Plot
Injured and out of shape, "Hurricane" Harry Joplin is unhappy about not being accepted for World War II duty by the Navy and unhappier still when the New York Titans decline to offer him a new contract, suggesting he become a coach instead. Harry refuses to believe his football days are over.
While his wife Kathy supports the family, Harry spends time with his son, Willie, teaching him football. But while battling his depression, Harry becomes attracted to Dee Shane, who persuades him to become an entertainer, telling his old football stories on stage. Harry thinks he's a natural for that, but flops before a big audience and proceeds to go on a three-day drinking binge.
Kathy begins seeing another man, Gordon, and it appears Harry has lost her. He tries wrestling to make a living, but his heart isn't in it. His old football coach gives Harry a last shot in a big game against the Navy, but he plays poorly and is benched. Harry asks if he can remain on the sideline for the sake of his son in the bleachers. When the war-depleted team runs out of healthy bodies, though, Harry is needed again and scores a touchdown.
Delighted to win the game and his wife back, Harry is willing to accept a coaching job now. But before he can, an admiral who saw the football game offers gladly to induct a man fit enough to sink the Navy on this field of battle.
A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 American romantic drama that tells the story of a woman who sends a letter to three women, saying she has left town with one of their husbands without revealing which one. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Paul Douglas, Kirk Douglas, and Jeffrey Lynn. Thelma Ritter as "Sadie" and Celeste Holm have key supporting roles.
Linda Darnell was an American actress. Darnell progressed from modelling as a child to acting in theatre and film. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big-budget films for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s, including playing the Virgin Mary in the 1943 film The Song of Bernadette. She co-starred with Tyrone Power in adventure films, and established a main character career after her role in Forever Amber (1947). She won critical acclaim for her work in Unfaithfully Yours (1948) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949).
Harry Zell Thomason is an American film and television producer and director, best known for the television series Designing Women. Thomason and his wife, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, are close friends of President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and played a major role in President Clinton's election campaigns.
Girlfriends is an American sitcom television series created by Mara Brock Akil that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being canceled in 2008. The final episode aired on February 11, 2008.
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo, a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer, focusing on his friendship with teammate Gale Sayers. Piccolo's and Sayers's sharply differing temperaments and racial backgrounds made them unlikely to become friends but they did, becoming the first interracial roommates in the history of the National Football League. The film chronicles the evolution of their friendship, ending with Piccolo's death in 1970. The production was such a success on ABC that it was later shown in theaters by Columbia Pictures with a major premiere in Chicago; however, it was soon withdrawn for lack of business. Critics have called the movie one of the finest television movies ever made. A 2005 readers' poll taken by Entertainment Weekly ranked Brian's Song seventh in its list of the top "guy-cry" films.
Leeman Bennett is a former American football coach who served at both the collegiate and professional levels, but is best remembered as head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, also known as Jimmy Grimble, is a 2000 British sports drama film directed by John Hay, starring Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Lewis McKenzie, Gina McKee, Ben Miller and Samia Ghadie. Set in Greater Manchester Jimmy is a young aspiring footballer who plays for his school team and after receiving a pair of old football boots that once belonged to one of Manchester City's greatest ever players begins to see his skills on the field change.
The Great John L. is a 1945 American biographical drama film directed by Frank Tuttle and written by James Edward Grant. The film stars Linda Darnell, Barbara Britton, Greg McClure, Otto Kruger, Wallace Ford and George Mathews. The film was released on May 25, 1945, by United Artists.
Travis Banton was an American costume designer. He is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg. He is generally considered one of the most important Hollywood costume designers of the golden age.
Second Chance is a 1953 Technicolor crime film directed by Rudolph Maté. The picture, shot on location in Mexico in 3D, features Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell, and Jack Palance. It is notable as the first RKO film produced in 3D.
Slattery's Hurricane is a 1949 American drama film directed by Andre de Toth and starring Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell and Veronica Lake. It is based on a story submitted by Herman Wouk, who also coauthored the screenplay and published a novel of the film in 1956.
Everybody Does It is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Paul Douglas, Linda Darnell and Celeste Holm. In the film, a businessman's wife tries to become an opera star, failing miserably due to her lack of talent. When it turns out that her totally untrained husband is found to have a marvelous singing voice and goes on tour under an assumed name, his wife is livid.
Stanley E. Fay was an American football player and businessman. He played at the halfback and quarterback positions for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1931 to 1933. He was the leading scorers for the undefeated national champion 1932 Michigan Wolverines football team and the captain of the undefeated national champion 1933 Michigan Wolverines football team. He later worked for many years with Harry Bennett at the Ford Motor Company and as a real estate agent in Detroit.
Give My Regards to Broad Street is a 1984 British musical-drama film directed by Peter Webb. It stars Paul McCartney, Bryan Brown and Ringo Starr. The film covers a fictional day in the life of McCartney, who wrote the film for the screen, and McCartney, Starr and Linda McCartney all appear as themselves. Despite Give My Regards to Broad Street being unsuccessful, both financially and critically, its soundtrack album sold well. The title is a take on George M. Cohan's song "Give My Regards to Broadway" and refers to London's Broad Street railway station. It was the first appearance for McCartney in a non-documentary feature film since Help! (1965) and is currently his last starring role in a feature film.
Ferris Gordon Jennings was an American football, baseball and basketball player. He played college football at the quarterback and safety positions for the University of Michigan in 1934 and 1936. He was the starting quarterback for the 1934 Michigan Wolverines football team. Jennings also played for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball and Michigan Wolverines baseball teams between 1935 and 1937.
The Bait is a 1921 American silent crime drama film produced by and starring Hope Hampton, directed by Maurice Tourneur, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. John Gilbert, then working for Tourneur, wrote the scenario based on the stage play The Tiger Lady by Sidney Toler. Filmed in 1920, the picture was released a day after New Year's 1921. The Bait is now considered to be a lost film.
Day-Time Wife is a 1939 screwball comedy directed by Gregory Ratoff, starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell. Darnell and Power play Jane and Ken Norton, a married couple approaching their second anniversary. This was Linda Darnell's second film. Day-Time Wife was the first of four films that Darnell and Power made together over the next few years, the others being Brigham Young (1940), The Mark of Zorro (1940), and Blood and Sand (1941).
The Duke of West Point is a 1938 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Louis Hayward, Joan Fontaine and Tom Brown. It was described as "A Yank at Oxford in reverse".
