God Wants You On The Floor.

GOD WANTS YOU ON THE FLOOR.

By The Fillerbuster
2/28/2025
The Cast

DISCLAIMER: True, I knew some stuff, but I admit that I learned a lot of the following on Wikipedia. I wanted to be accurate with the background and any anything in the post. It taught me more about Gene, and helped with the timeline. What I took from that information is all me though. I admit to reading no real articles after he died because I wanted my perspective to be fully fresh. I wanted it from my brain and my heart. I just wanted to pass along that I just cheated on the facts. Know, also, that I spitballed this on a stream of consciousness. Sure, I made a couple of lists and bullets. But, as always, and as Forrest Gump did. I just felt like WRITING!!!

“Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team – no one more important than the other.”
“My team’s on the floor!”
“I’ve seen you guys can shoot but there’s more to the game than shooting. There’s fundamentals and defense.”
“I would hope you would support who we are. Not, who we are not.”
“My practices aren’t designed for your enjoyment.”
“You are in the Army. You’re in my Army. Every day between three and five.”
“I love you guys.”
“Welcome to Indiana basketball.”

We lost a legend this week in Gene Hackman. This piece is about Hoosiers, his imprint on the world, his past, and how he will live on after his tragic death.

I was 13 years old when Hoosiers came out. It became a cinema bible for me for the sport of basketball (and White Men Can’t Jump). When asked why I loved the sport, I would direct them to that flick. It became a personal motivational tool, as it is still one of those movies where watching the ending scene makes you want to run through a wall. Because it was set in the 50’s even though becoming a movie in the 80’s, it remains timeless. Technology doesn’t diminish the movie one bit. It was a true David vs. Goliath, even quoted in the movie, so I could relate. It was my basketball Rocky. The movie was based on a real-life team (Milan), and it told the story of its rise in the high school tourney.

Why did the world love it? Well, they didn’t overall. The movie was made for $7 million and brought in $30 million. Not bad for that time, but not exactly epic. It became more of a cult/sports world hit. It still is regarded as one of the best sports movies ever made (#1 by far in my book). It glorified the sport of basketball. It made sure that any tourney included more teams, no matter how small, because anyone can make a run. Indiana was a state that allowed all teams to compete in the tournament together with the bigger teams. I bet you that the two #16 seeds in March Madness both watched this movie the night before they took down the big #1 seed. The movie’s plot told many stories we all can relate to. The movie was based on a coach with a checkered past trying to make a difference. It is about underdogs. With the Coach Dale and Dennis Hopper storylines, it talked about giving people a chance. It covered love, and how imperfect love can be at first. The plot is also about teaching kids the right way. It magically conveys how sports can unite a community, a state, a nation, and the world. People who go against the grain can relate to it because the story talks about thinking outside of the traditional box…the typical way. Plus, us basketball junkies love it for the obvious reason.

I have a love/hate affair with a death spurning me to write. It is hate-based because it means we lost someone who had an impact on my life. Our lives. It is love because, although I knew a good deal about him before, I learn a lot in my quick research to put out good information for you all, and I realize that the person had an extreme effect on my life.

We will, of course, remember him as an actor, first and foremost. Unbelievably, he only raked in two Academy Awards. One was for Best Actor (The French Connection), and one was for Best Supporting Actor (Unforgiven). He was nominated in some other years, but somehow, we will remember his less awarded roles the most…like Coach Norman Dale. Gene was born in CA. His parents divorced when he was 13, and his father left the family shortly after. His mother died in a fire later on. He lied about his age to enter the Army and served from 1946-1951. He won some honor in the Army also as a field radio operator. Guess his unmistakable, awesome voice was used for our country too. Later on, in 1951, his acting career was born. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse, where he not only met Dustin Hoffman, but also scored the lowest ever score, at that time, for the club. He continued though. He played some roles that went unnoticed. Any Wednesday was his first relative success, and it was on Broadway. The journey continued. More roles. His first nomination that put him firmly on the radar was Bonnie and Clyde, where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. He almost became Mike Brady in the Brady Bunch, allegedly, and the viewing world is sort of glad that didn’t pan out. He was nominated for a second time in Never Sang for my Father. More roles. Finally, he got on the radar by storm (no pun intended). He was Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, and I have run into no one in my life who has thought that this movie was anything but a great movie. His favorite role, apparently, was with Al Pacino in Scarecrow. His various talents, evident during his early Broadway roles, became more clear when he did a comedic role in Young Frankenstein.

