Curt Gowdy Movies
This blend of sports and youthful romantic comedy is from director Michael Tollin, who previously produced the sports drama Varsity Blues (1999). Freddie Prinze Jr. stars as Ryan Dunne, a ballplayer who's spending the summer as a pitcher for the famed, highly prestigious Cape Cod League, a non-professional farm team that has turned out numerous baseball legends. Ryan's under special pressure on a number of fronts. He's the first local boy to earn a slot in the league in years, and his blue-collar status earns him the enmity of a hot-shot college teammate, Eric Van Leemer (Corey Pearson). Although he's backed up by his best friend and team catcher Billy Brubaker (Matthew Lillard), Ryan adds more stress to his life by embarking on an affair with a beautiful, wealthy young Vassar graduate, Tenley Parrish (Jessica Biel), who's spending the summer on the Cape with her parents. Tenley is facing her own crisis as her father (Bruce Davison) pressures her to move to San Francisco and work with her uncle, though she'd rather remain in the East and become an architect. Summer Catch is the third onscreen teaming of Prinze and Lillard, and also stars Brian Dennehy, Wilmer Valderrama, Jason Gedrick, Fred Ward, and Brittany Murphy. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jessica Biel, (more)
- 1991
Renowned sports announcer Curt Gowdy's distinctive voice provides the blow-by-blow for this star-studded, big-game hunting video. Viewers follow Peter Fonda, Robert Stack, and Fess Parker as they track dangerous big game with big guns through the tall grasses of the African plains. The video offers the opportunity to feel the tension of the life-and-death struggle of predator and prey from the comfort of one's own sofa as Fonda, Stack, and Parker stalk the wildest of the wild animals. Readers might also be interested to know that this 31-minute video is a "Burt Reynolds Pick." ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide
- 1991
For vicarious thrills, Curt Gowdy's short-lived American Sportsman video series fits the bill. In this episode, watch as brave souls tempt death through a variety of thrill-seeking activities including climbing some of the world's tallest mountains and hang-gliding off some lesser peaks. Some people like to do. Some people like to watch. And sometimes the watchers are inspired to get out there and try something that terrifies them. That dynamic is at the core of this adventure video. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide
In this youthful drama, Tom, a 14- year-old who's parents have just divorced, is abruptly uprooted from his wealthy Chicago home and sent to the strange land of LA to live in the far-out beach bungalow of his aunt, an aging hippie still stuck in a by-gone era. He is unhappy with the new arrangement and finds his new bohemian lifestyle strange and the activities of his new peers, stupid. His life begins to change a bit when he befriends a young surfer named Fin. At first he thinks of the fun-loving Fin as a real dolt, but later he admits he was wrong. Like the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn characters on which they are loosely based, the two new friends soon find themselves having a series of adventures, some of them dangerous; by the summer's end, Tom finds himself wiser, accustomed to California, and a lot more grown up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landes, Brian Austin Green, (more)
As autumn falls over the land and the North American Whitetail emerges from the forest, cameras roll to capture these majestic creatures in their natural surroundings. From trophy bucks to does and fawns, this release follows the frolicking animals as they endure the cold winds of winter, experience the renewing power of spring, and nourish themselves with the glorious gifts of summer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
We know we're in a 1988 film when we're invited to laugh at O.J. Simpson in an opening slapstick sequence. We can also pinpoint the year of production when hard-nosed cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), during a scuffle with the world's leading dictators, wipes the wine-colored birthmark off the head of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. Those wacky ZAZ boys -- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker -- serve up a feature-length spin-off of their cult favorite TV show Police Squad!. Seeking vengeance when his partner (Simpson) is shot full of holes by drug dealers, dead-pan and dead-brained Lt. Frank Drebin searches for the Mister Big behind it all. Drebin suspects above-reproach shipping magnate Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), but he can't prove a thing. Bumped from the force by the mayor (Nancy Marchand), Drebin, with the unexpected assistance of Ludwig's ex-girlfriend (Priscilla Presley), manages to nab the bad guy at a baseball game, where Reggie Jackson has been programmed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. MGM mogul Irving Thalberg once reportedly told the Marx Brothers, "You can't build jokes on top of jokes." The producers of Naked Gun prove otherwise; indeed, one could develop writer's cramp just listing the gags in the film's first 20 minutes. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad was followed by two lesser but still hilarious sequels, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy, (more)
