Burt Reynolds, the electricity that turns on the most outrageous team in football.
The mean machine, supercharged and power driven to the longest yard. Bert Reynolds,
the quarterback who will tackle anything driver's license. Look when we got in
a minute your cor the superstars, I feel so good for me. Suck
the All American, the all Amazing, A joker of a jock who laughed
all the way to prison. Paul Crew a wrecking pro. Anybody who is
Pro Football's most valuable players. Got something special to do. It's standing up.
Let's vote with a hero so special he gets special treatment. They'll put
you in the other rise and shine. It's room service. How do you
like the battles? Super Star Shavid points off of a football game in that's
an American team. Get you twenty four hours then hot box board. I
quit My god, God, what the hell is that? That's a member
of the Warden football team. And I run a football team? What football
team? My football team? He assembled the meanest, dirtiest team in history.
Uh, we're getting up a football game against the guards for guards.
Yeah, I want to play. I'm gonna play football. And taught them
how to be meaner the one thing that you're gonna have to remember is to
protect your quarterback and Dirtier. I think he broke it, Nick, I
think he broke I told you before this game is over. I want every
prisoner in this institution to know what I mean by bar and who controls it.
The prison guards against the prisoners. They guarded the game that broke all
the rules, all the records, all the bones, the most incredible ever
played on the field and off. You're going to lose the game, and
I want a twenty one point spread. You've come too far together to stop.
Now, let's do it. From the producer of The Godfather, from
the director of The Dirty Dozen, from the first second to the last,
the Mean Machine visa Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert in the Wildest yet the Longest
Yard, I feel that it is safe to say that American football has overtaken
base ball as this country's national pastime. Starting this weekend, young men dreaming
a future glory play high school football on Friday nights. Those that are lucky
venture on to play college football on Saturdays. In the gifted few move on
to playing professionally on Sundays. This game requires dedication and focus. Each game
is a battle. In some instances, the consequences mean more than wins and
losses, as is the case with this week's film. Released in nineteen seventy
four, directed by the esteemed Robert Aldridge and starring Burt Reynolds, The Longest
Yard introduces us to disgraced former NFL quarterback Paul Wrecking Crew played by Reynolds,
a man who, due a drunken stealing his girlfriend's car and leading police on
a wild, reckless chase, is sentenced to eighteen months in a prison in
the football craze state of Florida, where the guards play on a powerhouse semi
protein in the Warden is willing to do anything to win a national title.
A great place to start would be to introduce us to Crew, a man
that, at the beginning of this film leads on the surface a charmed existence.
He is a kept man by his beautiful, enriched girlfriend. Looks can
be deceiving, though, as we hear in the way, Crew speaks that
he does not enjoy this life and wants something more. Plus, we will
hear the fight that leads to his prison sentence for stealing her Maserati we baby
con you know it would be good, Nor that son of a Where the
hell do you think you're going? Splitting? Splitting you split what I tell
you to split? You all American son of a lovely lovely? And when
you walk out, stay out. You're too expensive to be useless. That's
exactly what you are. I never looked at before. Everybody's bought you college
is the pros, your gamblers. Who do you think bought those beautiful little
caps on your teeth? In the clothes that you're wearing, and the bloody
tan that you've got me. If I ever neglected to thank you, Melissa,
you husband, If I took everything back and I ever gave you you
stay away from my you'd be brass naked. Don't you touch my keys?
Oh? I think the love is going on in our relationship, Adured,
Don't you take my Maseratti, I earned it. I told you not to
touch my horror. I feel. What may audiences love this film so much
is that we become so emotionally vested in the characters. When Crew eventually accepts
the task of building a team of inmates to compete in a game against the
guards. These individuals from various walks of life, races, and various crimes
come together to become a team that the audience actually begins to root for,
like they're actually watching a football game. That's the magic of this film.
The ruthless criminals even become likable and lovable. That is in large part through
the charm of Crew and the evil ruthlessness of the Guards. Our next scene
is the beginning of the inmates coming together. Crew goes to various sendmates to
recruit them for his team. And just listen to the differences in each inmate,
and you can tell how vastly different each one is. I'd like to
play some football. Shoo, yeah, would you like that? To cock
guards? Would you like that? Wouldn't you? Sonny report to the practice
fail up tomorrow morning, nine o'clock. What's his name? Indian? That
makes sense? Now, don't do any ethnic jokes and in its Paul Crew,
But Hi, I know you play some football A little bit a good
where Okahoma State? Olkhoma State? You prison? Yeah? Well, first
thing we gotta do is get your transferred out of here and on the football
steal how now, well we're coming. I'm pretty heavy. Who about four
hundred parents? Pretty heavy? George Sampson, Granada, mister Florida nineteen sixty
four. Uh, ball crew, you know Florida. Yeah, yeah,
yeah, they got tough cops here, small but tough. Uh. We're
getting up a football game against the Guards. Wanted if maybe you and some
of your buddies here would like to join in on the fund with the Guards.
