Charlton Heston's second of three films with director Tom Gries was this film set in the world of pro football. Heston plays a quarterback who's seen his best days, but just wants to hear the roar of the crowd. I can't think of another reason he could possibly have to stay.
Later on his career Heston played in a really great film about pro football, Any Given Sunday where he played the Commissioner of the game. Number One is seen from a different angle, that of the player who sees nothing out there for him when he's through hence he keeps going. Heston has not even heard too many cheers lately, in fact in a bad performance as the film opens he gets quite a few boos. Sports fans can be mighty fickle.
Football has a caste system more than any other team sports. The glamor guys are the backfield and the line are the grunts whose job it is to protect the glamorous ones who score the points. Two other portrayals of aging football players that of Roy Jenson and Bruce Dern. Jenson has one scene with Heston where he hits him up for a touch after a game and briefly and movingly describes his rather bitter life after the career was over.
Dern is different. As he puts it so eloquently he'd play a game on Sunday and he'd hurt through Tuesday. When he started hurting through Saturday it was time to quit. Smart man, as a running back and a glamor guy buy definition he's used his celebrity to build a nice profitable automobile leasing business and is looking to diversify. Next to Heston I liked him best in the film.
Dern typifies something that Stan Musial said about baseball. He knew when to quit when just getting into the uniform and playing a kid's game for lots of money ceased to be fun. Heston should have heeded his and Dern's advice.
A couple of women in Heston's life are wife Jessica Walter and football groupie Diana Muldaur. Walter has a very successful fashion designing business and hangs around with a crowd that Heston hates. It's the whole macho thing with Heston, but he also envies the fact they and the wife are making a success of something they love and are talented in.
Number One ranks up there with other great football films like the aforementioned Any Given Sunday. Heston paid great tribute to Tom Gries as a great director in his memoirs. His three films with Heston, Will Penny, Number One, and The Hawaiians give testimony to that.
Later on his career Heston played in a really great film about pro football, Any Given Sunday where he played the Commissioner of the game. Number One is seen from a different angle, that of the player who sees nothing out there for him when he's through hence he keeps going. Heston has not even heard too many cheers lately, in fact in a bad performance as the film opens he gets quite a few boos. Sports fans can be mighty fickle.
Football has a caste system more than any other team sports. The glamor guys are the backfield and the line are the grunts whose job it is to protect the glamorous ones who score the points. Two other portrayals of aging football players that of Roy Jenson and Bruce Dern. Jenson has one scene with Heston where he hits him up for a touch after a game and briefly and movingly describes his rather bitter life after the career was over.
Dern is different. As he puts it so eloquently he'd play a game on Sunday and he'd hurt through Tuesday. When he started hurting through Saturday it was time to quit. Smart man, as a running back and a glamor guy buy definition he's used his celebrity to build a nice profitable automobile leasing business and is looking to diversify. Next to Heston I liked him best in the film.
Dern typifies something that Stan Musial said about baseball. He knew when to quit when just getting into the uniform and playing a kid's game for lots of money ceased to be fun. Heston should have heeded his and Dern's advice.
A couple of women in Heston's life are wife Jessica Walter and football groupie Diana Muldaur. Walter has a very successful fashion designing business and hangs around with a crowd that Heston hates. It's the whole macho thing with Heston, but he also envies the fact they and the wife are making a success of something they love and are talented in.
Number One ranks up there with other great football films like the aforementioned Any Given Sunday. Heston paid great tribute to Tom Gries as a great director in his memoirs. His three films with Heston, Will Penny, Number One, and The Hawaiians give testimony to that.