Keith7
10-06-2004, 02:44 PM
***DON'T READ UNTIL YOU SEE THE MOVIE***
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The movie took some creative license with Charlie Billingsley (played by Tim McGraw) and his son Don.DON AND CHARLIE BILLINGSLEY
In Reel Life: Charlie Billingsley (Tim McGraw) is a former Panthers great who played on a state championship team. He's a drunk and abusive to his son, Don (Garrett Hedlund).
In Real Life: Charlie Billingsley was a Mojo legend in the late 1960s, a great running back described by Bissinger as a mean kid who relished a brawl. Don had moved in with his father before his sophomore year specifically to play for Permian (he had been living in Oklahoma with his mother). Charlie did have a drinking problem and went to alcohol rehab in Don's junior year.
But in the book Bissinger does not portray Charlie Billingsley as abusive. Instead, writes Bissinger, "Living with Charlie was sometimes more like living with an older brother or a roommate than with a father. There were times when Don stayed up almost all night, regaled by his father's stories of how to live the world and how not to live it. Don treasured those sessions and learned from them."
In "The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers" recently broadcast on ESPN Classic, Don says, "With our relationship, there was a little turmoil. It wasn't anything unhealthy, it wasn't anything abusive, but he demanded mental toughness and physical toughness.
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In Reel Life: Charlie Billingsley's abusive moments begin when he comes out onto the field during the first practice and berates and decks Don.
In Real Life: Kansas City Star writer Derek Samson previewed the movie with five local coaches. "That father would be on his back if that happened at my practice," one said. "I've never seen anything like that." Another longtime Permian fan also said she'd never witnessed an outburst like that. And Bissinger does not write of this in the book.
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In Reel Life: Don is a bit of a partier, and, in what seems like a throwaway line, someone says to him, in passing, "Stay out of jail, Billingsley."
Although he was a legend at Permian, Charlie Billingsley never won his state championship in real life.In Real Life: Bissinger describes Don as very much like his father, a kid who fought and "had built up quite a reputation for drinking." After a 48-7 win over Nimitz, Bissinger quotes Don as saying, "I'm gonna party, see how intoxicated I can get and how many rules I can flaunt. That's my motto."
In "The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers," Ken Brodnax, a writer for the Odessa American, says, "I don't think many people during that season would have given him much of a chance of doing anything because he was one of the wild members of the team."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: At the end, Charlie runs out onto the field and gives Don his state championship ring, saying, "You deserve this way more than I ever have."
In Real Life: Maybe, but in fact Charlie didn't deserve the ring at all. Charlie's team did make it to the state finals in 1968, but lost.
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MIKE WINCHELL
The kids in Permian have football ... and not much else in "Friday Night Lights."In Reel Life: At a party, Panthers QB Mike Winchell is seduced by a girl named Melissa (Ryanne Duzich), who seems to become his girlfriend. At one point, Melissa asks, "Why isn't anyone allowed at your house? Is your mother really crazy?"
In Real Life: Just as in the movie, Winchell did live at home with his mother -- his father had died, and his mother worked two jobs. Gaines didn't know her, although he knew most parents. "His mother was enormously quiet and reserved, almost like a phantom," writes Bissinger.
It's true that Winchell didn't like friends, including his girlfriend, DeAnn, to visit his house, "apparently because of its condition," writes Bissinger.
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THE PLAYOFFS AND THE DALLAS CARTER GAME
In Reel Life: The Panthers beat Amarillo in the semifinals to make it to the state finals.
In Real Life: The Panthers beat Amarillo Tascosa in the first round of the playoffs 31-7.
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In Reel Life: The Panthers played for the Texas 5A state championship against Dallas Carter.
In Real Life: The Panthers played Dallas Carter in the semifinals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permian lost in the state semifinals in 1988, but the movie made it the championship game.In Reel Life: Before the game against Dallas Carter, the two teams negotiate a site and also the composition of the refereeing team. Race is an explicit factor in the negotiations.
In Real Life: That's how it went down.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The teams face each other in the Astrodome.
In Real Life: The teams faced each other in Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The Astrodome is packed for the state final.
In Real Life: The Astrodome is a common pick for state final matchups; between 1973 and 1995, it hosted 11 title games. In 1995, the Houston Chronicle reported the Astrodome drew its biggest high school football crowd for a 1977 playoff contest: 38,570.
Plano and Port Neches-Groves probably drew the biggest crowd ever to a Texas state championship game, when they played in front of 49,953 in Texas Stadium in 1977.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The team takes a bus to the Astrodome. Gaines says it will be a six-hour ride.
In Real Life: Buckle up, boys! That bus will be going between 90 and 100 mph. It's between 540 and 600 miles between Odessa and Houston, depending on the route.