Uh huh sure, I'd like that. Sign him up. I'm way
ahead of you. See around, look forward to it, Sam Summer.
In order for a sports film to be great and have the viewer become emotionally
vested, as I have spoken about earlier, there needs to be a quote
unquote heavy or someone that oppresses the underdogs. In this film, it is
the face of authority, Warden Rudolph Hazen, played by Eddie Albert of green
Acre's fame. In our final clip, we hear what makes the warden the
epitome of evil in this film. He blackmail's crew to throw the game and
then goes back on his promise to crew and tells the quarterback of the Guards,
Captain Kannaur, to hurt the inmates once they are up by twenty one
one. Really, of note here is the evil callousness that is beautifully conveyed
by Albert along with his power hungry egomaniahal attitude, Because what the hell do
you think you're doing? Were you want in the game, you got one.
I never said anything about winning, never said anything about losing it.
I'll spell it out for you. We've got hunger and custody. He's confessed
a killing caretaker. He said, you knew all about it, but you
didn't notify Captain Knaar, and that makes you and accents so ring. You're
full of crap. Mister Krue. You sent caretaker to that cell. You
are an accessory to murder. You can be looking at twenty years in contro.
There's no way in the world you can make that stick and corner.
No which the crude. You could be in this institution until you are old
and gray or until you're dead, whichever comes first. I can promise you
that you're gonna lose the game, and I want a twenty one point sprint.
I can't do that, of course you can't. You've done it before.
If I give you the twenty one points, you call the dogs the
dogs. If you got the game in the bag, you tell your guys
to coast. I wanted my men. Ut you have my word. Once
we get to twenty one points, you know, there's only one thing I'm
sorry about. What's that? Crewe you're not out there with us knock at
Heggs. I'm afraid I'm a little too old for that. No, you
never had the guests to begin with. You've just been guaranteed a twenty one
point spread. What because of your marvelous performance. I was forced to make
a deal with mister crue Now the second half, we can beat this thing.
I'm not interested in discussing what you think might happen in the second half.
You lose, I told you with mister cruel, who as I told
him, it's uh No. When you and your mental midgets twenty one points
ahead, I want you to inflict as much painful damage on the prisoners is
as humanly possible, so you understand. Before this game is over, I
want every prisoner in this institution to know what I mean by power and who
controls it. We understand each other. Listen. This film does do an
excellent job of characterizing the game of football. In my opinion, where it
excels is it uses football as a way for these inmates to gain some pride
back, to stand up against their violent oppressors and work with individuals they might
have never felt they would work with, all for a chance, not just
a gridiron glory, but for one day to stand tall in victory for those
that control them for days, weeks, months, years, and even lifetimes.
As for the film itself, it ranks highly on any meaningful top sports
films list. It's quotes are heard in football stadiums across the country by fans.
It is as relatable today as it was when it was released, And
in two thousand and five a remake was released that stars Adam Sandler that is
just as good in its own right, and in my opinion, a rarity
for remakes and just shows how truly classic, endearing, and amazing this film
truly is that it still stands the test of time. I hope you join
me next week when we begin our month long tribute to the father of the
zombie, George A. Romero with his nineteen seventy two apocalyptic sci fi film
The Crazies. For W M. N. H. In Matt Connerton Unleash,
this has been a classic film. If you with Eric Filterer two beats
come weeping like a black head due to bile and nigging ale the thing again
enough so it listen to the ship I love and as the last reason for
his trousers shooting full of f mister Saturday night to special got a barrow,
that's do They ain't good for nothing for the mass. They just been drinking
skin. They playing bot on a loose to night and burnison, oh star
thing or somethingbody But she didn't never lie to big gym on Minster fights.
I wouldn't tell you no lie bag gym on the full this pis don't shot
a spin rab between eyes, mister side of the night and swells up.
Got a barrel that's blue. They ain't good for not what the mass bet
on who side of the night, but for the dollar to buy yoursel It
would say all about I hang on some made for killer that ain't above another
as in intellectual treat for the skin in mighty on the shoot, so said,
why don't we don't blow people do the bottom of see all summer fool
going around here want to shoot into you miss a Saturday night spec shot You
got a barrel on the slue fool. You ain't good for nothing but bore
the mass to beat in a What's the Saturday Night Special? And I'd love
to be on it? Then s