Mooney vs. Fowle

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Before “Friday Night Lights,” there was “Mooney vs Fowle” (aka “Football”), capturing the 1961 Florida State high school championship game. The title refers to the rival coaches Ottis Mooney of Miami High School vs Haywood Fowle of Edison High School, who led their teams before a crowd of 37,000 at the Orange Bowl. This classic documentary – now celebrating its 50th anniversary – has long been admired by film historians, but never released on home video. At the time of its original release, audiences weren’t used to seeing such candid coverage. The filmmaking team of Drew Associates was revolutionizing how reality was portrayed on television in works such their accounts of John F. Kennedy on the campaign trail and inside the White House in “Primary” and “Crisis.” Drew Associates was led to South Florida by LIFE Magazine editor-turned-filmmaker Jim Lipscomb who had attended Miami High. This unscripted look at the passions behind high school football stirred controversy at the time. Today it endures as a remarkable document of film history and Miami lore.

• Country United States
• Language English
• Rating NR
• Year 1962
• Running Time 58 minutes
• Director James Lipscomb

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.