WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY, THE: BRIAN'S SONG (TV)
Summary
One of this series of Disney movies presented under the umbrella title "The Wonderful World of Disney." This made-for-television production is a remake of the 1971 made-for-television movie about the life and early death of Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo and his friendship with teammate and Hall of Fame member Gale Sayers. The program opens with Michael Eisner, the president of Walt Disney, discussing this "retelling." The program begins at the Chicago Bears' training camp in 1965 as Brian struggles with his speed on the field. Then, the "Kansas Comet" Gale arrives at training camp, with Brian being told by teammate Bill Filbert that Gale is an "uppity" black man. Brian immediately goes to introduce himself to the aloof Gale, trying to use his humor to break the ice. Continuing to play the jokester, Brian tells Gale to speak to Coach George Halas only in his right ear, claiming the man is deaf in his left. Gale goes to meet with the coach, loudly yelling in his right ear. Gale is told that he will have to beat out Brian, among others, to win the Bears starting running back job. Then, the coach reveals to Gale that Brian played a trick on him. Later, in the lunch hall, Gale is mocked by Brian and his white teammates before he goes to sit near some black teammates. Brian is amused that Gale won't even talk to black teammates and thus joins him for lunch. Brian wonders if Gale simply doesn't like people. Then, Brian causes Gale to get fined for talking while an assistant coach addresses the group. Later, during drills, Brian continues to razz Gale, wondering if he has a girl's name. In a scrimmage, Gale shows his remarkable abilities by easily scoring a touchdown. Not wanting to get beaten out for the starting job, Brian works late into the night on his skills. There, Gale tells a belligerent Brian that he is nothing but a flash in the pan.
At the next day's practice, Brian misses a block and the quarterback gets leveled, resulting in Brian earning more criticism. Meanwhile, Coach Halas decides to start a new policy of rooming black and white players together. His guinea pigs are Gale and Brian. Both players are less than pleased with the situation, though Brian thinks he is going to be cut anyway. Then, Gale tells him that their rooming arrangement wouldn't have been put in place if Brian were being cut. That night, Brian dines with his wife Joy as well as some other teammates and their wives, who mock him for rooming with "a colored person." Brian claims that he doesn't care about Gale's color, just his snooty attitude. Meanwhile, Gale's wife Linda advises him against rooming with "a white guy." At their opening day game against Detroit, Gale has a great game while Brian can only watch on the sidelines. Afterward, the shy Gale struggles to speak with the press and the outgoing Brian takes over with the reporters. The reporters eat up Brian's shtick. As the season goes on, the Bears and Gale in particular continue to dominate. One night, Brian reads Gale some racist hate mail he has received for rooming with him. Brian tells Gale about his teammates thinking him uppity and encourages him to develop a better rapport. Then, Brian invites Gale to go out to dinner with some white teammates. Gale pretends he'll go along, glorying in the teammates' discomfort since they're in Georgia. He then declines, much to everyone's relief. By season's end, Gale has been named Rookie of the Year after putting up record-breaking numbers. Meanwhile, Gale wonders to Linda if he should instead be focusing his efforts on the civil rights movement.
At the NFL awards ceremony, Gale accepts his Rookie of the Year trophy but struggles to give a speech. Afterward, Brian mocks Gale's speech and tells him that he will take his job next season. Meanwhile, Linda and Joy exchange awkward introductions. At training camp for the 1966-67 season, Brian shows up in better shape than ever, but still doesn't make the starting lineup for the first exhibition game. Nevertheless, Brian continues to work on his game late into the night. There, Gale comes to speak with Brian, commending his effort. Then, at a game versus San Francisco, Gale goes down with a severe knee injury and is soon laid up in the hospital. Brian visits him there, telling Gale that his football career isn't over. Gale is angered at Brian for being so nice. Brian tells Gale his own story of determination. Brian claims he is not satisfied to take the starting job from Gale under such circumstances and will train him to be fully recovered by the next season. In a game against Detroit, Brian has a dominating performance, inspiring Gale to begin his rehabilitation. With Brian at his side, Gale trains in his garage. One day, Joy and Linda compare notes on being football wives. Meanwhile, Gale and Brian exercise together, with both discussing how they "envy" the other's position in life. By training camp for the 1969-70 season, Gale and Brian have become fast friends and workout partners. Gale admits to Brian that he would have given up if not for him. Then, Coach Halas tells Brian that he has been made starting fullback, now in the same backfield with Gale. That night, Gale and Linda and Brian and Joy go out to dinner. At the first game of the season, Gale and Brian dominate in victory.
