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The Gordie Howe Story

Very much looking forward to it. Most of the CBCs movies are well done. I thought the Summit Series one they did a few years ago was outstanding.
 
Best one was the Ted Lindsay one Net Worth from 1995. At least I think it was CBC....either way it was a made-for-TV based on real events story. The Cherry one seemed too fictionalized/exaggerated and Summit one was probably biased but they were both good.
 
Interesting, and yes I agree, CBC usually does these well. Michael Shanks in the lead is a little... meh. He's not really "rugged" per se' the way Howe was, the guy they cast as Bobby Hull though, Lochlyn Munro, ex-Jr hockey player before an injury put a halt to his NHL dreams. Could pass for Hull vaguely with the right make-up etc. Best job Ive seen of any actor playing a hockey player was Roy Dupuis as Maurice Richard, and I thought Jared Keeso as Don Cherry also did an excellent job of it, the principals from Net Worth & The Summit Series, along with Miracle on Ice also doing bang up jobs of it... Looking forward to seeing this...
 
Killion said:
Interesting, and yes I agree, CBC usually does these well. Michael Shanks in the lead is a little... meh. He's not really "rugged" per se' the way Howe was, the guy they cast as Bobby Hull though, Lochlyn Munro, ex-Jr hockey player before an injury put a halt to his NHL dreams. Could pass for Hull vaguely with the right make-up etc. Best job Ive seen of any actor playing a hockey player was Roy Dupuis as Maurice Richard, and I thought Jared Keeso as Don Cherry also did an excellent job of it, the principals from Net Worth & The Summit Series, along with Miracle on Ice also doing bang up jobs of it... Looking forward to seeing this...
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Yes, Dupuis was a natural for the role. He was able to get the Rocket's "look", piercing eyes, full of fire and overall temperament. From what I saw in the trailer of (Shanks yelling at a coach I assume is Harry Neale), I was confused. I have never seen Gordie Howe ever get mad. And there isn't enough video out there that shows him laying an unsuspecting elbow in the corner. Its almost mythical to me that Howe could be so vicious, because he was always so classy and gentle with his words off ice.
 
LeBlondeDemon10 said:
Its almost mythical to me that Howe could be so vicious, because he was always so classy and gentle with his words off ice.
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Ya, honestly, I think a lot of its revisionist, sensationalized and blown out of all proportion, dramatised to the nth degree, then erroneously put forth as fact. Well, I grew up watching the 06 pre 67 Expansion, and I really dont remember seeing anything flagrant from Howe with respect to hits, dirty play, emotional outbursts etc because there werent any. Least ways nothing I ever saw, heard or read about. He played clean, rough at times I guess, but in control. He bided his time, almost plodding to some degree. Wasnt any kind of a hair-trigger loony tune, and in fact the vast majority of players during that era were of the same ilk. You had guys like Eddie Shack of course, outliers like Cowboy Howie Young, but Man, it was rare to see anyone ever totally snap & when they did the fights that ensued but for a few real ugly incidents, over pretty quickly, just a lot of jawing, Lindsay or whoever making his way to the Penalty Box. So yes, a lot of it has gained Mythical Status because thats precisely what it is, Myth, larger than life and not fact.
 
MetalheadPenguinsFan said:
So who else besides me watched this last night? :)
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I did! And man Colleen sure was a looker! Other than that I thought the attitudes of Gordie's sons was interesting as far as not really being thrilled about the idea of playing with him at first and their being uncomfortable with his 'dirty' playing style.
 
Was the goon on the Minnesota Fighting Saints supposed to be Curt Brackenbury?

Also, the Houston radio announcer really sounds like Curt Kielback, the long time announcer for the Jets/Coyotes.
 
Keilback did play the Houston Aeros announcer. And the Fighting Saints goon was none other than the 'mythical' Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe, the actor was definitely a lot taller than Goldie.

The biopic was completely panned by my local newspaper, however the critic had no idea what he was talking about. I thought it did a fair job at capturing the WHA of 1973-74 and Howe's comeback decision. I think the critics, and public were hoping for a more broad look at Howe, ala Cherry and the Rocket biographies, but I liked the take on this project, it was different and I feel such a broad biopic of Howe, stretching 32 years of a career into a 2 hour bio wouldn't do justice. Munro was a treat as Hull.

I would really love to see a biopic on Doug Harvey or Terry Sawchuk though, both tragic figures, although I think people tend to mythicize Doug Harvey's descent. Yes he lived in a private railroad car, but it was not an old boxcar in the woods, rather living out his final years working with the Habs as a scout before dying of cirrhosis of the liver from those years of heavy drinking.

Sawchuk on the other hand, you cannot get more tragic than that.
 
I liked the movie. Caught it last night ( I love that in the detroit metro area we get cbc :) ). I liked how it focused on more than just hockey. I thought it was cool that it showed a good bit of in between time during that year of his. Granted it all happened before I was born so I cannot say if it was accuratley represented. But I did think it was a classy way of giving Mr. Hockey some spotlight as his health is starting to slip.
 
