The Longest Yard (1974)

A sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Tracy Keenan Wynn (screenplay), Albert S. Ruddy (story)

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	Paul Crewe
Eddie Albert	...	Warden Hazen
Ed Lauter	...	Captain Knauer
Michael Conrad	...	Nate Scarboro
James Hampton	...	Caretaker (as Jim Hampton)
Harry Caesar	...	Granville
John Steadman	...	Pop
Charles Tyner	...	Unger
Mike Henry	...	Rassmeusen
Jim Nicholson	...	Ice Man
Bernadette Peters	...	Warden's Secretary
Pervis Atkins	...	Mawabe
Tony Cacciotti	...	Rotka
Anitra Ford	...	Melissa
Michael Fox	...	Announcer

Storyline

A football player-turned-convict organizes a team of inmates to play against a team of prison guards. His dilemma is that the warden asks him to throw the game in return for an early release, but he is also concerned about the inmates' lack of self-esteem.

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Plot Keywords:

warden | prison | prison guard | quarterback | florida | 

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Taglines:

It's Survival of the Fiercest and Funniest

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Golpe Baixo

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 2,044,304 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Albert S. Ruddy Productions, Long Road Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

A number of the actors had previously played professional football. Burt Reynolds played for Florida State University and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. Mike Henry (Rasmussen) played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams. Joe Kapp (Walking Boss) played quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Ray Nitschke (Bodanski) was a middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, and Pervis Atkins (Mawabe) played for the Los Angeles Rams, the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders.

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Goofs

While they are playing the football game, towards the beginning and again as the game is won, they show inmates celebrating in their cells, but reuse the video from the earlier scenes when Unger had booby trapped Crew's jail cell light bulb to explode. The smoke from the earlier fire can be seen filling the far end of the shot in all the scenes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Melissa: How long do we have to keep watching this crap?... Only a moron can sit and watch two football games, one after the other.

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Connections

Referenced in Island of Fire (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Teach Me to Cheat"
Sung by Judy Kester
Recording Surpervised by Jim Foglesong

User Reviews

Has aged well after 25+ years

After seeing this flick again last year after I don't know how long, at first I wondered why I used to really like this film. But after watching the whole thing to the end, I remember why. This is one of those films that generated a whole bunch of "copy-cat" movies, none which are even worth remembering (or seeing). Sure, it's a macho-man movie, but it works, and to see the talent (both actors and ex-pro ball players) on the screen, this is a movie you can watch over and over. By the way, it was refreshing to see the widescreen DVD version which was just released.