I remember seeing Gus back in elementary school on those old spinning tapes and a projector in the 1970s. For some reason, the film left an indelible mark on me. Perhaps it got me into the NFL, which I still enjoy immensely to this day. Regardless, this is a low-budget Disney film where most of the money went into the impressive cast.
Hank Cooper (Ed Asner) owns the inept NFL California Atoms who are unrealistically bad. He's going broke because he apparently is in debt to mobsters Charles Gwynn (Harold Gould) and Cal Wilson (Dick Van Patten) but will be relieved of all his debts if the awful Atoms can win the Super Bowl.
As a way to boost attendance, Cooper brings in Yugoslav Andy Petrovic (Gary Grimes) and his ball kicking mule Gus as an attraction. When Gus kicks a 100 yard field goal, Asner instructs his hapless head coach (Don Knotts) to bring him into the game and after finding out it isn't illegal he becomes the new placekicker with Andy as the holder.
The Atoms start winning and Gwynn and Wilson get desperate so they hire two ex-cons in Crankcase (Tim Conway) and Spinner (Tom Bosley) to deal with Gus.
Meanwhile, Andy tries to prove to his parents that he's accomplished something in athletics but Papa Petrovic is not convinced. Andy hopes that he change that.
Gus has a great cast but the film is so hokey and silly that even these talents can't do anything with the story. The film, like Freaky Friday, has a cheap look to it with overuse of the projector behind the actors. Bob " Lover" Crane as Pepper comes off as loud and overbearing as a play by play man. There should have been more of Dick Enberg, who actually was a legend in regards to play by play.
Also, lots of illogical stuff. The California Atoms play real NFL teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams but in the Super Bowl, they face the fictional Minnesota Mammoths? Also, why is Danny Wells always the referee? Why would somebody involved with bookies be owning an NFL team? How could a grocery store allow such tomfoolery for 25 minutes and do nothing about it? I guess children don't care about that.
If you're a Disney fanatic that has to watch everything from the House of the Mouse you'll probably check it out. Otherwise, pass unless you're a die hard fan of the comic actors featured.
Hank Cooper (Ed Asner) owns the inept NFL California Atoms who are unrealistically bad. He's going broke because he apparently is in debt to mobsters Charles Gwynn (Harold Gould) and Cal Wilson (Dick Van Patten) but will be relieved of all his debts if the awful Atoms can win the Super Bowl.
As a way to boost attendance, Cooper brings in Yugoslav Andy Petrovic (Gary Grimes) and his ball kicking mule Gus as an attraction. When Gus kicks a 100 yard field goal, Asner instructs his hapless head coach (Don Knotts) to bring him into the game and after finding out it isn't illegal he becomes the new placekicker with Andy as the holder.
The Atoms start winning and Gwynn and Wilson get desperate so they hire two ex-cons in Crankcase (Tim Conway) and Spinner (Tom Bosley) to deal with Gus.
Meanwhile, Andy tries to prove to his parents that he's accomplished something in athletics but Papa Petrovic is not convinced. Andy hopes that he change that.
Gus has a great cast but the film is so hokey and silly that even these talents can't do anything with the story. The film, like Freaky Friday, has a cheap look to it with overuse of the projector behind the actors. Bob " Lover" Crane as Pepper comes off as loud and overbearing as a play by play man. There should have been more of Dick Enberg, who actually was a legend in regards to play by play.
Also, lots of illogical stuff. The California Atoms play real NFL teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams but in the Super Bowl, they face the fictional Minnesota Mammoths? Also, why is Danny Wells always the referee? Why would somebody involved with bookies be owning an NFL team? How could a grocery store allow such tomfoolery for 25 minutes and do nothing about it? I guess children don't care about that.
If you're a Disney fanatic that has to watch everything from the House of the Mouse you'll probably check it out. Otherwise, pass unless you're a die hard fan of the comic actors featured.