the reasons I titled the book 'North Dallas scolds the team for poor play the previous Sunday. been credited against Landry's disciplined system of play," writes Gary Cartwright, who covered the Cowboys during the 1960s. In Real Life: Elliott is, obviously, a fictional version of Gent. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and based on the best-selling 1973 novel by Peter Gent. Of the story, Meredith said, "If I'd known Gent was as good as he says he was, I would have thrown to him more. In Reel Life: Elliott catches a pass, and is tackled hard, falling on Two shots out of that and Hartman is shot to shit, freaked out. Better football through chemistry, he cracks through gritted teeth, while the teams assistant coach (a Maalox-chugging Charles Durning) uses Phils example to manipulate the needle-shy Delma Huddle (former WFL star Tommy Reamon) into taking a similar shot for his strained hamstring. field. Elliott's skill as a receiver is readily acknowledged by his coach, B.A Strothers (G.D.) Spradlin, exceptional as the martinet basketball coach in "One on One," contrives to make this gridiron Draco a fresh impression of the same type). 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Nolte looks at Matuszak in amazement and says, simply, Far out.. as it seemed. hands in the league," says Gent. psychology -- abnormal psychology," says Gent in "Heroes. years went on,' writes Peter Golenbock in the oral history, "Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. e-mail interview: "I was shocked that in 1964 America, Dallas could have an Maxwell prompts Elliot to turn around and throws a football to him, but Elliot lets it hit him in the chest and fall incomplete as he shrugs and throws his arms into the air, signifying that he truly is done with the game. players when, even though they followed his precise instructions, a play went with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more. In Reel Life: At a wild postgame party later that night, a date [14][1] The following weekend saw the weekend gross increase to $2,906,268. (1979) Ted Kotcheff directed this movie in 1979 Title North Dallas Forty Year 1979 Director Ted Kotcheff Genre Drama, Comedy, Sport Interpreted by Nick Nolte Charles Durning Bo Svenson Plot - After being one of the best players of the 'North Dallas Bulls' football team, Phillip Elliot finds himself on the bench watching his companions' victories. Coming Soon. Which is why North Dallas Forty still resonates today. your job. "On any play you got no points for doing your job, you got a 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. 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