Sports Theme Movies

[addie]

I just wondered if anyone wanted tot talk about sports movies. Film Noir Boxing movies are my favorite movies.
Tennis in, "Strangers on a Train," or "It Happened in Flatbush," both great stuff! Of course, the "Flatbush," one stars Lloyd Nolan, so it was going to be great anyway. ;D

What sports movies do you like?

addie

[Midge]

Good idea for a topic, Addie! I'm not a big sports fan, but I'll go first. Strangers on a Train is my favorite Hitchcock movie. The tennis scene, where all the spectators' heads turn left and right while Bruno Anthony's doesn't move, is justly famous.

Other sports movies that I have enjoyed are Gary Cooper as the ill-fated baseball star Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees (1941); Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson in The Stratton Story (1949); Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Woman of the Year (1942); James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in the TV movie Brian's Song (1971); Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire in Rocky (1976) and Geena Davis and Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own (1992).

[diane]

The other night oddly (for I'm not a great sports movie fan either) I saw
"The Setup". It was an extremely realistic boxing movie about an over
the hill boxer whose manager had set him up to lose to a promising
protege of a local gangster. The problem was no-one had told him
they just assumed he would lose like he always did - but tonight
he had a feeling..... Robert Ryan was just fantastic as always as was
Audrey Totter as his long suffering wife. The last half of the film
was the fight and you were there almost blow for blow. I taped it
off our local TV station and RKO must have remastered a lot of
their films because that was about the 5th film I have seen with
a very crisp, clear print.

[robin]

Diane, have you ever seen a 1950's British film called 'The Final Test'? It featured Jack Warner, the oldest player ever to appear in an Ashes test(!). He was older then than Wilfred Rhodes or Bert Ironmonger!

[diane]

No Robin, I haven't even heard of it. I will look it up though -it looks
like the type of movie Herb would adore!!!

[dvdjunkie]

Sports films are a second love of mine. I also remember these few films because of their topics and their stars.

Champion (1949) starring Kirk Douglas. A great boxing movie.

The Harder They Fall (1956) starring Humphrey Bogart as a down-on-his-luck sports reporter who is hired to promote 'the big fight'. Really good movie.

The Pride of St. Louis (1952) starring Dan Dailey in the role of baseball pitcher "Dizzy" Dean. Also featured Donna Reed. Good baseball movie.

Saturday's Hero (1951) starring John Derek as a high school football star recruited to a big-time college. Depicts all of his ups and downs and has some pretty exciting (for the time) football scenes.

These are the sports films that I think of first before some of the more recent films like "Rocky" and "Remember the Titans".

;D

[Larry's 66 Diner]

Here goes another person who doesn't care a great deal about sports or sports-related movies, but there have been a few that I've actually enjoyed viewing. One of my favorites happens to be Knute Rockne All American, with Ronald Reagan as George "Gipper" Gipp and Pat O'Brien in the title role.

I know there are others I've liked too, but I cannot think of them off the top of my head.

Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak.

[Kimmer]

I loved the remake of "Brian's Song." it was done with the family's cooperation whereas the first version wasn't. It was much more realistic and so incredibly heartbreaking. If you see it, have a box of kleenex handy, you'll need it.

I also like "Remember the Titans" starring Denzel Washington about a championship football team in Virginia. It takes place during the era when the school was forced to mix their students and DW is hired as a coach. It's a true story and is very inspiring.

[addie]

Oh yes, I loved The Set-Up. My mother and I have an on going disagreement about the ending. I thought it was a happy ending and she has always thought it was very sad. lol

Do people here think Tea and Sympathy counts? We see Tom play tennis and there are sports going on through out. Maybe it is a stretch, I don't know.

I never saw The Pride of St Louis, but I luuuv Donna Read, so I will look for it.

Oh, Brian's Song! I cry about everything that happens in a movie as it is, but that one is a real killer!
Another killer is Requeum for a Heavyweight. I cannot even watch it.

People here are reminding me of some good ones. The Harder The Fall is great, but Bogey is always great!