When he played Lex Luthor in the Superman movies, stardom was a given. When an actor takes on a villain role, he is immediately dismissed for those future roles or embraced by society as such. He was the latter. He was a natural villain on the screen. More various roles occurred, and then he did Hoosiers in 1986. As I alluded to earlier, this was an eye-opener. No records for sales, but the movie caught on, if you will.

Random items. He did three John Grisham movies total: The Chamber, The Firm, Runaway Jury. All were great books and solid films. I might be prejudiced because I am a huge Grisham fan. Anyway, the 2003 Runaway Jury was FINALLY with his buddy, Dustin, in the cast. He also wrote. He wrote three books with an archaeologist, Daniel Lenihan, and two books on his own (2011 and 2013). He did some narration too. He did a Super Bowl documentary, and a Marine Corps documentary. He liked the Jacksonville Jaguars, cycling, and sports cars. His first marriage was with Faye Maltese (three children), and his second and final marriage was with Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist. Betsy and Gene lived in Santa Fe until the end, and apparently Gene attended cultural events regularly. Damn, I would have looked him up during my one (and only) trip to Santa Fe years ago.

Let’s talk about movies for a minute. First of all, I am a list guy, possibly to an addictive level. Anyway, I actually have a ranking for “most underrated movies ever.” On it are two Hackman flicks. I HIGHLY suggest checking these under the radar movies out. I have seen both probably 100 times.

Earlier on, No Way Out was a military-based, technology (at the time) thriller. Kevin Costner and Sean Young are two other big names in it. The movie takes you through twists and turns, and you feel like you know the ending about 10 times. But, you don’t. Kevin Costner is a Navy officer who hooks up with Sean Young, but there is a problem. Sean Young is already the mistress of Gene Hackman. Then, she dies. Wait. The plot thickens. Kevin Costner is a guy who is hot in the military world, and he is promoted just in time to head up the investigation…of Sean Young’s murder…his mistress (and Gene’s). I could flow chart that for you, if you like. Then, at the end, the freaking…never mind. I will let you watch it. Oh, and Gene played a bad guy. Mind blowing though.

Enemy of the State had a bunch of folks you know. Gene doesn’t play a bad guy, but the misunderstood good guy. Will Smith is primary, Jon Voight is the bad guy, and the cast includes our favorites like Lisa Bonet, Jake Busey, Barry Pepper, Jack Black, Regina King, and Gabriel Byrne. In this one, a tape (yes, they existed) of a murder is mistakenly switched up with a video game that Will Smith is going to give his kid for Christmas…but he doesn’t know it. Suddenly, people are chasing him, and he has no idea why. He is just a harmless lawyer. Anyway, just when he needs some help with someone good at being under the radar, in comes Gene Hackman. I will leave the rest to your viewing pleasure.

Where was I? Sometimes, I just start typing lightning quick on one single bullet and realize I should be done with it. Oh yeah. Other movies Gene was in that I liked… I am cherry picking these, and there are many other good ones out there, of course, given his very large screen library.

