I first saw GUS theatrically when I was a kid in 1976. I quite liked it then. But I watched it again recently; it is still reasonably entertaining, but it does show its age. Rear-screen projection is used throughout, which makes the movie look very cheap by today's standards. You can tell the performers are not really in a packed football stadium.
A couple of notes: Don Knotts has second-billing, and his name has been consistently used to promote GUS, both theatrically in 1976, and in the home media issues of recent years. But actually, he has very little to do, and he is off-screen for long periods at a time. This always surprises and disappoints Knotts' fans.
To the opposite extreme, HAPPY DAYS star Tom Bosley has a much larger role than his ignominious 12th-billing would lead you to believe. This is very odd---as he was simultaneously starring on the most popular tv sitcom right at this time, you would think Disney would have wanted to play him up. Did Bosley do something that angered the studio during filming, and was his billing placement punishment? Who knows?
GUS is worth a look as long as you aren't expecting a classic.
A couple of notes: Don Knotts has second-billing, and his name has been consistently used to promote GUS, both theatrically in 1976, and in the home media issues of recent years. But actually, he has very little to do, and he is off-screen for long periods at a time. This always surprises and disappoints Knotts' fans.
To the opposite extreme, HAPPY DAYS star Tom Bosley has a much larger role than his ignominious 12th-billing would lead you to believe. This is very odd---as he was simultaneously starring on the most popular tv sitcom right at this time, you would think Disney would have wanted to play him up. Did Bosley do something that angered the studio during filming, and was his billing placement punishment? Who knows?
GUS is worth a look as long as you aren't expecting a classic.