Nick Nolte, Charles Durning and Mac Davis in the Ted Kotcheff movie ‘North Dallas Forty’

For as long as I can remember, the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States has included the playing of the gridiron style of football born in North America. A tradition throughout that time has included a game being hosted in Detroit, Michigan by the Detroit Lions and another in Dallas, Texas hosted by the Dallas Cowboys. With the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, we take a look at a fictionalized version of the Cowboys‘ team from the 1960s. Presented as satire was the Ted Kotcheff directed movie called North Dallas Forty (1979).

(From left, Nick Nolte as Phil Elliott and Savannah Smith Boucher as Joanne Rodney in the Ted Kotcheff movie North Dallas Forty).

The movie was based on Peter Gent‘s 1973 bestselling book named North Dallas Forty. Gent, of Bangor, Michigan, was presented as receiver Phil Elliott of the North Dallas Bulls, with Nick Nolte portraying him in the movie. The movie aims to offer a somewhat simplified version of the portrait within the book for the way of life in professional football in general and for the Dallas Cowboys as coached by Tom Landry when Gent played there. Within the film, Landry translated to B.A. Strothers, as portrayed by G.D. Spradlin.

(From left, G.D. Spradlin as B.A. Strothers and Charles Durning as Coach Johnson in the Ted Kotcheff movie North Dallas Forty).

Elliott as a player is presented as having really good hands, which means that he is better than most at catching passes thrown his direction. Seth Maxwell throws the passes for the Bulls as the quarterback. Maxwell, as portrayed by Mac Davis, and Elliott both are shown to enjoy parties that include drugs, alcohol and access women willing to enjoy time with professional athletes. Seth Maxwell is modeled on former Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Elliott is shown to simply wish to play the game and then retire to a horse farm with his girlfriend Charlotte Caulder. Caulder was portrayed by Dayle Haddon.

(From left, Mac Davis as Seth Maxwell, Tommy Reamon as Delma Huddle and Nick Nolte as Phil Elliott in the Ted Kotcheff movie North Dallas Forty).

The film focuses on the gritty realism of the game through the perspective of the players. The blind eye to the realities of what players experienced simply to get onto the field from practice to practice and game to game were big points of emphasis for the film. Rookie receiver Delma Huddle and the veteran Phil Elliott were central to a storyline about the approaches to injuries, pain management and the use of painkillers. The grading system for every player by coach B.A. Strothers furthered the narrative of a process out-of-touch with the humanity of the players. An emotional eruption between player O.W. Shaddock and Coach Johnson provides further evidence of this. Charles Durning portrayed Coach Johnson as John Matuszak portrayed O.W. Shaddock. Tommy Reamon portrayed Delma Huddle.

(From left, Bo Svenson as Joe Bob Priddy, Mac Davis as Seth Maxwell and John Matuszak as O.W. Shaddock in the Ted Kotcheff movie North Dallas Forty).

The movie deals further in satire specifically in bringing the human factor into the way the grading system was used, in addition to the means for how Phil Elliott separates from the North Dallas Bulls. Factors that run counter to Elliott’s desire to play and contribute sours the player to the way the process worked, pointing out that the human factor colors perceptions of fairness, appropriateness and why individuals wish to participate at all. With all the suffering underpinning the game of professional football, the message of whether the sacrifice is worth it comes to bear.

(Grant Kilpatrick as Monsignor in the Ted Kotcheff movie North Dallas Forty).

I particularly enjoyed North Dallas Forty as a movie exploring the realism for how physically and emotionally difficult the sport is. I appreciate that the movie explored notions of the humanity of the people playing and coaching the sport, regardless of whether I feel that the book itself gave a balanced accounting of the leadership perspectives shown to be lacking. I rate North Dallas Forty as directed by Ted Kotcheff 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer in the Rob Reiner movie ‘This Is Spinal Tap’

The first movie directed by Rob Reiner was the satirical comedy of a fictional band coming to the United States from the England named This Is Spinal Tap (1984). The fictional band is fronted by stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, with the film’s director in the role of a reporter covering the band. Airport Friend, a supporter of Matt Lynn Digital, has declared his appreciation for the humor of this movie.

(From left, Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls, Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel and Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

Rob Reiner stars as Martin ‘Marty’ Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap on their American tour. Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls and Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins portray the band that portrays the odd pretensions of a band that cannot decide who they are. The comedy begins with a revelation that the band cannot settle on a name or style, though do come to America in support of their so called Smell the Glove tour.

(From left, Tony Hendra as Ian Faith and Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

Ian Faith, as portrayed by Tony Hendra, begins the tour as the band’s manager. Owing to low ticket sales prompted in part from a sexist album cover for the album that the tour is intended to promote, tensions between the band and Faith increase due to both issues. After the distributor unilaterally releases the band’s album with an all-black cover, sales don’t improve. The hypocrisy of the situation hits a new low when autograph sessions for the album fail to draw fans.

(From left, Rob Reiner as Martin ‘Marty’ Di Bergi, Fran Drescher as Bobbi Flekman and June Chadwick as Jeanine Pettibone in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

The girlfriend of band singer David St. Hubbins, a devotee of yoga and astrology named Jeanine Pettibone, aims to inject herself into the band’s costumes and stage presentation at this point. This leads to Nigel Tufnel sketching plans for a Stonehenge theming for the band on a napkin, labeling the dimensions in inches rather than feet. When props meant to replicate the life size Stonehenge yet coming in at less than one-third the height of a human being, the joke is on the band. Jeanine Pettibone was portrayed by June Chadwick.

(From left, Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls and Gloria Gifford as the airport security officer with the security wand in the Rob Reiner movie This Is Spinal Tap).

A collection of errors continues to plague the band from here, with smaller and smaller tour venues, equipment errors and ultimately members and band managers leaving the band. To those that get or will get the humor of saying that the movie ends with a bang, let me say that I salute you. My rating for This Is Spinal Tap as directed by Rob Reiner is 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, March 9, 2022