Brian's Song

Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo (played by James Caan), a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro in 1965, told through his friendship with Bears teammate Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams). Piccolo's and Sayers's sharply differing temperaments and racial backgrounds made them unlikely to become as close friends as they did, including becoming the first interracial roommates in the history of the National Football League, and the film chronicles the evolution of their friendship, ending with Piccolo's death in 1970.[2] The production was such a success on ABC that it was later shown in theaters by Columbia Pictures,[3] with a major premiere in Chicago; however, it was soon withdrawn for lack of business.[1] Critics have called the movie one of the finest telefilms ever made.[1][4] A 2005 readers poll taken by Entertainment Weekly ranked Brian's Song seventh in its list of the top "guy-cry" films ever made.

This article is about the original 1971 television film. For the remake, see Brian's Song (2001 film). For the Family Guy episode, see Movin' Out (Brian's Song).
Brian's Song
Premiere advertisement from TV Guide
GenreBiography
Drama
Sport
Based onI Am Third
by Gale Sayers
Al Silverman
Written byWilliam Blinn
Directed byBuzz Kulik
StarringJames Caan
Billy Dee Williams
Music byMichel Legrand
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerPaul Junger Witt
CinematographyJoseph F. Biroc
EditorBud S. Isaacs
Running time74 minutes
Production companiesColumbia Pictures
Screen Gems
DistributorSony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkABC
Original release
  • November 30, 1971 (1971-11-30)
[1]

The movie is based on Sayers's account of his friendship with Piccolo and coping with Piccolo's illness in Sayers's 1970 autobiography, I Am Third.[5] The film was written by veteran screenwriter William Blinn,[6] whose script one Dallas television critic called "highly restrained, steering clear of any overt sentimentality [yet conveying] the genuine affection the two men felt so deeply for each other."[4]

Although based on a true story, the film does include some fictional scenes. For example, the head coach, George Halas (played by Jack Warden), tells Sayers that he wants to bench Piccolo when he suspects that there may be a problem affecting his performance. He later learns of Brian's cancer. In reality, Jim Dooley was the head coach at that time, as Halas had retired from the position following the 1967 season.

Plot

The movie begins as Chicago Bears rookie running back Gale Sayers (Williams) arrives at team practice as an errant punt is sent to Sayers. Fellow rookie running back Brian Piccolo (Caan) goes to retrieve the ball, and Sayers flips it to him. Before Sayers meets with coach George Halas (Jack Warden) in his office, Piccolo tells him – as a prank – that Halas has a hearing problem, and Sayers acts strangely at the meeting. Sayers pranks him back by placing mashed potatoes on his seat while Piccolo is singing his alma mater's fight song.

During practice, Piccolo struggles while Sayers shines. Sayers and Piccolo are placed as roommates, a rarity during the racial strife at the time. When they are placed together Brian is scared he didn't make the team, and Gale makes a great point saying "if you didn't make the team, we wouldn't be placed together as roommates." Their friendship flourishes, in football and in life, quickly extending to their wives, Joy Piccolo and Linda Sayers. Sayers quickly becomes a standout player, but he injures his knee in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. To aid in Sayers's recovery, Piccolo brings a weight machine to his house. In Sayers' place, Piccolo rushes for 160 yards in a 17–16 win over the Los Angeles Rams and is given the game ball. Piccolo challenges Sayers to a race across the park, where Sayers stumbles but wins. Piccolo wins the starting fullback position, meaning both he and Sayers will now be on the field together, and both excel in their roles.

Piccolo starts to lose weight and his performance declines, so he is sent to a hospital for a diagnosis. Soon after, Halas tells Sayers that Piccolo has cancer and will have part of a lung removed. In an emotional speech to his teammates, Sayers states that they will win the game for Piccolo and give him the game ball. When the players later visit the hospital, Piccolo teases them about losing the game, laughing that the line in the old movie wasn’t "let’s blow one for the Gipper."

After a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sayers visits Joy, who reveals that Piccolo has to have another surgery for his tumor. After he is awarded the "George S. Halas Most Courageous Player Award", Sayers dedicates his award to Piccolo, telling the crowd that they had selected the wrong person for the prize and saying, "I love Brian Piccolo, and I'd like all of you to love him, too. And tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him." In a call, Sayers mentions that he gave Piccolo a pint of blood while he was in critical condition. Piccolo dies with his wife by his side. The movie ends with a flashback of Piccolo and Sayers running through the park, while Halas narrates that Piccolo died at age 26 and is remembered not for how he died but for how he lived.

Cast

Music

The musical theme to Brian's Song, "The Hands of Time", was a popular tune during the early 1970s and has become a standard.[1] The music for the film was by Michel Legrand, with lyrics to the song by Marilyn and Alan Bergman.

Legrand's instrumental version of the theme song charted for eight weeks in 1972, peaking at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.[7] It also won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.[8]

Reception

The film received acclaim and is often cited as one of the greatest television films ever made, as well as one of the greatest sports films.

The film was the most watched movie on U.S. television during 1971 and the most watched made-for-TV movie ever with a Nielsen rating of 32.9 and an audience share of 48% until it was surpassed by The Night Stalker in January 1972.[9][10]

It holds a 92% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 critics, with a consensus stating "Buoyed by standout performances from James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, Brian's Song is a touching tale of friendship whose central relationship transcendeds its standard sports movie moments."

Television critic Matt Zoller Seitz in his 2016 book co-written with Alan Sepinwall titled TV (The Book) named Brian's Song as the fifth greatest American TV-movie of all time, stating that the film was "The dramatic and emotional template for a good number of sports films and male weepies (categories which tend to overlap a bit)", as well as "an influential early example of the interracial buddy movie."[11]

Accolades

The film won an Emmy Award for Best Dramatic Program (1971–72). William Blinn won an Emmy for his teleplay, and Jack Warden won for his performance as Coach Halas. Caan and Williams were both nominated for best leading actor.[1]

AwardCategoryWinner/NomineeResultRef
Eddie Awards Best Edited Television Program Brian's Song Nominated [12]
Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television Buzz Kulik Won
Emmy Award Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming – For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television Brian's Song Won
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama Jack Warden Won
Outstanding Single Program – Drama or Comedy Brian's Song Won
Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama – Adaptation Brian's Song Won
Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing Brian's Song Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition – For a Special Program Brian's Song Nominated
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama – A Single Program Buzz Kulik Nominated
Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role James Caan
Billy Dee Williams		 Nominated
Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film Brian's Song Nominated
PGA Awards PGA Hall of Fame – Television Programs Brian's Song Won
Peabody Award Peabody Award ABC Television
William Blinn		 Won
TV Land Award Blockbuster Movie of the Week James Caan
Billy Dee Williams		 Won

Remake
Main article: Brian's Song (2001 film)

Thirty years after its original airing, a remake was aired in 2001 on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney starring Mekhi Phifer as Sayers and Sean Maher as Piccolo.[13]

References
  1. Marill, Alvin H. (1987). Movies Made For Television: The Telefeature and the Mini-series, 1964–1986. New York: Baseline/New York Zoetrope. pp. 53–4. ISBN 0-918432-85-5.
  2. Lerner, Barron H. (November 29, 2011). ""Brian's Song": What Really Happened". History News Network. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  3. Thomas, Bob (then-parent and future corporate sibling of the movie's production company, Screen Gems). "TV 'Brian's Song' on movie screens", The Dallas Morning News, April 29, 1972, page 2.
  4. Harry Bowman. "Broadcast Beat [TV column]: 'Brian's Song' superior film", The Dallas Morning News, November 27, 1971, page 7A.
  5. Sayers, Gayle; Silverman, Al (1970). I am Third. New York City: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0670389773.
  6. "Brian's Song". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2000). Top Pop Singles 1955–1999. Record Research (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin). p.371. ISBN 0-89820-139-X
  8. "Grammy Award Nominees 1973 – Grammy Award Winners 1973". Awardsandshows.com. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  9. "Made-For-TV Movie Rankings". Variety. January 25, 1972. p. 81.
  10. "Hit Movies on U.S. TV Since 1961". Variety. January 24, 1990. p. 160.
  11. Sepinwall, Alan; Seitz, Matt Zoller (September 2016). TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time (1st ed.). New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing. p. 375. ISBN 9781455588190.
  12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068315/awards
  13. Talley, Bud (2 December 2001). "Brian's Song (TV Movie 2001)". IMDb. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
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