Football Friday Begins!

It’s what we in Kansas City, Missouri call “Red Friday” as it’s the Friday before our Kansas City Chiefs play on Sunday. We as fans put on our Chiefs clothing and accessories to get the football weekend started off right. We decorate our cars. Last week, downtown KC was all decked out in Chiefs Kingdom flags and Chiefs Arrowheads painted on grass areas. And though things in their 1-3 pre-season and 0-1 regular season aren’t looking so hot as they prepare to host the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium, I thought that the rest of this season we could take a look at some classic football movies here on Losh-Man’s Hollywood Classics each Friday (or a day previous to game-day if the Chiefs play on a Thursday for example). And, tomorrow, I will be in Columbia, Missouri attending my first Missouri Tigers Football game with my Son who is a Junior there at the University Of Missouri!

As you already know, I am a huge Jimmy Stewart Fan, so I have to start out with his movie Navy Blue & Gold.

Sam Wood directed this 1937 film based on the George Bruce book and stars Jimmy Stewart, Robert Young and Lionel Barrymore. Stewart is ‘Truck Cross Carter”, an ambitious young man who takes great career risk by joining the Naval Academy under only part of his name, hoping to clear the name of his falsely accused and dishonorably discharged father, and becomes part of the Navy football team. And of course, who could forget Jimmy, dressed in a Bedford Falls Football uniform that doesn’t fit his skinny frame in this clip with Donna Reed  from “It’s A Wonderful Life”

Next up on today’s list is Knute Rockne-All American.

This 1940 film was directed by Lloyd Bacon and William K Howard, based on the Robert Buckner screenplay and the personal accounts of Mrs Rockne and Knute’s friends and associates. It features the story of legendary Notre Dame Fighting Irish player and Coach George Gipp “The Gipper” played by then actor and later U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his star player Knute Rockne-played by Pat O’ Brien, and Gale Page as Mrs Bonnie Rockne. Everyone knows the saying that George Gipp immortalized “Win one for ‘The Gipper’!”

So, Happy Football Friday from Losh-Man’s Hollywood Classics! Enjoy rooting on your favorite teams this weekend-though I hope they are the Missouri Tigers and Kansas City Chiefs!