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The Longest Yard

  • 19741974
  • RR
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
18K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer4:07
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyCrimeDrama

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.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.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.

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
18K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Robert Aldrich
  • Writers
    • Tracy Keenan Wynn(screenplay)
    • Albert S. Ruddy(story)
  • Stars
    • Burt Reynolds
    • Eddie Albert
    • Ed Lauter
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Aldrich
  • Writers
    • Tracy Keenan Wynn(screenplay)
    • Albert S. Ruddy(story)
  • Stars
    • Burt Reynolds
    • Eddie Albert
    • Ed Lauter
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 75User reviews
    • 63Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 4:07
    Official Trailer

    Photos185

    Burt Reynolds and Bernadette Peters in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds, Pervis Atkins, Mike Henry, Ed Lauter, Ray Nitschke, Sonny Sixkiller, and Ernie Wheelwright in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds and Harry Caesar in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds and Eddie Albert in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds and Anitra Ford in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Eddie Albert in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds and James Hampton in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974)
    Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, and Mort Marshall in The Longest Yard (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Burt Reynolds
    Burt Reynolds
    • Paul Creweas Paul Crewe
    Eddie Albert
    Eddie Albert
    • Warden Hazenas Warden Hazen
    Ed Lauter
    Ed Lauter
    • Captain Knaueras Captain Knauer
    Michael Conrad
    Michael Conrad
    • Nate Scarboroas Nate Scarboro
    James Hampton
    James Hampton
    • Caretakeras Caretaker
    • (as Jim Hampton)
    Harry Caesar
    Harry Caesar
    • Granvilleas Granville
    John Steadman
    John Steadman
    • Popas Pop
    Charles Tyner
    Charles Tyner
    • Ungeras Unger
    Mike Henry
    Mike Henry
    • Rassmeusenas Rassmeusen
    Jim Nicholson
    • Ice Manas Ice Man
    Bernadette Peters
    Bernadette Peters
    • Warden's Secretaryas Warden's Secretary
    Pervis Atkins
    Pervis Atkins
    • Mawabeas Mawabe
    Tony Cacciotti
    Tony Cacciotti
    • Rotkaas Rotka
    Anitra Ford
    Anitra Ford
    • Melissaas Melissa
    Michael Fox
    Michael Fox
    • Announceras Announcer
    Joe Kapp
    Joe Kapp
    • Walking Bossas Walking Boss
    Richard Kiel
    Richard Kiel
    • Samsonas Samson
    • (as Dick Kiel)
    Pepper Martin
    Pepper Martin
    • Shop Stewardas Shop Steward
    • Director
      • Robert Aldrich
    • Writers
      • Tracy Keenan Wynn(screenplay)
      • Albert S. Ruddy(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Matt Heffernan <msh6880@cs.rit.edu>
    wardenprisonquarterbackred pantiespanties58 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • THE AUDIENCES DON'T JUST SEE IT - They talk to it! They cheer it! They roar with it! They explode with it! They love it!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Sport
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sports Illustrated's Rick Telander wrote in the Oct. 17, 1988 issue: After the cast and crew of "The Longest Yard" departed from Georgia State Prison, the inmates played Georgia State Troopers using the equipment left behind by the film crew. The game quickly got out of hand, with inmates pummeling the out-of-shape troopers for their alleged arrogance. The game was called at the half, with the inmates ahead 66-0. End of prison football in Georgia.
    • Goofs
      Melissa warns Paul not to touch her Maserati. The car was sold in the US as a Citroen/Maserati SM, a Citroen with a Maserati engine. The owner would be more likely to refer to it as Maserati.
    • Quotes

      [Caretaker and Crewe are watching a prisoner go through his workout]

      Caretaker: Well, there he is. Connie Shokner, baddest cat in the joint. Even the guards are scared of him. He killed three people on the outside and two since he's been in here.

      Crewe: Yeah, that karate's some bad stuff.

      Caretaker: Oh, that was before he learned karate.

      Crewe: Say, what's he doing now?

      Caretaker: Nobody's ever had the guts to ask him.

