| The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Frank C. Schröder |
| Written by | Darrel Campbell |
| Music by | Brent Havens |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend is a 1991 biographical sports film about the 1959 8th grade basketball season of Pete Maravich and his father Press Maravich. The film, which presents his early beginnings and the origin of the "Pistol" nickname, is set in Clemson, SC, where the elder Maravich served as head coach for Clemson Tigers men's basketball. [1] The film is regarded as a family film that is listed by several Christian book and film clubs. [2] [3] [4] The film was originally released on January 17, 1991 in theatres, [1] on November 8, 2005 on DVD, [5] and on November 11, 2013 on Blu-ray. [6] The film was produced soon after Pete Maravich's 1988 death. [7]
The film shows 5-foot-2-inch (1.57 m) [1] Maravich's efforts to make the D. W. Daniel High School varsity team as an eighth grader as he deals with racially charged issues in the Deep South of the 1950s. [8] Press Maravich serves as his son's drill sergeant, motivator, coach and cheerleader. [1] [7]
Set in 1959 Clemson, SC, the film begins with Pete Maravich shooting in the back yard as his father, Press, impresses the importance of focusing on a goal with dedication and diligence. In addition to motivational talks, Press gave Pete a range of drills and technique advice. At school, Pete perceives himself as an outcast even on the basketball team, where at one point he was benched for ten games. Pete believed in himself and his father stood behind him. Pete begins dribbling the basketball regularly and in strange situations such as during his bike rides while he keeps it with him around the clock. Pete's coach looks down on Pete's fancy basketball skills as the kind of thing that the blacks from the bad part of town do. Eventually, when Pete is given the chance, he wins the game. Because he shot the basketball from the hip, he earned the nickname "Pistol Pete". Even after winning the state championship, Press convinced the coach and team that they cannot really be champions without beating the all-black Cleveland High School in an unofficial contest. Press concluded the film with the advice to "give the fans a show they'll never forget, and they'll come back again and again." [1]
The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend was produced soon after Pete Maravich's January 5, 1988 death when producers decided to capture the story of his legend. [7] It was a low budget movie. [9]
In 2014, Complex named it the 19th best basketball movie of all time. [7] Hal Erickson of AllMovie said that "The film is for the most part an exercise in joie de vivre" and he lauded the film for making the most of a small budget. [9] Using words like "uplifting" and "heartwarming", CD Universe says the film depicts the devotion of a father to his son and of a boy to the game of basketball. [10] Ted Baehr's Movieguide depicts Maravich as a misfit at school, while his father attempts to give him dreams at home. Movieguide describes the film as subtle with emphasis on the value of sharing of special moments in life. [1]
Peter Press Maravich, known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player.
Thomas William Lester was an American actor and evangelist. He was best known for his role as farmhand Eb Dawson on the television show Green Acres. He appeared in two feature animal films, Gordy and Benji.
Davis & Elkins College (D&E) is a private college in Elkins, West Virginia.
Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of Movieguide, a website and biweekly journal that evaluates motion pictures and other entertainment products from a fundamentalist Christian perspective on suitability for family consumption. He also hosts nationally and internationally syndicated Movieguide radio and television programs.
Peter "Press" Maravich was an American college and professional basketball coach. He received the nickname "Press" as a boy, when one of his jobs was selling the Pittsburgh Press on the streets of his hometown of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, an industrial city outside of Pittsburgh. Maravich, Sr. also served in the United States Naval Air Corps during World War II.
The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in honor of Pete Maravich, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer signed an act to rename the building in Maravich's honor. Maravich never played in the arena as a collegian but played in it as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in a preseason game. But his exploits while at LSU led the university to build a larger home for the basketball team, which languished for decades in the shadow of the school's football program. The Maravich Center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "Pete's Palace", or by its more nationally known nickname, "The Deaf Dome", coined by Dale Brown. The Maravich Center's neighbor, Tiger Stadium is known as "Death Valley".
Wayne Federman is an American comedian, actor, author, writer, comedy historian, producer, and musician. He is noted for numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs, theaters, and on television; his book on The History of Stand-Up; and supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Crashing, Silicon Valley, Legally Blonde, 50 First Dates, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Step Brothers. He was the head monologue writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in its first season. He won a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for producing the HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream.
The LSU Tigers men's basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers are currently coached by Matt McMahon, after previous coach Will Wade was dismissed on March 12, 2022. They play their home games in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center located on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The team participates in the Southeastern Conference.
Alexander Kendrick is an American pastor, film writer, producer, director and actor, best known for directing and starring in notable faith-based films, including Facing The Giants, War Room, Overcomer, Courageous, and Fireproof. He is one of only two film directors to have three different films receive an "A+" grade on CinemaScore.
Ah Chew Goo was an American basketball player and coach of the University of Hawaii men's basketball team, who was known primarily for his basketball dribbling and passing abilities.
The LSU Tigers women's basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. The team’s head coach is Kim Mulkey, the former head coach at Baylor University, who was hired on April 25, 2021 to replace Nikki Fargas, who had been head coach since the 2011-2012 season. The team plays its home games in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center located on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Ralph Kim Drollinger is an American clergyman and former professional basketball player. He led the "White House Bible Study Group", a study group sponsored by 10 cabinet members which held weekly meetings each Wednesday during the Trump administration.
Fireproof is a 2008 American Christian drama film released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Affirm Films, directed by Alex Kendrick, who co-wrote and co-produced it with Stephen Kendrick. The film stars Kirk Cameron, Erin Bethea, and Ken Bevel.
The Clemson Tigers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that represents Clemson University and competes in the NCAA Division I. Clemson is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The LSU Tigers women's gymnastics team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's gymnastics. The team competes in the Southeastern Conference and is currently coached by Jay Clark, who is coaching in his fifth season. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center serves as the home arena for the team.
The LSU Tigers women's volleyball team represents Louisiana State University in the sport of indoor volleyball. The Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and play their home matches in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the university's Baton Rouge, Louisiana campus. Since the 2022 season, the head coach is Tonya Johnson, after former long time head coach Fran Flory announced her retirement.
Season of Miracles is a 2013 American Christian-themed drama film directed by Dave Moody and starring John Schneider, Grayson Russell, Andrew Williams, and Nancy Stafford. Based on writer Rusty Whitener's award-winning novel A Season of Miracles, the story is set in Alabama during the 1970s and follows a group of twelve-year-olds and their championship little league baseball season.
Julius Leon "Jule" Rivlin was a college men's basketball coach and professional basketball player. He was the head coach of Marshall from 1955 to 1963. He coached Marshall to a 100-88 record, winning one Mid-American Conference championship and making one NCAA tournament appearance.
The 1967–68 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1967–68 NCAA men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Press Maravich, in his second season at LSU. They played their home games at the John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers finished the season 14–12, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in sixth place.
The 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1969, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 21, 1970, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The UCLA Bruins won their sixth NCAA national championship with an 80–69 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins.