LeBlondeDemon10 said:
You can watch it on cbc.ca
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I'll check that out LBD. Have they posted it so you can watch it in its entirety? I looked lastnight but all they had was a short & extended promo. You'd think a public broadcaster would be required to provide live-streaming and or immediate access to whatever program's theyve' aired or are being aired in real-time, then immediately linking it so people in Japan or wherever (let alone Canadians who mightve missed it) can watch whatever at their convenience. Knowledge Network here in BC along with I believe TVO in Ontario & west to Manitoba do just that.

GummoMarx said:
I would really love to see a biopic on Doug Harvey or Terry Sawchuk....
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Ya, theres all kinds of material, storylines available that would make for gripping & fascinating dramatisations, full length movies. One that you might not have seen that seems much forgotten is 1993's Gross Misconduct; The Life of Brian (Spinner) Spencer....

now, theres a tragic tale. Book by the same name.
 
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Oh dammit I forgot all about it after looking forward to it for two weeks. Hopefully CBC will show it again on TV because, would rather watch this on a TV than internet.
 
Killion said:
Ya, theres all kinds of material, storylines available that would make for gripping & fascinating dramatisations, full length movies. One that you might not have seen that seems much forgotten is 1993's Gross Misconduct; The Life of Brian (Spinner) Spencer....

now, theres a tragic tale. Book by the same name.
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Ah yes, I forgot Gross Misconduct. I remember watching it when I was 10 when it was aired, very unsettling feeling after watching it; haunting story.
 
GummoMarx said:
Ah yes, I forgot Gross Misconduct. I remember watching it when I was 10 when it was aired, very unsettling feeling after watching it; haunting story.
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Ya, whether you were 10 or 50, unsettling. Beyond tragic... the book pretty heavy, hard to take. The movie same, but not quite as much.
 
Hobnobs said:
Is this as revisionist as the Cherry story was?
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I didn't think the Cherry story was revisionist, but then again I am not aware of the details of his hockey career. As discussed above, there appears to be certain mythology created about Gordie Howe. The movie starts out with scenes of his days with the Red Wings and talking about the Gordie Howe hattrick. If you've been following this forum, that myth has been debunked. Another scene shows Howe and Hull tussling during a faceoff. Highly unlikely imo. Hull idolized Howe. And just how dirty was Howe? There are a few scenes where he gives blatant elbows clear for anyone to see. Cheap shot, sucker punch style. And for no particular reason. This is not the Howe I have heard about. I heard that he would go into the corner and deliver a elbow or butt end for a reason and nobody would see him do it. There would just be a player laying in the corner after the play had moved on. There also a scene with a goon from the MFS calling out Howe. Highly unlikely imo.

The most realistic parts of the movie may have been the family life portraying Colleen Howe as the family administrator and the scenes of Norris, Ballard and Smythe dissing the rebel league. But did Norris really rip down all the Howe memorabilia in the old Detroit arena after Howe turned successful in the WHA? CBC usually does a good job with its movies, but this one was too dressed up for me.
 
You know, the actor just didn't sell me on Howe. Watching the "Rocket" you immediately said that Roy Dupuis nailed the role, even down to the eyes. Jared Kesso was the guy playing Don Cherry in the Cherry story and he nailed that to a tee as well. I think the Cherry story was far from just a revisionist tale. We've heard Cherry's stories on Coach's Corner a million times and they all played out on the screen. Plus, his son Tim was the one doing the movie, so you know things were accurate, which they were. As for the Howe story, I don't know, it didn't sit well with me overall. They really made Colleen out to be a hardliner although my goodness what a babe she was in 1973 if it's portrayed correctly.

But the actor who played Gordie just didn't have it down pat. You never detected his midwestern farmboyish accent at all. Even in his 80s, Howe still has that tone despite living in Detroit for a long time. Also, the real Gordie Howe always appears to have a more gentle personality off the ice. The character was really standoffish and almost aloof. Just things you don't associate with Howe. Was he dirty? Yeah, at times he was but it was more deceptive. Put it this way, Gordie took advantage of playing in an era where there weren't a million camera angles on things. He was more of a policeman to be honest.

Plus I highly doubt the other players disrespected him like that. Howe was like an idol to so many people. Also, the guy that played Bobby Hull? Wow. Yeah no way Hull would talk to Howe that way, on the ice or off it. Gordie was old when he played in the WHA, but this guy is almost like John Wayne to people. For whatever reason they didn't elaborate on a lot of things.
 
LeBlondeDemon10 said:
...CBC usually does a good job with its movies, but this one was too dressed up for me.
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Ya. I just saw the extended promo's etc; the actress portraying Colleen Howe quite the dish, sophisticated beyond the reality as I know it. And no, Gordie Howe didnt play like that, he didnt have to, wasnt part of his make-up. And ya, Bobby Hull was actually a Gordie Howe fan growing up, remembering how one time after hours signing autographs he still had time for Bobby. Who later in life when he became a star remembered that, and much to the frustration of his Hawks team mates would cause lengthy delays to leaving an arena post game with Hull out on the sidewalk or wherever signing cards & pictures while the rest of players sat on the bus waiting. One time in Montreal, late 60's, a kid snuck right on to the coach last minute, headed straight for Hull, asking for his autograph which he got, telling him "my names Rejean Houle, and one day Im going to play against you"... years later Hull joking with Houle about it.
 
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