''Fraternity Row'' is a 1977 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

portraying life in a 1950s fraternity at a fictional college.

Plot

College students pledge the Gamma Nu Pi fraternity at a fictional college and endure common

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

practices such as humiliation, forced eating of onions and severe paddlings.

Cast

* Peter Fox as Rodger Carter *

Gregory Harrison Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Chandler in the 1987 film ''North Shore (1987 film), North Shore'', as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John ...

as Zac Sterling * Scott Newman as Chunk Cherry *

Nancy Morgan Nancy Karen Morgan (born April 1, 1949) is an American actress. Early life Morgan is the daughter of Marjorie (née Greenfield) and Samuel A. Morgan. Jr. She is a niece of John "Red" Morgan, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery du ...

as Jennifer Harris *

Wendy Phillips Wendy Phillips (born January 2, 1952) is an American actress, known for her roles on television series including ''Falcon Crest'', '' Homefront'' and ''Promised Land''. Life and career Phillips was born in Brooklyn, New York. She made her scree ...

as Betty Ann Martin *

Robert Emhardt Robert Emhardt (July 24, 1914 – December 26, 1994) was an American character actor who worked on stage, in film and on television. Emhardt was frequently cast as a villain, often a crooked businessman or corrupt politician. Early years Em ...

as Brother Bob Abernathy *

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 196 ...

as The Narrator *

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...

as Andy Nelson

Development

The film was originally

Charles Gary Allison Charles Gary Allison (1938 – May 13, 2008) was an American screenwriter and film producer. Early life and education Allison spent the first years of his life in London, returning to the United States in 1944. He grew up living simultaneously i ...

's thesis as a film student at the University of Southern California. It is said to have been inspired by the 1959 hazing of

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

pledge

Richard Swanson Richard Swanson (born 1945) is an American electrical engineer and businessman, retired founder of SunPower, a solar photovoltaic cell manufacturer. Biography Swanson was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1945. He graduated in 1969 with Bachelor ...

, who died after attempting to swallow a large piece of raw liver without chewing.

Reception

''Fraternity Row'' met with generally positive reviews, but the film saw very light business at the box office. The film has not been released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

, although it was briefly available on VHS cassette in the early 1980s.

References

External links