After the game, the assistant coach notices that Brian is continuing to get skinnier and slower. Meanwhile, Brian continues to have a hacking cough which keeps him up at night. Joy thinks something is truly wrong with her husband. During one game, Brian can't stop coughing on the sidelines and Gale notices. After the game, Coach Halas wonders to Gale what is wrong with Brian, stating that it is time to bench him. Gale tells Brian that he better go see a doctor while back in Chicago, but Brian is furious at everyone's reaction to his "allergies." Brian finally goes to the doctor's office, where he learns he has a tumor. Brian is forced to go to a prestigious New York hospital to have his embryonal cell carcinoma removed. Coach Halas calls in Gale to tell him the unfortunate news. Gale gathers his teammates together to inform them about Brian's cancer and that they should all dedicate themselves to winning a game in his honor. Later, Brian's teammates visit him in the hospital and buoy his spirits before surgery, despite having lost the game "dedicated" to him. Soon, Brian is out of the hospital and enjoying a barbecue with Joy, his two young daughters, friends, and teammates. Though he puts on a happy face, Brian continues to feel pain in his chest and is concerned about his mortality. Soon, Brian flies back to New York for a radical mastectomy to remove a new lesion in the left pectoral muscle. Brian insists to his doctor that he will play football again. Meanwhile, Gale struggles on the gridiron without Brian blocking for him. After Brian's surgery, he is visited by the recently retired Coach Halas, who insists that he will continue to pay for all of the Piccolos' medical expenses. Later, more cancer is found in Brian's lung, necessitating its removal. Joy calls on Gale and Laura for support. Gale is at Brian's side as he learns about his new health setback.
That year at the NFL banquet, Gale wins the George S. Halas award for the "most courageous player" in pro football. This time, he doesn't struggle to speak as he pours his heart out about Brian., accepting the award in his honor Afterward, Brian speaks with Gale on the phone about his speech, and the results of the lung operation. Brian feels the end is near as he finally verbalizes to Joy what she always asked to hear: that he loves her. Then, Gale and Linda arrive at the hospital, getting the latest news from Joy that cancer has spread to Brian's liver. Gale speaks with Brian, who discusses what he had hoped for his future as they essentially say their goodbyes. Afterward, Gale cries in Linda's arms. Finally, Joy goes in to talk with Brian one last time, tearfully declaring her devotion to him and stating that she'll continue to see him in the faces of their girls. Graphics reveal that Brian died on June 16, 1970 at the age of twenty-six. Following the film, actress Paula Cale -- who plays Joy -- discusses ways to help in the fight against cancer. Includes commercials.
(Network varies; this series was also telecast on NBC from 1961 to 1981 and on CBS from 1981 to 1983.)
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: December 2, 2001 Sunday 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:59:25
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:68978
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Football; Cancer
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1997-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "A Beautiful Mind" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - AT&T calling plans
- TV - Commercials - Be Koool gel pads
- TV - Commercials - Bissell carpet cleaners
- TV - Commercials - Cheerios cereal
- TV - Commercials - Chex Party Mix
- TV - Commercials - Cingular wireless
- TV - Commercials - Disney home videos
- TV - Commercials - Disney theme parks
- TV - Commercials - Dodge automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Domino's pizza
- TV - Commercials - Energizer batteries
- TV - Commercials - Fannie Mae Foundation credit information
- TV - Commercials - Fisher-Price Power Wheels toy
- TV - Commercials - Fuji film
- TV - Commercials - Glade scented candles
- TV - Commercials - Glad kitchen bags
- TV - Commercials - Hallmark stores
- TV - Commercials - Hershey's Kisses candies
- TV - Commercials - Honda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Johnson & Johnson products
- TV - Commercials - Kay Jewelers
- TV - Commercials - Kleenex tissues
- TV - Commercials - Lancome perfume
- TV - Commercials - Mail Boxes Etc.