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In Reel Life: Early in the final, Dallas Carter sacks Winchell for a safety.
The end was heartbreaking for Mike Winchell in Reel Life and Real Life.In Real Life: Didn't happen. In fact, Permian scored first, near the end of the second quarter, on a run by Comer. Carter led 7-6 at the half. The Panthers regained the lead in the third quarter on a field goal.
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In Reel Life: Dallas Carter plays very dirty, taking cheap shots after the ball is dead on many plays, but is never called for it.
In Real Life: There was no reporting of this in the book. However, Carter faced lots of pressure for playing dirty off the field, because of charges that a teacher had passed one of their players who had clearly failed. The judge ruled that Carter could continue on in the playoffs.
Carter went on to win the state title. But later the title was stripped and they forfeited all playoff wins, because the school had broken eligibility rules. Officially, the score of the 1988 state championship game is Converse Judson 1, Dallas Carter 0.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The refs tend to ignore Carter's dirty play, and one call -- a catch ruled a reception on a ball that had clearly hit the turf -- is downright wrong.
In Real Life: Bissinger writes of one play, early in the fourth quarter, when a Carter pass that had clearly been dropped had been ruled complete by a black official who wasn't in a position to see the play clearly. This helped keep a Carter drive going, the drive that would end in the game-winning TD.
"Permian supporters," Bissinger wrote, "later grumbled that he made it the way he did because he was black and favored Carter."
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In Reel Life: Carter leads 26-14 at the end of the third quarter, and they score again to make it 34-14. But Comer returns a kick for a TD to put Permian back in the game, Winchell catches a TD pass to make it 34-28.
In Real Life: Winchell didn't catch a TD pass, although he did catch an 11-yard pass on the final drive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Permian gets the ball for one final drive, starting on its own 25 with 1:40 left. The Panthers drive almost successfully, with Billingsley running up the middle to the 1 (play called back on a holding penalty). Then Winchell runs it all the way to the one-foot line as time runs out.
In Real Life: The Panthers did have a dramatic last-minute drive. They got all the way to the Carter 10, got pushed back by a holding penalty, and near the end had a fourth-and-6 at the Carter 24 with 10 seconds left.
A would-be touchdown pass from Winchell to star wide receiver Lloyd Hill was broken up at the last second by Jessie Armstead during the drive -- yes, the same Jessie Armstead who went on to play in the NFL and currently plays for the Carolina Panthers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ending
I Won't ruin ALL of the movie! :p
The End
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The movie took some creative license with Charlie Billingsley (played by Tim McGraw) and his son Don.DON AND CHARLIE BILLINGSLEY
In Reel Life: Charlie Billingsley (Tim McGraw) is a former Panthers great who played on a state championship team. He's a drunk and abusive to his son, Don (Garrett Hedlund).
In Real Life: Charlie Billingsley was a Mojo legend in the late 1960s, a great running back described by Bissinger as a mean kid who relished a brawl. Don had moved in with his father before his sophomore year specifically to play for Permian (he had been living in Oklahoma with his mother). Charlie did have a drinking problem and went to alcohol rehab in Don's junior year.
But in the book Bissinger does not portray Charlie Billingsley as abusive. Instead, writes Bissinger, "Living with Charlie was sometimes more like living with an older brother or a roommate than with a father. There were times when Don stayed up almost all night, regaled by his father's stories of how to live the world and how not to live it. Don treasured those sessions and learned from them."
In "The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers" recently broadcast on ESPN Classic, Don says, "With our relationship, there was a little turmoil. It wasn't anything unhealthy, it wasn't anything abusive, but he demanded mental toughness and physical toughness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Charlie Billingsley's abusive moments begin when he comes out onto the field during the first practice and berates and decks Don.
In Real Life: Kansas City Star writer Derek Samson previewed the movie with five local coaches. "That father would be on his back if that happened at my practice," one said. "I've never seen anything like that." Another longtime Permian fan also said she'd never witnessed an outburst like that. And Bissinger does not write of this in the book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Don is a bit of a partier, and, in what seems like a throwaway line, someone says to him, in passing, "Stay out of jail, Billingsley."
Although he was a legend at Permian, Charlie Billingsley never won his state championship in real life.In Real Life: Bissinger describes Don as very much like his father, a kid who fought and "had built up quite a reputation for drinking." After a 48-7 win over Nimitz, Bissinger quotes Don as saying, "I'm gonna party, see how intoxicated I can get and how many rules I can flaunt. That's my motto."
In "The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers," Ken Brodnax, a writer for the Odessa American, says, "I don't think many people during that season would have given him much of a chance of doing anything because he was one of the wild members of the team."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: At the end, Charlie runs out onto the field and gives Don his state championship ring, saying, "You deserve this way more than I ever have."
