While many people believe that baseball is America's favorite sport, there is growing sentiment in favor of football. Maybe it has something to do with the cultural changes that have taken place in the past few decades. Baseball is a more leisurely, pastoral, individually-oriented sport, while football is a tough, fast, urban team game. And most of the players aren't quite as well-paid as baseball and basketball players. Whatever the case, football is more popular than ever, and has been a factor in more than one Hollywood film, dating back to the silent era. Here are some of the more interesting ones made previous to 1985, along with links to places where you can purchase them, or in the case of out-of-print films, learn more about them at the Internet Movie Database. (Thanks to some of our Classic Movies Forum people for their suggestions.)
If you're a baseball fan, by the way, please be sure to take a look at my article about Classic Baseball Movies.
Our list begins with The Freshman (1925), the classic Harold Lloyd silent about a hapless college student who tries to make the football team.
The Plastic Age (1925). Clara Bow and Gilbert Roland silent film concludes with a college football game.
Huddle (1932) stars Ramon Novarro as a scholarship football hero and Una Merkel as a co-ed in a story that spans four years at Yale.
Horse Feathers (1932) Groucho the college president tries to build a winning football team with the help of his maniac brothers in one of the best of all Marx Brothers films.
Pat O'Brien is a College Coach (1933) who loses his wife because of his need to win football games. Look for John Wayne as an unnamed football player six years before "Stagecoach."
Pigskin Parade (1936) Judy Garland's first feature film is a musical comedy about a football team. With a pre-stardom Betty Grable.
Navy Blue and Gold (1937) boasts an all-star cast led by Robert Young, Jimmy Stewart, and Lionel Barrymore playing football at Annapolis.
Knute Rockne, All American (1940) is the one with Ronald Reagan as The Gipper. Pat O'Brien plays a coach again, but this time he's the coach.
Good News (1947) is a musical with June Allyson as a librarian and Peter Lawford as a football star who needs a passing test score so he can play in the Big Game. They're doin' the Varsity Drag, and a young Mel Torme' has a supporting role.
Easy Living (1949) stars Victor Mature as a professional football player with a golddigging wife played by Lizabeth Scott. He's at the top of his game, until it all starts to go wrong.
Father Was a Fullback (1949). Actually, Fred MacMurray is a football coach, with Maureen O'Hara as his wife, Thelma Ritter as his maid, Betty Lynn and Natalie Wood as his daughters, Jim Backus as a neighbor, and Rudy Vallee as the pesky alumni head. Great cast, so-so film.
Saturday's Hero (1951) stars John Derek as a college football player who finds out about the dark side of the sport. Donna Reed is his girlfriend. Aldo Ray's film debut.
Jim Thorpe--All American (1951) is about the Native American athlete who wowed 'em at the 1912 Olympics, but came home to find out that he was still an "Indian." Burt Lancaster plays the title role, with Charles Bickford as Pop Warner.
The All-American (1953). Soap opera starring Tony Curtis has some decent football scenes, and appearances by real football players Tom Harmon and Frank Gifford.
Paper Lion (1968) is based on the non-fiction book by George Plimpton about his experiences practicing and playing with the Detroit Lions. Alan Alda plays him in the film, which features a legion of Lions players as themselves.
Brian's Song (1970) was such a great made-for-TV movie that many forget it wasn't a theatrical release. It's the story of the friendship between Chicago Bears football players Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), and the events surrounding Piccolo's cancer.
The Longest Yard (1974) is one of my favorite football and prison films. Burt Reynolds does a fine job, and the film actually won a Golden Globe for best comedy/musical of the year. Eddie Albert plays against type as the villainous warden. Far superior to the recent remake.
Two Minute Warning (1976) is not really a football film, but it takes place in a crowded stadium menaced by a sniper and defended by Charlton Heston. Fairly lame.
Black Sunday (1977). Not really a football movie, either. This time the venue is the Super Bowl, and instead of a sniper, there's a bad guy (Bruce Dern) in the Goodyear Blimp, with Robert Shaw on his tail. Better than the previous film.
Semi-Tough (1978) stars Burt Reynolds, Kris Kistofferson, and Jill Clayburgh. Is very funny in spots, but the book is better.
Heaven Can Wait (1978) is a remake of 1942's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, with football instead of boxing, Warren Beatty instead of Robert Montgomery, and James Mason instead of Claude Rains. It somehow works, though not quite as well as the original.
North Dallas Forty (1979) is thought by many to be one of the greatest sports movies ever made. Starring Nick Nolte and based on the novel by Peter Gent. And the Dallas Cowboys didn't like it, which is enough for me!
Other films that were mentioned on the Forum, plus lesser lights from the classic era and a few good ones from the 80s, include:
Finally, for a couple of interesting pages on the subject from other sites, take a look at Hollywood on the Sidelines, by Stu Kobak of Films on Disc, and All-Time Football Movies, from The Sandlot Shrink.
Other classic movie checklists that you'll enjoy.
