The Longest Yard (1974)

Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Burt Reynolds), a football player-turned-convict just wants to do his time and get out prison. The Warden (Eddie Albert) convinces him to organizes a team of inmates to play against a team of prison guards as hilarity ensues. 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.

Trivia: A number of the actors had previously played professional football. Burt Reynolds played for Florida State University and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. Mike Henry (Rasmussen) played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams. Joe Kapp (Walking Boss) played quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Ray Nitschke (Bodanski) was a middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, and Pervis Atkins (Mawabe) played for the Los Angeles Rams, the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders. Ray Nitschke, the Green Bay Packer great, played a game called "Kill the Star" while on the playing field with Burt Reynolds. The climactic football game takes up 47 minutes of running time. Georgia State Penitentiary prisoner Harold Morris, who had been wrongly convicted of murder and was later given a full pardon, had a part in the film as an extra. In his book "Twice Pardoned", he recalled some moments with Burt Reynolds: Although prison officials strongly discouraged it, Reynolds often sat with the prisoners during meal breaks and socialized with them. A photographer on the set offered to take souvenir photographs of the prisoners individually posing with Reynolds. Many of the prisoners had no money, but Reynolds told the photographer to take all the pictures they prisoners wanted and he (Reynolds) would pay for them. One of the prisoners asked Reynolds where he lived. Reynolds told him he had homes in Florida and California. The prisoner then asked for his address and when Reynolds asked why, the prisoner explained a) he was a career criminal about to finally get out of prison, and b) after a life spent stealing from people who didn't have money, he wanted to finally burglarize someone who had money.

I can't imagine how Adam Sandler could do any better then Burt Reynolds. This guy is the king of macho 70's and 80's movies. I mean the guy was The Bandit for goodness sake. He just looked like he was having so much fun in these films and who could forget his laugh. He had a certain irreverence to his acting that just clicked in these kind of roles. It is amazing to think that he is the same guy from Deliverance. On the other hand it was weird watching Mr. Douglas (Eddie Albert in Green Acres) be so manipulative and evil. Anyway it was a fun movie to watch.

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