- TV - Commercials - MasterCard credit cards
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - NFL for the United Way
- TV - Commercials - Office of National Drug Control Policy and Partnership for a Drug-Free America
- TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Payless shoes stores
- TV - Commercials - Procrit anemia medication
- TV - Commercials - Resolve stain remover
- TV - Commercials - Saran Quick Covers
- TV - Commercials - Sears stores
- TV - Commercials - Sizzler restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Sony Intel processors
- TV - Commercials - Sprint wireless
- TV - Commercials - State Farm Insurance
- TV - Commercials - Target stores
- TV - Commercials - Toys "R" Us stores
- TV - Commercials - Wal-Mart stores
- TV - Commercials - Walt Disney organization
- TV - Commercials - Welch's grape juice
- TV - Commercials - Yahoo! internet site
- TV - Commercials - www.VisitCalifornia.com
- TV - Promos - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
- TV - Promos - "According to Jim"
- TV - Promos - "Alias"
- TV - Promos - "Dharma & Greg"
- TV - Promos - "Eyewitness News"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Monday Night Countdown"
- TV - Promos - "Monday Night Football"
- TV - Promos - "My Wife & Kids"
- TV - Promos - "Oprah"
- TV - Promos - "Sportscentury: Brian Piccolo" on ESPN
- TV - Promos - "The Drew Carey Show"
- TV - Promos - "The Parent Trap" (1998)
- TV - Promos - "The Practice"
- TV - Promos - "The Wonderful World of Disney: Santa Who?"
- TV - Promos - "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Celebrity Edition"
CREDITS
- Craig Zadan … Executive Producer
- Neil Meron … Executive Producer
- Dave Mace … Producer
- John M. Eckert … Producer
- Stephanie Hagen … Associate Producer
- John Gray … Director, Writer
- Allen Clare … Writer
- Gale Sayers … Based on "I Am Third" by
- Al Silverman … Based on "I Am Third" by
- Richard Marvin … Music by
- Michel Legrand … Theme Music by
- Michael Eisner … Host
- Sean Maher … Cast, Brian Piccolo
- Mekhi Phifer … Cast, Gale Sayers
- Paula Cale … Cast, Joy Piccolo
- Elise Neal … Cast, Linda Sayers
- Aidan Devine … Cast, Abe Gibron
- Dean McDermott … Cast, Ralph Kurek
- Ben Gazzara … Cast, Coach Gerorge Halas
- Michael Boisvert … Cast, Jack Concannon
- Jeff Ironi … Cast, Dick Butkus
- Shane Daly … Cast, Bill Filbert
- Bruce Gooch … Cast, Ed McCaskey
- Craig Eldridge … Cast, Doctor Beattie
- Michael Millar … Cast, Doctor Fox
- Shawn Lawrence … Cast, Doctor O'Conner
- Erika Cohen … Cast, Nurse
- Carley Marie Alves … Cast, Traci Piccolo
- Janessa Crimi … Cast, Lori Piccolo
- Patrick Salvagna … Cast, Brian Piccolo at 10
- Michael Birkett … Cast, Gale Sayers at 10
- Nigel Hamer … Cast, Master of Ceremonies
- James Arnold … Cast, Reporter #1
- Edgar George … Cast, Reporter #2
- Howard Hoover … Cast, TV Sportscaster
- Gary Fruchtman … Cast, Toastmaster
- Andrea Garnett … Cast, Gale's Mother
- Marvin Hinz … Cast, Brian's Father
- Tony Meyler … Cast, Gale's Father