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IMDbPro

Brian's Song

  • TV Movie
  • 19711971
  • GG
  • 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,801
2,071
James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.
Play trailer2:38
1 Video
15 Photos
BiographyDramaSport
Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,801
2,071
    • Buzz Kulik
    • William Blinn
    • Gale Sayers(book "I Am Third")
    • Al Silverman(book "I Am Third")
  • Stars
    • James Caan
    • Billy Dee Williams
    • Jack Warden
    • Buzz Kulik
    • William Blinn
    • Gale Sayers(book "I Am Third")
    • Al Silverman(book "I Am Third")
  • Stars
    • James Caan
    • Billy Dee Williams
    • Jack Warden
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 67User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 5 Primetime Emmys

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:38
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos15

    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan in Brian's Song (1971)
    James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)
    Brian's Song (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Caan
    James Caan
    • Brian Piccolo
    Billy Dee Williams
    Billy Dee Williams
    • Gale Sayers
    Jack Warden
    Jack Warden
    • Coach Halas
    Bernie Casey
    Bernie Casey
    • J.C. Caroline
    Shelley Fabares
    Shelley Fabares
    • Joy Piccolo
    David Huddleston
    David Huddleston
    • Ed McCaskey
    Judy Pace
    Judy Pace
    • Linda Sayers
    Abe Gibron
    • Abe Gibron
    Jack Concannon
    • Jack Concannon
    Ed O'Bradovich
    • Ed O'Bradovich
    The Chicago Bears Players
    The Chicago Bears Players
    • The Chicago Bear Players
    The Chicago Bears Coaches
    • The Chicago Bear Coaches
    The Chicago Bears Staff
    • The Chicago Bear Staff
    Harold 'Happy' Hairston
    Harold 'Happy' Hairston
    • Veteran Player #1
    • (as Happy Hairston)
    Ron Feinberg
    Ron Feinberg
    • Veteran Player #2
    Ji-Tu Cumbuka
    Ji-Tu Cumbuka
    • Roommate
    Jim Boeke
    • Veteran Player #3
    Larry Delaney
    • Dr. Fox
      • Buzz Kulik
      • William Blinn
      • Gale Sayers(book "I Am Third")
      • Al Silverman(book "I Am Third")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The interior of Gale Sayers' house was the interior set of Darrin and Samantha's house from Bewitched (1964). This film aired during that show's eighth and final season (one day before the episode The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit).
    • Goofs
      When the coaches ask Sayers to room with Piccolo in 1965, they warn that people in cities like Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston and Miami won't take well to integrated roommates. Atlanta didn't join the NFL until 1966, New Orleans 1967, and Houston and Miami until the AFL/NFL merger in 1970. Miami wasn't even in the AFL until 1966.
    • Quotes

      Narrator: Ernest Hemingway once said "Every true story ends in death." Well, this is a true story.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 24th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1972)
    • Soundtracks
      Brian's Song
      Written and Performed by Michel Legrand Et Son Orchestre

      [Theme]

    User reviews67

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Great un-PC TV-movie
    As a big fan of TV-movies from the 70's, you'd think I'd have seen "Brian's Song" a lot sooner. I finally watched it, and wasn't disappointed.

    You know the story, two football players, one white, one black, become best buds and help each other out. James Caan is superb as always, and Billy Dee Williams is pretty good.

    At first, it seemed a major part of the plot would have involved race. When Billy Dee is told by his team that he and Caan will be the first black and white roomies, he is told to pretty much expect big trouble in every city they play in, from both blacks and whites. However, we never see any of that trouble a single time. And really, the only hint of any trouble of any kind from the roommate situation went Caan's way - he reads a racist letter that someone sent to him, upset he was rooming with a "darkie" - and joked his mother sent it. And that's all for the big, bad roommate situation.

    However, this being 1971, there are various funny race jokes. Caan tells Williams he's going to name his new kid "Spade"; when Caan sees Williams fumble a ball around, he says something about "you'd think the ball had a white sheet on it"; Caan relates chicken to blacks; and there's a scene where Caan jokingly calls Williams a "nigger" and everyone gets a big laugh out of it. Ah, the days when one can make jokes that aren't politically correct! The ending is sad, and done very well. The whole movie actually is pretty good, and the friendship is built up nicely, We never really know why Caan as Picolo chose Billy Dee to be friends with, but it really doesn't matter. They made a good team in this flick.
    helpful•8
    1
    • stevenfallonnyc
    • Jul 2, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 30, 1971 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • St. Joseph's College - U.S. Highway 231, Rensselaer, Wheatfield, Indiana, USA
    • Production company
      • Screen Gems Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 13 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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