I remember my days at college in the Boston area doing a sports prognostication show every Friday called Pro Profit. It was 15 minutes long radio show emanating from my college radio station WMLN. My partner and myself would predict the winners of the NFL games played that Sunday. We would write a two to three line reason why our particular team would win that day and predict the spread as well.( Gambling in it's purest form.) Anyway, my friend one Friday on the air predicted the Bears would beat the Vikings despite having terrible team with a eight game losing streak at hand. It also happened to be the anniversary of the death of Smokey the Bear who passed away in a Washington D.C. Zoo two years earlier. My partner closed his prediction as follows, "Except for the great running back Walter Payton the Bears have no offensive line and no defense but their motto is simple, "Win One For Smokey!" I lost it! Uncontrolled laughter filled the air-waves. Now what does this story have to do with this review? Absolutely nothing! Brian Song was introduced on Monday Night football by the brash pompous Howard Cosell during halftime. Mrs. Joy Piccolo was interviewed by promoting the made for TV film about her husband who was tragically taken by Cancer at the age of 26. Joy also was raising money for Cancer research. This movie was shown on the ABC network the following week. The movie starts in Chronological order as an errant punt heading past black running back Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) is picked up by white rival running back Brian Piccolo (James Caan) who give him bogus advice that Coach Halas (Jack Warden) has hearing problem in one ear. Sayers was called into Halas's office Sayers keeps moving around to try to speak into Halas's good ear. Revenge on teammate Piccolo comes quickly as the tradition in NFL training camps is for all the rookies to stand up during dinner and sing their College fight song. It's Piccolo's turn to sing his fight song from his Alma Matter Wake Forest University. As he sings Gale put and extra helping of mash potatoes with gravy on his chair. To the as he finished to the displeasure of the Bears players, Brian plops down on the chair in disgust. This cements their bond, relationship as Black player and White set a precedent rooming together as both men make NFL history in that regard of racial unity. One reporter asks Gale if he objects to having a white roommate and he replies, He won't let me use the bathroom. Racial jokes fly throughout the movie in good spirit as Brian who is rehabbing/training Gale after a knee injury to motivate him tries to call him the N word. James Caan does a fine job with the southern drawl although the real Brian Piccolo looks more like Burt Reynolds, I had no problem with the chemistry between Williams and Caan. Jack Warden who always seems to a play a sports coach to some capacity plays the legendary Poppa Bear with compassion and warmth. A heartrending scene when a little girl in the hospital wanted an autographed ball from Brian as Joy Picollo (Shelley Faberes) asked the nurse which room she was convalescing in? The Nurse said that the girl died this morning. The movie had the feel of a Marcus Welby MD episode with the same sets and music. Stock footage of the real Gale Sayers shows his dynamic running style of misdirection fooling opposing defensive linemen. Despite the inaccuracies and continuity issues of the actual places these events were held, it's still a great Television experience winning several EMMY Awards. To Quote Gale Sayers in one of his speeches, "I love Brian Piccolo and I hope all of you love him too."

There seems to be a pattern among the greatest of the ABC Movies of the Week, movies such as Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Trilogy of Terror, Duel, among others. While the style of the TV movie looks much the same as others (due to TV-sized budgets), the story is so involving that it transcends its style. "Brian's Song" is a perfect example of this.The story emotionally connects us with Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers almost immediately. We care about what happens to the characters, and the chemistry Billy Dee Williams and James Caan have together totally sells the viewer on their friendship. As the plot thickens, our connection with the characters carries us through. Even though the style of the movie is a bit shoddy and carries a bit of '70s cheesiness, it adds to the charm of the movie and doesn't really matter as one watches it.Personally, I loved this movie and I did tear up. I don't think it's possible to watch this movie without doing so. The remake doesn't hold a candle to this.

When this film began production,Brian Piccolo had only been gone for six months.As a result,most of the film takes on the atmosphere of being rushed to production.It has an obvious look that they were given a very small time frame to get this film made.They rushed it.Also,you have real,honest to goodness football players trying to act.They are trying to come across as though they are not reading their lines as they speak,but it's obvious that they are.All of that being said,Brian's Song is still an enjoyable film because of it's story.You are watching a friendship develop,evolve,and flourish into a brotherly love.This is the hook that keeps you watching,and ultimately brings you back to see it again.

of their friendship.I have the film on VHS so I don't know what the DVD extras provided. I did read Sayers book "I am Third" (referencing how he prioritizes himself) decades ago and IIRC Brian and Gale did room together. They also played the same position on the team. They also came aboard the Bears team at the same time. I imagine Gale is embarrassed by the way the Movie makes their relationship almost supernatural in it's heroic nature. In his book he devotes a chapter to Brian and makes it clear that Brian's death affected him and helped add perspective to certain things. The fact that these 2 existed together and competed against each other and found friendship during such a seminal moment in the USA's history is worthy of note.Their real life stories contain the flavor of a contemporary Greek tragedy: 2 men with gifted physical attributes. One of the men from a place where friendship among such equals is forbidden (think Ben Hur's Messala), the other man (of superior physical gifts - think Ben Hur) from a place where judgments are rendered in a more civil way. Both men full of physical courage who learn the nature and importance of philosophical courage (think Hector or Achilles). And when both men have endured much and given much to strangers and each other, when both men feel they understand how unfair and wrong the world can be, fate requires they learn the most painful of lessons: That whatever the injustice, Death (incarnate) is the most callous and unfeeling of teachers.