Sportswriter George Plimpton poses as a rookie quarterback for the Detroit Lions for a "Sports Illustrated" article.
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Title: Paper Lion (1968)
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Nominated for
1
Golden Globe.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Alan Alda | ... | George Plimpton | |
| Lauren Hutton | ... | Kate | |
 |
Joe Schmidt | ... | Joe Schmidt |
| Alex Karras | ... | Alex Karras | |
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John Gordy | ... | John Gordy |
|
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Mike Lucci | ... | Mike Lucci |
|
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Pat Studstill | ... | Pat Studstill |
|
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Bill McPeak | ... | Bill McPeak |
|
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Jim Martin | ... | Jim Martin |
|
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Jim David | ... | Jim David |
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Chuck Knox | ... | Charles Knox (as Charles Knox) |
|
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John North | ... | John North |
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Carl Brettschneider | ... | Carl Brettschneider |
|
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Roger Brown | ... | Roger Brown |
|
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Lem Barney | ... | Lem Barney |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (46) »
Storyline
George Plimpton wants to write a story for Sports Illustrated on what it is like to be a quarterback for an NFL team. No one is willing to allow a klutzy amateur to go on the field for fear he'll kill himself. After several teams turn him down, Plimpton got the Detroit Lions to let him go to training camp. He tries to keep his true identity a secret from the real players. This is based on a true incident and many of the players play themselves in the movie. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Keywords:
bare chested male | touch football | reference to sugar ray robinson | reference to the afl | reference to the los angeles rams |Taglines:
The Paper Lion is About to Get CreamedCertificate:
ApprovedParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
14 October 1968 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Paper Lion See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
[Shows George the door]
Vincent Lombardi: Have you tried the AFL?
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This movie was filmed at saint Andrews school See more »Goofs
In the flashbacks when Plimpton pitches against the American and National League All-Stars, Yankee players are shown wearing both home and road jerseys. See more »Quotes
Vincent Lombardi: You know, George, we carry four quarterbacks now. And to ask us to carry five, I think would be a real headache. I just don't think it will work.[Shows George the door]
Vincent Lombardi: Have you tried the AFL?
See more »
Crazy Credits
Disclaimer from the opening credits: "This film is an amiable fiction based on the book 'Paper Lion' by George Plimpton and is not intended to be a literal depiction of its author." See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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A fairly good adaptation of George Plimpton's book. A young Alan Alda did pretty well playing Plimpton. But as another commenter pointed out, it was most interesting to see pro football in the days when the coaches were the bosses, the players did what they were told, and no thuggishness or criminality was tolerated. Football was tough, and masculine, and that was okay. No strutting, no trash talk. Ah, those were the days.