North Dallas Forty (1979)

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

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writers:

Peter Gent (novel), Frank Yablans (screenplay)

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Charles Durning, Mac Davis

1 win & 2 nominations.

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

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

football | football movie | sports team | reference to sigmund freud | nfl | 

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Taglines:

They pay you and they pay you well. On one condition. You play the game their way, even if you're forced to break every bone in your body. [UK Theatrical]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

40 hommes à abattre

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frank Yablans Presentations, Paramount Pictures, Regina Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to writer Peter Gent, the role of Seth Maxwell (played Mac Davis) was actually offered to NFL player 'Don Meredith (I)' who the character is apparently based on.

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Goofs

During the climactic game with Chicago, the announcers mentioned several times it was a Championship Game and Dallas lost, their season was over. However, at the end of the movie (a day or so after the game) when Elliott was talking to Maxwell and told him he quit the team, Elliott told Maxwell "Good luck on Sunday."

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Quotes

Coach Johnson: If you moved any slower, you'd be going backwards!

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Connections

References King Kong (1933)

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Soundtracks

Good Times
Performed by Chic
Written by Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers
courtesy of Atlantic Records

User Reviews

one of the top 5 football films of all time!

and probably my favorite one! written by pete gent, a former dallas cowboy in the 60's, it gives a great look inside the mentality of professional football ... especially in dallas during the landry years. i enjoyed this film because i played ball at the college level in the early 70's, and i feel it's the most realistic portrayal of the emotional seesaw that a football player goes through.

the film shows what happens in a society where professional athletes are idolized, and the things they can get away with ... but at a cost! it portrays how the professional athlete must constantly look for new ways to achieve a "high", whether on the field, with drugs, sexually, or just by "cutting loose". the problem is that each high gives way to when you either make a mistake on the field, or come down from the "off-the-field" high.

if you were a football fan in the 60's-70's, you can just see the dallas cowboys in this film! mac davis does a wonderful characterization of don merideth, and g.d. spradlin's coach just reeks of tom landry. and nolte does a magnificent job in one of his earliest works.

please, take some time and watch this film. the videotape version is obviously much better than the tv version ... you lose a lot of the reality otherwise. please, if the first-run shelf is empty, take the time to check out this film. you won't be disappointed.