Review of Paper Lion (1968) by Senor C — 27 Apr 2009

A lost gem from the late 1960s featuring a fine performance from a very young Alan Alda as real life sportswriter George Plympton, who became famous in the 1960s for actually attempting to play professional sports, from being a goalie for the Boston Bruins to fighting 3 rounds against Sugar Ray Robinson.

"Paper Tiger" is the story of Plympton's brief stay at the Detroit Lions training camp and his eventual 15 minutes playing quarterback in an actual game. This is not a perfect film by any means but is a fine showcase for Alda's talents.

Also many professional athletes such as Alex Karras and Frank Gifford lend their real experiences to the film. Lauren Hutton is there as girlfriend/scenery but offers little to the film. Keep an eye out for a young Roy Scheider playing football in the park early in the film.