• The French Connection: Acknowledged by everyone and their mother as a solid flick.
• Hoosiers: Well, if you haven’t gotten the picture yet, then you are lost in this blog. Epic.
• Enemy of the State: See above.
• No Way Out: See above.
• Crimson Tide: Seriously, one of the best military movies out there. Definitely, it is one of the best submarine movies, and right up there with U-571 and Hunt for Red October. You get Denzel and Gene. And, it examines the meaning of a military orders as thoroughly as A Few Good Men. Think Code Red, but under water. This movie was popular. Otherwise it would have been on the “underrated” list.
• Get Shorty: Mobs, movies, Danny DeVito, Rene Russo, and John Travolta. Enough said.
• Superman: He was Lex Luthor against the Man of Steel. C’mon…
• Unforgiven: Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. Awards galore.
• Mississippi Burning: Been a minute since I have seen this, but the critics agree with me on its quality.
• Heist: Ok, maybe not the best movie, but it is about heists and has Gene Hackman.
• The Replacements: Because Gene Hackman is there, you momentarily think Keanu Reeves is a good actor. Elevation of the cast…
• Welcome to Mooseport: You have to see it, because Everybody Loves Raymond.
• Class Action: Law flick, and high quality. Sort of more under the radar, but not on the level of Enemy of the State or No Way Out for underrated-ness.
• Absolute Power: The President of the United States and a billionaire, and someone is doing something bad sexually when a burglar happens to break in. And CLINT EASTWOOD again, with Ed Harris hanging out too…
• Runaway Jury: Grisham. Great, great law stuff.
• Extreme Measures: Doctor sees weird stuff occurring with homeless patient, and things go crazy. Plus, don’t we all love David Morse being a sidekick in flicks?
• Wyatt Earp: A western with Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, and Gene Hackman? Sign me up.
• The Chamber: Grisham. Great, great law stuff.
• Behind Enemy Lines: Military movie that echoes what Gene did with Keanu in The Replacements. Somehow, some way, Gene elevates Owen Wilson into a decent actor? Say it ain’t so…
• The Firm: Grisham. Great, great law stuff…and Tom Cruise! This was a hit, and you need to watch this if searching for a fantastic movie about law.
  I might have missed a couple, but his catalogue is very, very long. Anyway, I have given you some movies to watch on a rainy day.

Let’s circle back though to Gene. I feel like I have lived my life (I am 52) watching Gene Hackman movies. And, the only real big one I had to backtrack to watch that was before my time was The French Connection. Gene took ownership any scene on the screen. The legends have this…ummm…presence. They can walk on to the set in a scene, and you already feel their weight. I feel the same way with Pacino and Denzel, along with others, of course. But those two pop in my head immediately. They are actors who commanded the audience without saying a word. You wait anxiously for them to drop a line. Their facial expressions, the tone in their voice, and the monologues they delivered were all moving. Gene had this quality. Qualities, plural. He didn’t win the most awards, he didn’t star in the most generational movies, and he doesn’t hold a lot of records. But, he elevated any script, plot, or cast (sorry about the jokes, Keanu and Owen). He was best as a villain, but showed in his films that he had skills in drama, comedy, and action. Gene took any movie and MADE it a movie to remember. A character to remember. Cue in Norman Dale again.

Hoosiers is a magical movie. Norman Dale is a character who we relate to as far as failure and success, strength and vulnerability, and abrasiveness and tenderness. Gene Hackman plays a character you sometimes yell at the screen about, and then want to give a hug a few minutes later. Coach Dale is someone you sometimes root against, and sometimes cheer for shamelessly. The movie touches on so many emotions, and mixes in sports somehow in a fluid way. And, the movie is ultimately a hoops fan’s dream flick…still.

I know that Gene Hackman has been retired for a while. I know that the newer generation didn’t live through the prime of his brilliance. I know that he is “just” a movie actor. But, in the end, I will miss him dearly, and Coach Dale will console me for the rest of my lifetime. And know this, and I will close with this. If there was a documentary made about Gene Hackman, maybe it should be called God Wants You On The Screen.

Don’t worry about me, Gene. RIP, and “I’ll make it”…