North Dallas Forty (1979)

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writers:

Peter Gent (novel)
Peter Gent (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

"Wait till you see the weird part." [USA Theatrical]

Plot:

A semi-fictional account of life as a professional Football (American-style) player. Loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys team of the early 1970s.

Plot Keywords:

Football | Flashback Sequence | American Football | Sports Team | Corruption

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Nick Nolte	...	Phillip Elliott
Mac Davis	...	Seth Maxwell
Charles Durning	...	Coach Johnson
Dayle Haddon	...	Charlotte Caulder
Bo Svenson	...	Jo Bob Priddy
John Matuszak	...	O. W. Shaddock
Steve Forrest	...	Conrad Hunter
G.D. Spradlin	...	B. A. Strothers
Dabney Coleman	...	Emmett Hunter
Savannah Smith Boucher	...	Joanne Rodney (as Savannah Smith)
Marshall Colt	...	Art Hartman
Guich Koock	...	Eddie Rand
Deborah Benson	...	Mrs. Hartman
Jim Boeke	...	Stallings (as James F. Boeke)
John Bottoms	...	Vip

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:R

Company:

Frank Yablans Presentations

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: There are several lip-synch problems throughout, probably due to re-dubbing lines.

Quotes:

Phillip Elliott: Hell coach, I love needles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Incredible Melting Man (#8.4)" (1996)

My Favorite Sports Movie

When this movie first came out (late 70's), I was still in high school and very naive as to the behind the scenes machinations of professional football. This movie was ahead of its time in its depiction since no other movie on professional football had ventured into this area exposing drug use, both off the field casual usage and to get players on the field, and indifference of ownership and coaching staff to players feelings and thoughts.

Nick Nolte was exceptional as Phil Elliot, the wide receiver whose character was based on Pete Gent, a wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys who authored the book (North Dallas Forty) the movie was based on. He is a free spirit with little regard for authority but undoubtedly cares about his performance on the field. He cannot play by the rules because he doesn't make them. Mac Davis was great as quarterback Seth Maxwell, the jaded athlete who knows how to "bend" the rules to remain in good standing with the team.

Supporting cast, especially GD Spradlin as the coach modeled after Dallas Cowboys coaching genius Tom Landry, was excellent. If you have 2 hrs and want to catch a well-acted, well-written movie on the reality of professional football, then catch this flick. It preceded such films and Stone's Any Given Sunday, but its content is very relevant to football 30 years later.