Everybody's All-American (film)
Encyclopedia
Everybody's All-American is a 1988 motion picture
directed by Taylor Hackford
and based on the novel Everybody's All-American
by longtime Sports Illustrated
contributor Frank Deford
.
The film covers 25 years in the life of a college football hero. It stars Dennis Quaid
, Jessica Lange
, Timothy Hutton
and John Goodman
.
) is a 1950s star athlete known by the moniker "The Grey Ghost," who plays football at Louisiana State University. His campus girlfriend Babs Rogers (Jessica Lange
), nephew Donnie (Timothy Hutton
) who also goes by the nickname "Cake," and friend Ed Lawrence (John Goodman
), adore his personality and charm. During an important matchup in the Sugar Bowl
, Gavin's play, which at times defined his competitiveness throughout his career, causes a player from the opposing team to fumble the ball, while he later returns it to score a game-winning touchdown.
Later, Gavin ends up marrying Babs, starts a family, and eventually gets drafted by a professional football team. Meanwhile, Lawrence opens a popular sports bar in Baton Rouge. Everyone is pleased for Gavin, including his friendly rival Narvel Blue (Carl Lumbly), who might have achieved professional stardom had he chosen an athletic career path. Reality quickly sets in for Gavin as life in the NFL is difficult, competition fierce, and the schedule grueling. Gavin is a respectable running back for the Washington Redskins, but hardly the idol worshipped by everyone back home during his college years. Concurrently, Lawrence has accrued a number of gambling debts, as he is later murdered amid an episode of organized crime.
Babs does her best to keep up with her husband's career and mood swings, and in doing so inherits the role of the wage earner in their household. A sympathetic Donnie finds her frustrated and lonely, as his lifetime attraction to her brings them together for a brief extramarital affair. Gavin's financial setbacks encourage Babs to seek a job from Narvel to manage his restaurant. Age and injuries result in Gavin being traded, benched, and then finally forced into retirement. He enters a failed business relationship with entrepreneur Bolling Kiely (Ray Baker
) whom he despises, spending countless hours telling old college football stories to clients. Donnie moves on with his life, getting engaged to a sophisticated woman named Leslie Stone (Patricia Clarkson
), while supporting Gavin and Babs through a marital breakdown. A despaired figure in the end, Gavin mends his relationship with Babs as he spends his withdrawal from professional sports reminiscing about his famed athletic youth.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Taylor Hackford
Taylor Hackford
Taylor Edwin Hackford is an American film director, and the current president of the Directors Guild of America.-Early life:Hackford was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Mary , a waitress, and Joseph Hackford...
and based on the novel Everybody's All-American
Everybody's All-American
Everybody's All-American is a novel by longtime Sports Illustrated contributor Frank Deford and later made into a motion picture directed by Taylor Hackford.-Plot summary:...
by longtime Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
contributor Frank Deford
Frank Deford
Benjamin "Frank" Deford, III is a senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, author, and commentator for National Public Radio and correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO....
.
The film covers 25 years in the life of a college football hero. It stars Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
, Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
, Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
.
Plot
Gavin Grey (Dennis QuaidDennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
) is a 1950s star athlete known by the moniker "The Grey Ghost," who plays football at Louisiana State University. His campus girlfriend Babs Rogers (Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
), nephew Donnie (Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
) who also goes by the nickname "Cake," and friend Ed Lawrence (John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
), adore his personality and charm. During an important matchup in the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, Gavin's play, which at times defined his competitiveness throughout his career, causes a player from the opposing team to fumble the ball, while he later returns it to score a game-winning touchdown.
Later, Gavin ends up marrying Babs, starts a family, and eventually gets drafted by a professional football team. Meanwhile, Lawrence opens a popular sports bar in Baton Rouge. Everyone is pleased for Gavin, including his friendly rival Narvel Blue (Carl Lumbly), who might have achieved professional stardom had he chosen an athletic career path. Reality quickly sets in for Gavin as life in the NFL is difficult, competition fierce, and the schedule grueling. Gavin is a respectable running back for the Washington Redskins, but hardly the idol worshipped by everyone back home during his college years. Concurrently, Lawrence has accrued a number of gambling debts, as he is later murdered amid an episode of organized crime.
