Brian's Song is a made for television movie made for ABC in 1971, that features James Caan and Billy D. Williams.This sports movie is based on the book, "I Am Third", the autobiography written by Gayle Sayres. The story deals with the friendship of future hall of fame running back, Gayle Sayres and his roommate, Brian Piccolo and how they cope with Brian's terminal illness. The movie was such a success for ABC, ABC released the movie to theaters where the movie did no business.
Adapted by veteran screenwriter, William Blinn, A Dallas newspaper critic said that Blinn's screenplay was highly restrained and avoided overt sentimentalityyet conveyed the true friendshio that the men had for each other. In a 2005 Entertainment weekly survey, "Brian's Song" was listed as the 7th best "guy cry" movie ever made.
Note: The movie was remade by Disney in 2001. The remake is not worth watching.
Highly recommended.

On the accompanying commentary track, Billy Dee Williams facetiously trivialized this movie as "a nice story about two guys who weren't gay." I can't believe it's been 34 years since I first saw it as a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week. I remember crying like a baby and talking about it with my classmates at school the day after. All these years later, this moving film still makes me tear up. At a mere 73 minutes, it tells the now-familiar story of Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, who both joined the Chicago Bears as running backs in 1965. While Sayers proved to be the superior player, Piccolo persevered with good humor and integrity as he helped Sayers recover from a potentially career-ending knee injury. The story is really about how they support and sustain each other, and when Piccolo develops lung cancer, it falls on Sayers to help him through as much as he can. Much of the film's power comes from William Blinn, who wrote a heartfelt, sometimes funny story about friendship and mutual respect without falling into cheap sentimentality, and credit obviously goes to veteran TV director Buzz Kulik, who guides this film expertly to unexpected emotional depths.

The two leads are stellar, and the chemistry between them near-perfect. On the verge of stardom as hothead Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather", James Caan portrays Piccolo as a genuinely likable, funny and determined guy who is convinced he will beat the odds. I doubt if he has played a role since with more emotional honesty, and in such a brief running time, he makes you care deeply about his character. With quiet strength and few words, Williams captures Sayers' initial reticence and increasing bond with Piccolo. In fact, he is responsible for two of the film's most heartbreaking scenes, both where Sayers needed to get out of his awkward comfort zone, first when he tells his teammates in the locker room that Piccolo is sick and then at the second awards banquet when he says with a lack of irony how he loves Piccolo. You are complete stone if you are not moved by these scenes. Jack Warden shows his dependably solid mix of macho gruffness and caring sensitivity as coach George Halas. The wives understandably take a back seat in the story with a post-Elvis era Shelley Fabares effective in her brief scenes as Joy Piccolo and Judy Pace even more in the background as Linda Sayers. Lending welcome realism, several Chicago Bears played themselves, including legendary linebacker Dick Butkus (before he became a TV actor), and the movie smartly includes archival footage of the real Piccolo and Sayers on the field. The beautiful, soaring music by Michel Legrand resonates still, especially the instantly familiar title theme. Keep in mind that "Brian's Song" was a TV-movie (still a concept in its infancy in 1971) made on the cheap with simple, reused sets and periodic fadeouts for the commercials that aired back then. I even recognized the Sayers house as Darrin and Samantha's house from "Bewitched". And truth be told, Caan and Williams looked more like track stars than football players. But the movie transcends those limitations in ways the producers could not have anticipated.

Watching the movie with the commentary by Caan and Williams yields an almost entirely different experience, comically irreverent as if two fraternity brothers reunited. While Williams gets more sentimental about the experience, Caan is flat-out funny as he talks about his fantasy to become a Chicago Bear, how much more athletic he was compared to Williams (which both agree was true), commenting on their physiques at the time, and even speculating some people like Blinn and actor David Huddleston were dead (in fact, they aren't according to imdb.com). Caan also reveals that the movie was made only six months after Piccolo's death and that he felt the weight of his portrayal early on when acting in front of the real Joy Piccolo. There is also a 12-minute by-the-numbers featurette, "Gale Sayers: First and Goal", with the real Sayers, who looks great thirty years later and true to character, doesn't let much emotion show when he talks about his friendship with Piccolo. I'm just so glad they have finally put this on DVD, as this movie was such a powerful touchstone for my generation.

This 1971 EMMY AWARD winning film about the friendship between Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo of the Chicago Bears is one of the great sports and human interest stories. Brian & Gale were rookies together in 1965, both running backs and great college football players. They became the first black and white players to room together on the Bears. It's hard to believe it was only 40 years ago and many teams still had not broken the racial barriers off the field. I remember watching it on TV when it first aired and it was as good or better the 2nd time. Their friendship transcended their racial difference and their competition for the same position into a genuine love and respect for each other. As Gale experiences a potential career ending injury and Brian is diagnosed with cancer, their friendship grows into something very special. The selflessness of Brian helping Gale to recover from his injury which will ultimately put him back on the bench after replacing Gale is an inspiration. A great family film and especially for young athletes. Many clips of Gale's outstanding touchdown runs and he was one of the all time greats. Have a kleenix handy for the end. Enjoy!! [...]

Heartbreakingly beautiful story about friendship and what's truly important in life. It lifts you up, it makes you laugh and it breaks your heart. Truly a beautiful - but tragic - movie. I cried at 17 and again at 60, but I laughed a lot, too. I immediately went online and bought a copy of the book for two young football player friends of mine, one whose mother can't get him to read. Perhaps this will help - how could it not? I recommend Brian's Song to absolutely everybody, young and old (and all the dirty words are bleeped). Nancy.

This is a story about two unlikely heroes from the Chicago Bears-Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo. One black and one white, both from completely different backgrounds. They became best of friends while playing for the Chicago Bears and then suddenly, Brian, married with two young daughters, contracted a rare form of cancer that claimed his life at the young age of 26. This is a wonderful story about their relationship and how two men became such great friends in such a short period of time.

Based on Gale Sayers's autobiography, this indelible made-for-TV movie tells the true story of a friendship born through football that ends tragically. Coming off his success in "The Godfather," Caan is terrific as the spirited Piccolo, whose gutsy yet graceful attitude inspires Sayers (played with quiet, rookie confidence by Williams) to achieve his full potential. The craggy, always reliable Jack Warden co-stars as Bears Coach George Halas, and Shelly Fabares (from TV's "Donna Reed Show") is also solid as Brian's steadfast wife, Joy. This poignant, inspirational tale unfolds over just 75 minutes, but keep the Kleenex handy, as few remain unmoved by the end.