The Bear (1984)

Biopic about the great college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant of the University of Alabama.

Director:

Richard C. Sarafian

Writer:

Michael Kane

Stars:

Gary Busey, Cynthia Leake, Carmen Thomas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Busey	...	Paul W. Bryant
Cynthia Leake	...	Mary Harmon Bryant
Carmen Thomas	...	Mae Martin Bryant
Cary Guffey	...	Grandson Marc
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Coach Thomas
Jon-Erik Hexum	...	Pat Trammell
Steve Greenstein	...	Joe Namath
Michael McGrady	...	Gene Stallings
William Wesley Neighbors Jr.	...	Billy Neighbors
Brett Rice	...	Don Hutson
Buddy Farmer	...	Herman Ball
Owen Orr	...	Ermal Allen (as Owen E. Orr)
Charles Gabrielson	...	Steve Meilinger
D'Urville Martin	...	Billy
Ken Taylor	...	Jimbo / Ball Player

Storyline

Biopic about the great college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant of the University of Alabama.

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Plot Keywords:

college football | university of alabama | bear | no holds barred | inspirational speech | 

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Taglines:

WINNING. That was the difference between playing football and playing for "The Bear".

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Bär

Filming Locations:

Georgia Tech Football Practice Field, Rose Bowl Field, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$221,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,160,644, 30 September 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$2,687,148

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gene Stallings, who played for Bear Bryant at Texas A&M and went on to become head football coach at Alabama, was the technical advisor on the film.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Gary Busey/Roseanne Barr/Steve Trotter (1985)

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Soundtracks

I'll Be Home Again
Music by Bill Conti
Lyrics by Dennis Lambert

User Reviews

Nightmare on the Set as an EXTRA

My name is Donald Van Williams and I was also a Featured Extra in this movie, my Agent thought it would be good for me ,I had Just been released by the Oakland Raiders Football Club after an injury in Mini Camp,it was crazy. We shot at a school near Los Angeles Ca., I played Jeff Fagen #34 a team player, half the time we were waiting for Gary Busey to come out of his trailer sober enough to shoot the next take. I ended up breaking my wrist, under paid and turned off at Acting. Hell at one time, we were shooting a locker room take that should have taken 10 seconds, but due to Gary"s "Drunk" it took 12 hours. The only thing that made it all worth while, was all the side splitting laughter ,we the extra's, had and the friendship's made.I am happy to see that Gary has done well over the years and wish him the best of luck, As for the film, i only saw it once, it was a trip.