The Longest Yard is a 1974 American comedy sports-drama film about inmates at a prison who play American football against their guards. Burt Reynolds portrayed Paul "Wrecking" Crewe in the original, and the coach Nate Scarborough in the 2005 remake. The 1974 original was also the basis for the 2001 movie Mean Machine , starring Vinnie Jones as Danny Meehan, based on the character of Paul Crewe, and featuring association football instead of American football. Green Bay Packers legend Ray Nitschke appeared in the 1974 version as did the country legend George Jones. The protagonist is Paul... "Wrecking" Crewe , former star pro football quarterback living with his wealthy girlfriend in Palm Beach, Florida. After a fight with her, he gets drunk and "steals" her expensive Citroën SM automobile. He is surprised when a fleet of police cars follow him. Briefly evading them, he exits the vehicle and sends it off a dock into the bay. He is caught and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Crewe has difficulty getting along with the guards as well as with his fellow inmates.
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| Release date: | August 21, 1974 |
| Directed by: | Robert Aldrich |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 121 Minutes |
| Producer: | Albert Ruddy |
| Music by: | Frank De Vol |
| Screenplay by: | Albert Ruddy, Tracy Keenan Wynn |
| Estimated budget: | $9,000,000 |
| Genre: | Comedy |