In Real Life: Maybe, but in fact Charlie didn't deserve the ring at all. Charlie's team did make it to the state finals in 1968, but lost.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MIKE WINCHELL
The kids in Permian have football ... and not much else in "Friday Night Lights."In Reel Life: At a party, Panthers QB Mike Winchell is seduced by a girl named Melissa (Ryanne Duzich), who seems to become his girlfriend. At one point, Melissa asks, "Why isn't anyone allowed at your house? Is your mother really crazy?"
In Real Life: Just as in the movie, Winchell did live at home with his mother -- his father had died, and his mother worked two jobs. Gaines didn't know her, although he knew most parents. "His mother was enormously quiet and reserved, almost like a phantom," writes Bissinger.
It's true that Winchell didn't like friends, including his girlfriend, DeAnn, to visit his house, "apparently because of its condition," writes Bissinger.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PLAYOFFS AND THE DALLAS CARTER GAME
In Reel Life: The Panthers beat Amarillo in the semifinals to make it to the state finals.
In Real Life: The Panthers beat Amarillo Tascosa in the first round of the playoffs 31-7.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The Panthers played for the Texas 5A state championship against Dallas Carter.
In Real Life: The Panthers played Dallas Carter in the semifinals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permian lost in the state semifinals in 1988, but the movie made it the championship game.In Reel Life: Before the game against Dallas Carter, the two teams negotiate a site and also the composition of the refereeing team. Race is an explicit factor in the negotiations.
In Real Life: That's how it went down.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The teams face each other in the Astrodome.
In Real Life: The teams faced each other in Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The Astrodome is packed for the state final.
In Real Life: The Astrodome is a common pick for state final matchups; between 1973 and 1995, it hosted 11 title games. In 1995, the Houston Chronicle reported the Astrodome drew its biggest high school football crowd for a 1977 playoff contest: 38,570.
Plano and Port Neches-Groves probably drew the biggest crowd ever to a Texas state championship game, when they played in front of 49,953 in Texas Stadium in 1977.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The team takes a bus to the Astrodome. Gaines says it will be a six-hour ride.
In Real Life: Buckle up, boys! That bus will be going between 90 and 100 mph. It's between 540 and 600 miles between Odessa and Houston, depending on the route.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Early in the final, Dallas Carter sacks Winchell for a safety.
The end was heartbreaking for Mike Winchell in Reel Life and Real Life.In Real Life: Didn't happen. In fact, Permian scored first, near the end of the second quarter, on a run by Comer. Carter led 7-6 at the half. The Panthers regained the lead in the third quarter on a field goal.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Dallas Carter plays very dirty, taking cheap shots after the ball is dead on many plays, but is never called for it.
In Real Life: There was no reporting of this in the book. However, Carter faced lots of pressure for playing dirty off the field, because of charges that a teacher had passed one of their players who had clearly failed. The judge ruled that Carter could continue on in the playoffs.
Carter went on to win the state title. But later the title was stripped and they forfeited all playoff wins, because the school had broken eligibility rules. Officially, the score of the 1988 state championship game is Converse Judson 1, Dallas Carter 0.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: The refs tend to ignore Carter's dirty play, and one call -- a catch ruled a reception on a ball that had clearly hit the turf -- is downright wrong.
In Real Life: Bissinger writes of one play, early in the fourth quarter, when a Carter pass that had clearly been dropped had been ruled complete by a black official who wasn't in a position to see the play clearly. This helped keep a Carter drive going, the drive that would end in the game-winning TD.
"Permian supporters," Bissinger wrote, "later grumbled that he made it the way he did because he was black and favored Carter."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Carter leads 26-14 at the end of the third quarter, and they score again to make it 34-14. But Comer returns a kick for a TD to put Permian back in the game, Winchell catches a TD pass to make it 34-28.
In Real Life: Winchell didn't catch a TD pass, although he did catch an 11-yard pass on the final drive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reel Life: Permian gets the ball for one final drive, starting on its own 25 with 1:40 left. The Panthers drive almost successfully, with Billingsley running up the middle to the 1 (play called back on a holding penalty). Then Winchell runs it all the way to the one-foot line as time runs out.
In Real Life: The Panthers did have a dramatic last-minute drive. They got all the way to the Carter 10, got pushed back by a holding penalty, and near the end had a fourth-and-6 at the Carter 24 with 10 seconds left.
A would-be touchdown pass from Winchell to star wide receiver Lloyd Hill was broken up at the last second by Jessie Armstead during the drive -- yes, the same Jessie Armstead who went on to play in the NFL and currently plays for the Carolina Panthers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ending
I Won't ruin ALL of the movie! :p
The End