Reviews

Couldn't resist using The Borg for this prequel series.

The Borg may have been the greatest enemy that the Star Trek organization has ever created. The problem is, it wasn't created until Star Trek The Next Generation. Therefore, if a show like Enterprise, is to have any real integrity you need to resist the temptation here.

Now, unless the original series had an episode with a report that Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spoke could refer to that was written Captain Archer himself, in the archives, this episode was a failure.

You know, it kind of makes that movie-Star Trek: First Contact-some what flawed as well.

What I found interesting was how the actors were shattered when their jobs were taken away. As Chase said, it is a mob show and people will die. On the other hand this is what they do to put food on the table.

1) Nancy Marchand who played Livia Soprano. Apparently her character was going to be strangled by Tony. When she heard about it or read it in the script she asked Chase to keep her working since she had lung cancer and emphysema.

2) Drea de Matteo who played Adriana La Cerva. She knew there were two versions of that episode shot; One where she lives and one where she dies. HBO has a confidentiality rule so no one is supposed to know the outcome until it airs. However, she knew she was a goner and had to take another acting job which blew that secret out-of-the-water.

3) Vincent Pastore as Salvatore 'Big Pussy' Bonpensiero. It seems the other actors lobbied for him to get one more season. Although he did.appear in 4 more episodes either in flashback or as a spirit/ghost.

Often films start strong but have a disappointing ending. I'm afraid to say this is one of them. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt raises some important questions about the use of the death penalty. Though much more of an issue in the 1950s than today, the plot starts strong but can't come up with a reasonable ending. I was all set for the publisher being the killer or even an innocent Dana Andrews going to his death because the evidence was destroyed in that car fire. However, for Joan Fountaine to unravel the deception based on no one mentioning the dead woman's name sounded too inconvenient.

Frankly, I doubt any killer would have been so arrogant to chance the authorities finding his.their marriage license, but that one I'll let slide.

Still, a fun ride until the "surprise" 3rd act.

1. He is born rich.

2. Rejects Father's wealth and business's partner still fronts his half of the start-up fee and still lets him come in as an executive.

3. When he feels they are working behind his back and he wants to leave he rescues a rich man's grandson who in turn offers him a job on Wall Street.

4. He travels to a small company town and the 1st time he meets the owner of the one big company there he is invited home for dinner; with the entire family.

5. The owner's daughter is a bit-of-a-looker but is not seeing anybody. (Rich gal no boyfriend she in turn falls for him.)

6. His put-upon wife has a boyfriend, who comes to her house on the morning of their wedding but in the end is not really interested in her as a mate.

Trouble Along The Way (1953) was released through Warner Brothers on April 4th of 1953. This black & white comedy starred Film Legend John Wayne and was directed by the great Michael Curtiz, who is himself best remembered for Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood & White Christmas.

Was this film about Fordham Football?

A Catholic College in The Bronx Submitted for your approval is the fictitious St Anthony's Catholic College. It is located in, of all places, The Bronx; Fordham University is located in the Fordham Road community. Which is the busiest commercial section of Bronx County. Also, it is the one Roman Catholic institution in the Borough that played big time football during this era. (Sorry Manhattan College- just in case they are wondering.) The Society of Jesus (S. J.) Specifically, it is a Roman Catholic Institute of Higher Learning that is not run by the Archdiocese. But in turn it is managed by "The Order"; Perhaps they mean The Jesuits? No one attempts to explain this any further ... So why not.

A Thinly Veiled Version of Cardinal Spellman?

The story includes a fictitious Cardinal O'Shea, who also happens to be a St Anthony's alumni. In the film, he uses his influence to schedule games with institutions such as the University of Notre Dame. Francis Cardinal Spellman, then the Archbishop of New York, held a B. A., from Fordham University, from 1911. After being elevated to this position back in 1939, he also became the face of the American Catholic Church throughout this period until his death in 1967.

"Winning isn't everything -- it's the only thing." These words are attributed to Coach Steve Williams, the fictional athletics instructor played by Wayne. In the actual context of the movie, they actually appear in print, on a sign, in his office. However, this sounds a lot like something Vince Lombardi (FCRH Class of 1937) might have said, now doesn't it?

Dates Sync-Up With Closing Out of the Football Program Perhaps most importantly, this movie, which was released in 1953, involves a scandal that appears to shut down the football program. It should be noted that Fordham University dropped Big Time Football after the 1954 season.

The Plot Line Recently divorced, Steve Williams has trouble finding a job due to his inability to get along with his prior superiors. If he doesn't find work soon, he'll risk losing custody of his 11 year old daughter Carole (Sherry Jackson). He needs a job to keep the wolf-at-bay as well as a social worker assigned to see if his daughter should not be taken away from him.

