Michigan FB sightings in the movies
Just because it's been a slow news week so far. Here are some Michigan football sightings from movies. These are examples where actual game footage was shown on the TV screen, not movies likes 'the Waterboy' and 'Death of Salesman' where an actor was shown in uniform.
These are also in gif format since uploading the scenes to YouTube would get my account pulled.
THE BIG CHILL (1983)
There was confusion last week while discussing the 1981 MSU game where several folks mentioned that was the game featured in the Big Chill. But it was actually the 1980 game at the big house that was shown. You can hear Larry Aderly and Jim Brandstatter doing commentary while John Wangler throws a pass to Craig Dunaway...
In the actual game, that play set up a Michigan touchdown. But in the movie, they edited it to make it look like the play got called back for clipping. Plus, there was a classic shot of Bo...
AIR FORCE 1 (1997)
Harrison Ford plays the President, who is a Michigan alum. Before Air Force 1 is taken over by terrorists, he's watching a taped game of Michigan vs. Notre Dame, that had already finished. He orders his staff not to tell him the final score so he can be surprised but someone eventually spills the beans that Michigan won 21-20. The movie used footage from the 1990 Notre Dame, which was a crushing 28-24 loss. The game where the ref measured for a Michigan first down with an index card.
Several shots of the game are shown off and on. Grbac firing a short pass to Desmond (I think it's Desmond, it's kind of hard to tell), a run by John Vaugn and some various tackles...
THREE TO TANGO (1999)
This is a really random one starring Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell and Dylan McDermott. It's the same romantic comedy formula that's been used a billion times. Guy likes girl, guy has a secret, guy and girl bond, girl finds out guy's secret and storms off, guy and girl make up, happily ever after, yadda, yadda, yadda. The movie is forgettable except for one scene where Perry's friends are watching a football game which just so happens to be the 1992 Michigan/MSU game at the big house. It's ABC footage but Frank Beckman's radio broadcast is being played over the TV.
It starts with a close up of Pete Elezovic kicking off the game...
There's several minutes of dialog between the characters and then this one dude has the nerve to shut off the TV right while Tyrone Wheatley is breaking off a big run...
When they turn the TV back on, it shows Elezovic kicking the PAT after a Wheatley touchdown. They never say how the game turns out in the movie but in the actual game, the good guys win 35-10.
The Big Chill goes without saying.
Three to Tango was written by Rodney Vaccaro, who grew up in Grand Rapids but went to Western.
I'm not sure where the Air Force 1 connection comes from. Writer and producer profiles show no Michigan connections. I assume they were doing a homage to Gerald Ford, who came to Michigan practices while he was in office.
Don't forget "Answer This!" which is the only movie given permission to film inside the stadium during an actual game. Written by a Michigan grad, Christopher Farah, and with a supporting role by the best professor I ever had, Ralph Williams.
How about the scene in The Waterboy where Michigan puts it's towel boy on the field, and he gets crushed running across the middle?
I beleive the towel boy ran into a laundry list of preblems.
I believe was set in Ann Arbor and shows game footage at a bar early on.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Not that I habitually leave out mustard.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
March 10th, 2016 at 12:15 AM ^
The film was shot on location at several American universities, including: Boston College, Duke University, the University of Michigan, the University of Iowa, and the University of South Carolina. The film includes a cameo appearance from Miami University and Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler.
he really carried the torch after Harbaugh graduated. . .
Back to the Future part 2.
Towards the end of the movie when Biff is driving down the road with Marty tailing via hoverboard Biff turns on the radio and a bunch of college football scores are read. Michigan vs. Indiana is one of them. The score is real from the 1955 season.
For more details, check out this thread: http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/back-future-ii-1955-michigan-season
The last post by "saveferris" is hilariously optimistic.
It is also almost a polar opposite of what happened.
More interested in what the Michigan scores will be in 2015. Hopefully, Rodriguez will be in his 8th season at Michigan. OSU will not have won a game over us in 6 years. We'll have had 4 straight Top 5 recruiting classes, and at least one BCS Championship under our belt.
Yikes.
March 10th, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^
there's a galaxy in which a planet much like our own has experienced the exact events SaveFerris has described.
But it's not our planet, that's for sure.
Mark Dantonio is "Tim" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
"Call the FBI, the CIA and the Pentagon. Find out who won that game!"
I grew up watching Pink Panther Strikes Again as a kid on video (pretty much wore the thing out) and that was my first exposure to Michigan football: Gerald Ford going nuts because a lunatic ex-chief inspector interrupts Michigan vs. Navy to threaten to make the United Nations building disappear.
Later in the movie when the CIA agent calls the White House late at night, Ford's talking in his sleep "Put me in coach!" The phone rings and then he yells, "What's the score??!!" As he turns the bedside lamp on we see he's sleeping under a Michigan blanket with the Block M prominently seen.
March 10th, 2016 at 12:21 AM ^
Harrison Ford's character, President of the United States, Michigan alum, watching the M v ND game on AF1, enjoying time with family, having a beer.
I'd vote for that man this November.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
The water boy
Come on man what's this amateur hour
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I forgot the movie now, but I remember seeing the hockey team in one at some point.
The main male character was a sports writer and was on the road and it seems like the hockey team must have happened to be there at the time so they got them to dot he shot before a practice or something. From what I recall, the whole team made fun of him while he was talking to his girl on the phone.
Whatever it was, I had absolutely no prior knowledge of it, and was shocked as hell to see it happen.
There is also the brief playing of "The Victors" in Big Fish, which is a little odd since the movie features characters who went to Auburn and it sort of just happens for no reason.
The movie "Air Force One" is showing at midnight tonight on Esquire Network (Channel 235 on DirecTV) and again on 3/15 and 3/16. Though I just re-watched it this past Saturday when I stumbled across it while flipping channels, I just programmed my DirecTV box to record it so I can take another look at the Michigan Football footage. Besides the football footage, it's a pretty damn good movie (as most Harrison Ford movies are).
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
makes any movie better.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I remember watching The Program and when Michigan won the game I cheered, my buddy after the game looked at me and asked did you cheer for Michigan in that movie? I was like of course I did a win is a win.
When I was watching Air Force One and he asked about the Michigan nd game, my first thought was oh of course he is a nd fan, then bam he was a Michigan fan made the movie that much better.
Or Empire Strikes Back. We had both Kasdan and JEJ in that production.
I am sure Chewie was a UM fan.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
up vote
Love the show.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
In Home Improvement the writers wanted him to wear clothing from all of the colleges in Michigan, which he did except he never put on any msu stuff.
First time I watched Last Man Standing I was wondering why he was wearing Michigan stuff living in Colorado, then a few episodes later they mentioned his charector went to Michigan.
March 10th, 2016 at 10:43 AM ^