''Off Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks)'' (originally titled ''Pigs vs. Freaks'') is a 1984 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

. Based on a short film by

Jack Epps Jr. Jack Epps Jr. (born November 3, 1949) is an American screenwriter, author, and educator, known chiefly for such popular 1980s films as '' Top Gun'', ''Legal Eagles'', and '' The Secret of My Success'', which he wrote with longtime partner Jim ...

, the feature-length film was scheduled for release in 1980 but was not actually released until 1984. Directed by

Dick Lowry Dick Lowry (born 15 September 1944 in Oklahoma) is an American director and film producer. Productions List films were all made for television unless otherwise indicated. *1975: ''The Drought'' (theatrical film) *1980: '' OHMS'' *1980: '' K ...

, it stars

Eugene Roche Eugene Harrison Roche (September 22, 1928 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor and the original " Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials. Personal life Roche was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Mary M. (née Finnegan ...

Grant Goodeve Grant Goodeve (born July 6, 1952) is an American actor and television host. He is best known for his role as David Bradford, the eldest son on ABC television's ''Eight Is Enough'' from 1977 to 1981; he sang the theme song for the show, as well. M ...

and

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play ''The Odd Couple'' by Neil Sim ...

. It was broadcast on television, not released as a theatrical feature.

Plot summary

In the late 1960s in a small town, a police chief and his

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

son lead opposing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams to settle their differences. The police ("Pigs") play against the hippies ("Freaks").

Cast

as Chief Frank Brockmeyer *

as Neal Brockmeyer *

as Rambaba Organimus *

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in '' Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, as well as in the television series ''Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 ...

as Mickey South *

Penny Peyser Penelope Allison "Penny" Peyser is an American actress, writer, and filmmaker. Early life Peyser was born in Irvington, New York, and attended Irvington High School, where she starred in student musical theatre productions. She is the daughter ...

as Janice Zimmer *

Brian Dennehy Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in ...

as Sergeant Cheever *

Stephen Furst Stephen Furst (born Stephen Nelson Feuerstein; May 8, 1954 – June 16, 2017) was an American actor, director and producer. After gaining attention with his featured role as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in the comedy film ''National Lampoon's An ...

as "Steamboat" * Gloria De Haven as Maureen Brockmeyer *

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

as Doug Zimmer *

William Windom William Windom (May 10, 1827January 29, 1891) was an American politician from Minnesota. He served as U.S. Representative from 1859 to 1869, and as U.S. Senator from 1870 to January 1871, from March 1871 to March 1881, and from November 1881 ...

as Mayor Malcolm Wallwood * Chieko Araki as Debby Brockmeyer * Charlie Bloom as Creekmore * Dave Cass as Keough *

Elisha Cook Elisha Vanslyck Cook Jr. (December 26, 1903 – May 18, 1995) was an American character actor famed for his work in films noir. According to Bill Georgaris of TSPDT: They Shoot Pictures, Don't They, Cook appeared in a total of 21 film n ...

as Novatney * Jack Eiseman as Cochran * Jim Greenleaf as Blatz * J. D. Hall as Riley Webster * Curtis F. Hanson as FBI Agent #1 *

Tom Harmon Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990), known as Tom Harmon, as well as by the nickname "Old 98", was an American football player, military pilot, actor, and sports broadcaster. Harmon grew up in Gary, Indiana, and playe ...

as Game Announcer * Lanny Horn as Morton *

Graham Jarvis Graham Powley Jarvis (August 25, 1930 – April 16, 2003) was a Canadian character actor in American films and television from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Early years Jarvis was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Margaret Biddulph (Scratche ...

as Commander Oliver Krebs * Holly Johnson as Reporter *

Joe Kapp Joseph Robert Kapp (born March 19, 1938) is an American former football player, coach, and executive. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of California, Berkeley. Kapp played professionally in the Canadian Football Lea ...

as Pete Bose * Priscilla Lauris as Mom * Tom Martin as "Chow-Chow" Gedrechowski * Alan Oliney as Fishbeck * Shari Santilli as Emily Wallwood * Pat Studstill as "Mad Dog" Osloff * Shauna Sullivan as Kim * Robina Suwol as Pig Wife * Vern Taylor as Pop * Brad Wilkin as Ben Grimaldi * Eugenia Wright as Didi * Roger Edmonds as Football Official 1

Crew

*Frank Beascoechea: Director of Photography *Gordon Dawson: Screenwriter * Jack Epps, Jr.: Writer, original story; Producer *Duane Toler: Script Supervisor *

Robert Lovenheim Robert Lovenheim is a film and television writer and producer. Biography Lovenheim is a television producer. He studied film at the University of Southern California, and his career began at Columbia Pictures where he supervised new development a ...

: Supervising Producer *Robert Huddleston: Producer *

Mark Snow Mark Snow (born Martin Fulterman; August 26, 1946) is an American composer for film and television. Among his most famous compositions is the theme music for science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. The theme reached no. 2 on the UK Si ...

: Music *Dale Johnston: Sound Editor *

Caro Jones Caro Jones (1923 – September 3, 2009) was a Canadian-American actress and casting director who was responsible for casting more than 1,000 films, theater productions and television shows over the course of more than forty years, including ''Rock ...

: Casting

Production

The film was based on a 1970

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

by Jack Epps Jr. which won a Blue Ribbon from the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

. The story was based on a real-life

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

game with a similar premise in 1970. Mostly filmed in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, Oregon. It was also an annual charity football game between

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

police and students at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

Notes

External links

* {{Dick Lowry 1984 television films 1984 films 1980s sports films American television films American football films Features based on short films Films scored by Mark Snow Films set in the 1960s Films shot in Oregon Hippie films Softball mass media Films directed by Dick Lowry 1980s English-language films 1980s American films