    • Alternate versions
      The 1995 VHS USA re-release does not feature the song "Saturday Night Special" by Lynyrd Skynyrd during the chase scene. Instead, there is no music during the chase.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Burt Reynolds/Dom DeLuise/Art Carney/Ace Trucking Company (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Saturday Night Special
      Written by Ronnie Van Zant and Edward King (as Edward Calhoun King)

      Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd

      Recording Supervised by Al Kooper

      Courtesy of Sounds of the South/MCA Records

    User reviews75

    Review
    Top review
    The Mean Machine....
    Tongue and Cheek satire and sports movies generally are not exactly two movies genres that you combine together, however Burt Reynolds did not believe that, and as a result he starred in a movie that manages to be funny, poignant, intense, and everything in-between. I really don't know how the writers, producers and directors came up with something that turned out to be so awesome. The Longest Yard is masterful, it is funny, but it isn't a comedy, there is a lot of football but it is more than a just a sports movie, this is a hard movie to classify and maybe that is the reason it is so good.

    Burt Reynolds plays a washed up football player who winds up in the slammer for drunk driving. While there the warden asks him to put together a football team to go up against the prison guards, who play in a semi-professional league. The prisoners are an interesting group of misfits and criminals, played perfectly by the various character actors in the parts. Burt Reynolds manages to be a brilliant lead of all of these crazy cons, and is perfect in this part. This movie is great but it doesn't exactly scream out greatness at first. This is a movie where you will be half way through and you will realize this is just a great movie to watch.

    Aside from the fact it is just an off-beat movie it is hard to understand why this movie is so good, I don't know why myself, the jokes are not really laugh out loud hysterical, but it becomes apparent the reason this movie is so good is because it really ventured into areas that few films had, and while there are references to racial problems, homosexuality, although very muted, prison violence, crooked law enforcement officials and other issues rarely discussed on screen.

    What I am surprised at is that these issues become prominent, and something you heed in the movie, and at the same time the over the top satire merges with this movie perfectly. Even watching a movie like this as compared to other comedies that raise marginally controversial issues like racism, such as Police Academy, Police Academy sort of makes a comedy out of racism and sexism, and to a lesser degree a movie like Caddyshack, but this movie puts the comedy and the controversial issues together, not making them one, but two completely different facets of the movie. Normally when you have a movie that is as intense as this it is hard to have such satirical elements in a movie and be a good movie, but this movie combines the two elements so effortlessly.

    This is definitely an underdog movie, in that the prisoners are supposed to lose, they are a bunch of cons that rarely if ever played football, and have no chance going up against a semi-professional team. The characters, too numerous to name make this movie that much better. The movie also is a prison movie, and is successful at that, this is one of those movies, everything just clicked right, and the result is near perfection. One reason to watch this movie is Eddie Albert, as the ever smiling and smugly pleasant prison warden who is the mastermind of the entire affair, he is just perfect here, so meticulously uttering every word to the point that he looks like he is in pain, and he is perfect in the role. James Hampton also has an excellent part as Reynolds' sidekick in prison. This is just an all around great movie excellent in so many different ways.

    I watch a movie like this, and I wonder why there are so few movies like this today, movies so offbeat but funny, movies that actually have decent acting, movies that are this interesting, instead of typical silly fare you would get like a dumb teen movie or a dumb action movie. This movie is priceless in a way. When I first heard of the movie I didn't think it would be that good, but when I watched it I realized why it was Oscar nominated and so well thought of. I don't know why it clicked, but it did, and the result is a film definitely worth seeing, and one of the best of the 1970s.
    helpful•7
    5
    • Nozze-Musica
    • Jun 12, 2005

    FAQ1

    • When the Mean Machine score their first touchdown, they follow it up with a successful conversion (getting the ball into the end zone again) and are awarded 7 points for the play. Shouldn't they get 8?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 30, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die härteste Meile
    • Filming locations
      • Brunswick, Georgia, USA
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Long Road Productions
      • Ruddy Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,900,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $43,008,075
    • Gross worldwide
      • $43,008,075
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2h 1m
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    James Hampton, ‘F Troop,’ ‘Longest Yard’ and ‘Teen Wolf’ Actor, Dies at 84
    James Hampton, ‘F Troop,’ ‘Longest Yard’ and ‘Teen Wolf’ Actor, Dies at 84
    Apr 8The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
    Emmys 2018: In Memoriam remembers Anthony Bourdain, Burt Reynolds but who was left out?
    Emmys 2018: In Memoriam remembers Anthony Bourdain, Burt Reynolds but who was left out?
    Sep 18Gold Derby

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