Paper Lion (1968)

Sportswriter George Plimpton poses as a rookie quarterback for the Detroit Lions for a "Sports Illustrated" article.

Director:

Alex March

Writers:

George Plimpton (book), Lawrence Roman

Stars:

Alan Alda, Lauren Hutton, Joe Schmidt

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Alda	...	George Plimpton
Lauren Hutton	...	Kate
Joe Schmidt	...	Joe Schmidt
Alex Karras	...	Alex Karras
John Gordy	...	John Gordy
Mike Lucci	...	Mike Lucci
Pat Studstill	...	Pat Studstill
Bill McPeak	...	Bill McPeak
Jim Martin	...	Jim Martin
Jim David	...	Jim David
Charles Knox	...	Charles Knox
John North	...	John North
Carl Brettschneider	...	Carl Brettschneider
Roger Brown	...	Roger Brown
Lem Barney	...	Lem Barney

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.

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Plot Keywords:

detroit lions | football | writer | football movie | sports team | 

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Taglines:

The Paper Lion is About to Get Creamed

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Leul de hârtie

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stuart Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The team Alan Alda plays for is the Detroit Lions

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Goofs

After George enters the game and the team is penalized for Delay of Game, the referee is shown winding the clock. The clock is not started after a Delay penalty.

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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?

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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."

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Connections

Featured in 75 Seasons: The Story of the NFL (1994)

User Reviews

Captures the time perfectly

If you are a fan of Pro football, this is a must. Before Alan Alda shot to fame in the TV series MASH, he was in Paper Lion. Many Football movies have been made, some good, some bad. Longest Yard and Brain's Song rank as two of the best, with Paper Lion a close third. One of the best scenes doesn't take place on the Football field. When Plimpton (Alda) explains his idea to Vince Lombardi, Lombardi laughs and replied " Have you thought about the AFL?" Giving him a dirty look, Alda leaves. This shows the bad blood that existed between the NFL and AFL at the time. One year after this movie was filmed, the merger of the AFL and NFL was announced.