Babs does her best to keep up with her husband's career and mood swings, and in doing so inherits the role of the wage earner in their household. A sympathetic Donnie finds her frustrated and lonely, as his lifetime attraction to her brings them together for a brief extramarital affair. Gavin's financial setbacks encourage Babs to seek a job from Narvel to manage his restaurant. Age and injuries result in Gavin being traded, benched, and then finally forced into retirement. He enters a failed business relationship with entrepreneur Bolling Kiely (Ray Baker
Ray Baker (actor)
Ray Baker is an American theater, television and film actor. He is a long time character actor with over 100 credits on television and film alone. Baker is credited either as Ray or Raymond.-Selected filmography:...
) whom he despises, spending countless hours telling old college football stories to clients. Donnie moves on with his life, getting engaged to a sophisticated woman named Leslie Stone (Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
), while supporting Gavin and Babs through a marital breakdown. A despaired figure in the end, Gavin mends his relationship with Babs as he spends his withdrawal from professional sports reminiscing about his famed athletic youth.
Production
- Filming was stopped for weeks when Dennis QuaidDennis QuaidDennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
had his collarbone broken by Tim FoxTim FoxTimothy Richard Fox is a former American Football safety who played for the New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1986....
of the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
during filming. Footage of Quaid rolling in pain on the sidelines of the snow game appears in the finished film.
- A key scene featuring a candlelight parade involving large numbers of extras was filmed, on the steps of the Louisiana State CapitolLouisiana State CapitolThe Louisiana State Capitol building is the capitol building of the state of Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge. The capitol houses the Louisiana State Legislature, the governor's office, and parts of the executive branch...
, when snow started falling. Despite the beauty of the scene, director Taylor HackfordTaylor HackfordTaylor Edwin Hackford is an American film director, and the current president of the Directors Guild of America.-Early life:Hackford was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Mary , a waitress, and Joseph Hackford...
elected to reshoot the scene, as snow in Baton Rouge in November was such a rare event that he was worried it would be seen as a special effects goof in the film.
- The game scenes were shot in LSULouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
's Tiger StadiumTiger Stadium (LSU)Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
during the halftimes of actual LSU games. The goalposts were altered to resemble the vintage "H" posts as needed during filming. Vertical posts were moved in place for the bottom portion of the H, and a multi-colored fabric covering was used to conceal the center upright. Upon completion of filming, the vertical posts and fabric were retracted so as not to interfere with the LSU games.
- Some of the filming of the football scenes took place during halftime of the 1987 LSU-Alabama game. The producers wanted to continue shooting some scenes following the game, so they requested that the LSU fans remain after the game so that they could finish the scenes. However, Alabama won in an upset, and ten minutes after the game, the only fans still in the bleachers were wearing crimson, forcing the producers to finish shooting the following week.
- Michael Apted was all set to direct Thomas RickmanThomas RickmanThomas Rickman , was an English architect who was a major figure in the Gothic Revival.He was born at Maidenhead, Berkshire, into a large Quaker family, and avoided the medical career envisaged for him by his father, a grocer and druggist; he went into business for himself and married his first...
's script in 1982 until Warner Brothers balked at the $16 million price tag, leading man Tommy Lee JonesTommy Lee JonesTommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
and the fact that American football movies never do any business overseas. During its 6 years in development hellDevelopment hellIn the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
, Warren BeattyWarren BeattyWarren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
, Robert RedfordRobert RedfordCharles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
and Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
all circled the project.
- Despite the fact that the novel was written about the University of North Carolina, when it was filmed at LSU, rumors started that Gavin Grey was based on the former LSU All-American Billy CannonBilly CannonWilliam Abb "Billy" Cannon is an All-American, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's most celebrated players.He was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and moved...
. Deford laughs at that. "Never met Cannon and knew nothing about him personally," he says. "Gavin was strictly a composite of many athletes from several sports that I had covered."
- The film contains a much more hopeful and upbeat ending than the book, where Gavin takes his own life after trying to kill Babs as well.