Meanwhile, Father Burke, the school's rector, played by veteran character actor Charles Coburn, hires Williams/Wayne to improve the school's failing financial situation. St. Anthony's is heavily in debt. They may have to close their doors. Father Burke reasons that the school could get back on its feet if it had a successful football team. He hoped this would secure the financial support of the school's alumni too.

Coach Wiliams/Wayne's character violates the preseason training regulations believing the added "practice" time will give him the advantage over Holy Cross, Notre Dame and "Santa Carla" (perhaps a fictitious version of Santa Clara). This was because conference rules prevent these schools from practicing during summer sessions. The New York Archbishop, who is also an alumni, uses his influence to schedule games with the institutions mentioned above.

Note: The only game that is actually played is against the fictional Santa Carla, where St Anthony's tactics are discovered. This includes paying players and bringing in athletes much older than the accepted age. Perhaps the film's producers wanted to avoid complaints from the real California University by creating a thinly veiled phony?

On The Other Hand: Was this not Fordham Football?

Why Did Fordham Actually Drop Football in 1954?

The team's record that final year was 1 win; 7 loses; 1 tie. Average attendance, when home games were played primarily at the Polo Grounds, in Upper Manhattan, were 11,950. This was down from the prior year's average of 16,000 plus. (Football did not return to campus until students brought the sport back as a "club" team in 1964.) It seems it was not a scandal, but the inability to fund big-time football in the era of television and coast-to-coast jet travel that brought the sport down. According to Fordham Librarian J. P. McCabe, in his monograph 125 Year of Fordham Football: On December 15 (1954) the President of Fordham, Rev. Laurence McGinely, S. J., announced that Fordham could no longer afford to support a football program.

Would Notre Dame ever play the Fordham Rams?

Would legendary Notre Dame ever play the Rams in football? An examination of Fordham football seasons from 1928 to 1954, an era which saw them playing back-to-back major bowl games, shows many battles against other leading catholic colleges and universities. Boston College, Holy Cross, Saint Mary's and Villanova pop-up as regular opponents. In reality, Notre Dame never played against Fordham.

In fact, whenever some of the catholic schools talk about rebuilding their Division 1-A program, conversations often turn to possibly booking a game with Notre Dame. Now, the only other Power-5 catholic program-Boston College-has met them 26 times but that rivalry didn't start until 1975. This was during these latter years when both programs found themselves together in two different major sports conferences-The ACC and before that the now splintered Big East Conference.

"Much like an old-time Irish Ward boss, Notre Dame knows they already have the Catholic Vote. They want to be a national darling; So don't count on those big pay days."

A Bronx Setting? The 'Shoot' Never Left Southern California.

Many of the exterior football scenes were filmed at Pomona College in Claremont, California. In fact, under IMDB.com Goofs section, there appears to be a State of California Flag on a poll in the background in one scene.

Fordham Has Produced Many Church Leaders According to the List of Fordham University alumni, there have been almost twenty Archbishops, Auxiliary Bishops, Bishops and Cardinals.

It is not really a stretch to imagine a loyal alum in a position of church authority willing to use his influence to acquire top name opposition-now is it? Could the Cardinal Spellman reference simply be a coincidence?

Vince Lombardi Quote Dispute When this movie comes up, questions arise about the use of a quote that could be attributed to Vince Lombardi (Class of '37) and a member of the Seven Blocks of Granite."Winning isn't everything -- it's the only thing." These words were from Coach Williams, the fictional football instructor played by Wayne. This sounds like Coach Lombardi ... or does it?

The closest offering I can find under ESPN Classic Vince Lombardi quotes seems to be: "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-time thing." Nice, but not exactly the same intense language. Besides, with a release date of April 4th, 1953, and actual filming taking place in the fourth quarter of 1952, this would suggest an A-List Hollywood Picture would be trolling for quotations from the then offensive line coach at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.

1st Green Bay Super Bowl Championship (1967 season) Lombardi would not start on his way to immortality, becoming the head coach for the Green Bay Packers, of the NFL, until their 1959 season.

Hearing From The Fordham Faculty "As far as I can tell, film-history-wise, there is no direct connection to a football coach or a football scandal at Fordham." said Karen Williams, Ph. D in Communication & Media Studies, in a response. "Nowhere in the film's promotional material is it suggested that the story is based on real events. The writer of the film's original synopsis (based on a listing of his papers at Boston University) was Robert Hardy Andrews, and based on that it suggests that it is an original story, not based on a newspaper article or other pre-existing source." The Rose Hill campus Senior Lecturer added: "Andrews's background also suggests that he does not have any meaningful connections to Fordham."

What Do You Think?

The Fordham similarities are pretty clear whether or not they were intentional, subconscious or coincidental. My first exposure to this movie was as a child, long before I entertained any notions of attending Fordham; I walked into the livingroom and my dad, who was raised in The Bronx, had just started watching it. He said simply, "This is about Fordham." So I'm in the positive camp I guess.