'' Maurie'' (also known as ''Big Mo'') is a 1973 American

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

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 ...

directed by

Daniel Mann Daniel Chugerman (August 8, 1912 – November 21, 1991), known professionally as Daniel Mann, was an American stage, film and television director. Originally trained as an actor by Sanford Meisner, between 1952 and 1987 he directed over 31 feat ...

. Distributed by

National General Pictures National General Corporation (NGC) was a theater chain holding company, film distribution and production company and was considered one of the "instant majors". It was in operation from 1951 to 1974. Divisions Its division National General Pictu ...

, the film covers the lives and relationship of two

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Hall of fame basketball players, the forward

Jack Twyman John Kennedy Twyman (May 21, 1934 – May 30, 2012) was an American professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. Twyman is a namesake of the NBA's Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Twyman was inducted into the Naismith Basketb ...

, and his teammate the

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Maurice Stokes Maurice Stokes (June 17, 1933 – April 6, 1970) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cincinnati/Rochester Royals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1955 to 1958. Stokes was a three-time NBA All-Star, ...

Plot summary

The film chronicles Twyman's and Stokes's relationship from Stokes's rookie year in the NBA up until his death. Stokes and Twyman were teammates on the

Rochester Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

during the 1950s (during which time the team located to Cincinnati). Stokes fell ill three days after the last game of the 1957–58 NBA season, in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Stokes drove to the basket, drew contact and fell to the floor, hit his head, and was knocked unconscious. He was revived with

smelling salts Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants, spirit of hartshorn or sal volatile, are chemical compounds used as stimulants to restore consciousness after fainting. Usage The usual active compound is ammonium carbonate—a colorless-to-w ...

, and he returned to the game. Three days later, after an opening-round playoff game against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

, Stokes became ill during the team's flight back to Cincinnati, suffered a seizure and fell into a coma to awaken in a Cincinnati hospital three weeks later. Stokes never fully recovered from the brain injury, and he was left permanently paralyzed. He would be confined to bed or a wheelchair as an almost completely paralyzed

quadraplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or to ...

, and would need constant nursing care. Twyman offered his friendship and continuous moral support and financial aid to Stokes and his family (even legally adopting him). Stokes died from a heart attack in 1970.

Cast

The film starred then-newcomer actor

Bernie Casey Bernard Terry Casey (June 8, 1939 – September 19, 2017) was an American actor, poet and professional American football player. Early life Casey was born in Wyco, West Virginia, the son of Flossie (Coleman) and Frank Leslie Casey. He graduated ...

(a former NFL player) as Stokes, and the Swedish actor Bo Svenson as Twyman.

Supporting cast

The cast included actors

Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Wal ...

and

Maidie Norman Maidie Ruth Norman (October 16, 1912 – May 2, 1998) was an American radio, stage, film, and television actress as well as an instructor in African-American literature and theater. Early life Norman was born Maidie Ruth Gamble on a plantat ...

as Maurice's parents; Janet MacLachlan played Stokes's college girlfriend, Dorothy (Stokes was carrying a diamond ring in his pocket, all set to propose to her, when he had the seizure on the plane); and actor

Ji-Tu Cumbuka Ji-Tu Cumbuka (March 4, 1940 – July 4, 2017) was an American actor. He is best remembered as "Torque" in the hit TV series ''A Man Called Sloane'' together with Robert Conrad and Dan O'Herlihy. In 2011, Cumbuka published his autobiography ...

portrayed

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...

Music

The song "Winners", composed by

Joe Raposo Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH (February 8, 1937 – February 5, 1989) was an American composer, songwriter, pianist, singer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', for which he wrote the theme ...

was performed by African-American singer

Arthur Prysock Arthur Prysock Jr. (January 1, 1924 Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

included a version of the song on his LP "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back!"

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

A. H. Weiler Abraham H. Weiler (December 10, 1908 – January 22, 2002) was an American writer and critic best known for being a film critic and motion picture editor for ''The New York Times''. He also served a term as chairman of the New York Film Critics ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote in his review: "As a potentially inspirational saga that respects the awesome truth that generated it, ''Maurie'', now at Loews State and Cine Theaters is, unfortunately, rarely moving as drama. The heroism, tragedy and friendship of Maurice Stokes, the black basketball star destined to die, and his white teammate, Jack Twyman, formerly of the Cincinnati Royals, evolves on screen with largely soap-opera effects."

References

External links

* * {{Sacramento Kings 1970s biographical drama films 1973 films American biographical drama films American independent films American basketball films Films directed by Daniel Mann Films scored by Joe Raposo Biographical films about sportspeople Cultural depictions of basketball players 1973 drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films