Opting for light entertainment after the critical satire of Shampoo (1975), producer-director-writer-star Warren Beatty remade the 1941 comic fantasy Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Dimly amiable L.A. Rams quarterback Joe Pendleton (Beatty) is prematurely called to Heaven by an over-eager escort (Buck Henry, who co-directed) after a traffic accident. When archangel Mr. Jordan (James Mason) discovers the error, he offers to return Joe to his body, only to find that it has been cremated. On the verge of playing in the Super Bowl, Joe demands a fit body rather than the old about-to-be-murdered industrialist Farnsworth he has been offered, but he reconsiders when he sees environmentalist Betty Logan (Julie Christie) in Farnsworth's house. Assuming Farnsworth's body while keeping his sweet self, Joe hires his beloved coach Max Corkle (Jack Warden) to get him in shape (after convincing Max who he really is), sets Farnsworth's business on an eco-friendly path, and romances Betty. Farnsworth's homicidal wife (Dyan Cannon) and secretary (Charles Grodin), however, are still determined to succeed in their plan to kill him. When Mr. Jordan finally finds the Super Bowl body Joe wanted, Joe has to trade his old self for the new life -- but will he remember his love for Betty? Heaven Can Wait offered contemporary yet old-fashioned escapism and tapped into the late-1970s vogue for nostalgic fun, becoming one of 1978's most popular summer movies after Grease. Updating the original while following its blueprint, Beatty and co-writer Elaine May switched Joe's sport and turned Joe into a man of his '70s moment, adoring Betty for her convictions and favoring "green" policies over corporate greed. Gently breathing life into a classic form, Heaven Can Wait found romantic innocence in a jaded time, and it went on to receive nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, (more)
- 1977
Relive every fastball and crack of the bat in this video retrospective of the 1977 World Series, which saw the New York Yankees square off against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Viewers will see all the action of this electrifying series, which featured the Dodgers powerhouse lineup of four 30-home-run hitters and culminated in the Yankees first series title in 15 years. Reggie Jackson, the series MVP, iced the Yankees victory cake in Game 6 by belting three homers on three consecutive pitches. ~ Scott Albright, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Get hooked on one of America's favorite outdoor activities. From the American Sportsman video series, Fresh Water Fishing takes you angling in all types of climate and terrain, from Iceland to Africa. The film is hosted by former radio voice of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and host of The American Sportsman, Curt Gowdy. Joining Gowdy on the fishing expedition is Richard Crenna, best known as Luke McCoy in the popular 1950s and 1960s television series The Real McCoys, and Peter O'Toole, the leading English actor of the 1960s and 1970s. Crenna and O'Toole try their luck, skill, and patience in hooking tiger fish and the mighty fighting salmon. The film offers celebrity flair and style as the team casts their lines in some of the greatest freshwater fishing spots in the world. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
In this release that offers a closer look at the growing popularity of bow-hunting among seasoned outdoorsmen, narrator Curt Gowdy follows hunters on five north country hunts on pursuit of the elusive North American Whitetail. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Turkey calling is a tricky game, and in this release the pros travel to some of the country's best hunting sites to share their techniques, and offer a series of tried and true tips designed to send that little gobbler right into the crosshairs. When Brad Harris travels to Missouri odds are he's going to walk away with a winning bird, and when the cameras visit Eddie Salter in Florida, hunters get an up close look at one of the best outdoorsmen in the country doing what he does best. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The second installment of the "King of the North" hunting series arrives in this release that follows some of the most evenhanded outdoorsmen around as they lock on to the trail of the elusive North American whitetail. Armed with nothing more than old-time muzzleloaders and modern day scope rifles, these contemporary hunter-gatherers set their aim as narrator Curt Gowdy offers tips on not coming home from the hunt empty handed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Renowned fishing expert Curt Gowdy hosts this video about salt water fishing. Guest celebrities try their luck at catching fish fresh from the ocean. Larry Hagman, Terry Bradshaw, and members of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team all reveal their favorite fishing techniques in this lighthearted salt water fishing guide. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide
