Footsteps

Footsteps (1972)

*** (out of 4)

Nice made-for-TV drama about a football coach (Richard Crenna) who gets one last shot for a comeback when he goes to a small school to coach defense. He ends up being torn between the head coach (Clu Gulager), a dirty booster (Forrest Tucker) and a woman (Joanna Pettet) who just wants him to do the right thing. FOOTSTEPS is a pretty good little gem that manages to be entertaining throughout its 73-minute running time thanks in large part to a great cast giving great performances. Crenna certainly delivers a strong performance here as he not only has to act tough but also has a lot of quiet moments where he needs to build the character and does so just fine. He's given excellent support from Pettet, Tucker and especially Gulager in his role as a former friend demanding more than anyone should have to give. We also get a nice supporting bit from Ned Beatty and you can spot a young James Woods and Robert Carradine. The film falls into many traps that often come with these made-for-TV movies and the biggest problem is that the material is just way too predictable for its own good and especially the final twenty-minutes when a star player gets injured. It's funny watching this film today because it hits on so many issues that are on the front page of sports today. This includes concussions, players being paid and what coaches will do in order to win.

I last saw this when I was 14 years old and have still not forgotten it. Five years after he proved he was a superb dramatic actor by starring in the only good TV show about state and local politics, Richard Crenna played a far less likable character than Jim Slattery in this powerful, unblinking look at the cost of College football glory. The cast of this great film included Clu Gallagher, Joanna Pettet,Ned Beatty and Forrest Tucker.Clu Gallager plays the "Footsteps of the title, a mediocre Football coach (and mediocre human being) who needs his old enemy, the ruthless, win at all costs- and brilliant- Richard Crenna to turn his 2 and 8 team into a winner. Forrest Tucker plays an thoroughly sleazy millionaire booster. Needless to say, like the Television show I alluded to earlier, it is NOT available on DVD, and is never likely to be. well, Human stupidity remains as infinite as the Universe itself.