Brian's Song

Nov. 3o, 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of Brian's Song. The story and message remains strong and very relevant. ‘Brian’s Song’ is forever

 

Yes it was. Many lessons learned my friend.

 

I saw it in my 5th or 6th grade class in the 70's. Great to see Gale Sayers then dude dies and we're like "what just happened?"

 

I hadn't seen the movie until a few years ago, but I had read Jeannie Morris' book on Piccolo, "A Short Season."

The end of the book, in which his wife is about to enter the room to be told he was dead, and was told by one of the McCaskeys (if I remember correctly) the line that Piccolo would frequently repeat to everyone, "You can't cry, it's a league rule," always gets me.

 

I recently learned that Curt Flood's widow, Judy Pace, played Gale Sayers' wife.

 

I always thought his playing career would have suffered after that farm lady smashed his ankles with the sledgehammer.

 

Great casting of Shelley Fabares as Mrs. Piccolo ... or anything else she was cast for (Donna Reed Show, Coach, etc.).

 

Vaccaro with a pretty good column today, 50 years after Sayers' tribute to Brian Piccolo.

https://nypost.com/2020/05/25/gale-sayers-moving-brians-song-tribute-turns-50/

“Compare his courage with the kind I’m supposed to possess. There was never any doubt that I’d return, knee injury or no. But think of Brian and his fortitude in the months since last November, in and out of hospitals, hoping to play football again, but not too sure at any time what the score was or might be. He has the heart of a giant. He has the mental attitude that makes me proud to have a friend who spells out the word ‘courage’ 24 hours a day, every day of his life.”

He paused. Six hundred men in tuxedos sat in silence, glassy-eyed, numb. Then, somehow, Gale Sayers summoned the strength to finish his speech with this: “You flatter me by giving me this award, but I tell you here and now that I accept it for Brian Piccolo. Brian Piccolo is the man of courage who should receive the George S. Halas Award. It is mine tonight, it is Brian Piccolo’s tomorrow.

“I love Brian Piccolo, and I’d like all of you to love him, too. And tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him.”​

 

You may know, Nanet Fabrey was her aunt.

 

Probably the best made-for-TV movie ever. We watched it in high school. Billy Dee Williams was great as Sayers. The movie had some comic relief as well to balance the sad.

 

I must be a ghoul. In fourth grade, I sat dry-eyed through "Brian's Song" and "Ole Yeller." My deskmate cried over everything: movies, scholastic McGraw Hill movies and film strips, The Little Drummer Boy... After the "Ole Yeller" screening it became my designated task to walk him out to the hallway to cry it out.

Now I cry over everything. Darren grew up to be a female Louisiana state prison guard.