disneydetail

October 2, 1953 – The Special Short Film Football Now and Then is Released to Theaters

“Every autumn throughout the country, when the frost is on the pumpkins and the leaves begin to fall, there’s something stirring in the air: football!”

On October 2, 1953, the special short film Football Now and Then was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack Kinney, with story by Lance Nolley.

It’s the beginning of football season, and a grandfather and grandson wonder which of their respective teams would win in a match: Grandfather’s Old Time Gladiators of Yesterday, of the Modern Gridiron Heroes of Today. The Modern team has hundreds of members, while the old time team has only a few. The coin toss is done, and the modern team has their kickoff. The Old Timers manage to bulldoze their way across the field to score the first touchdown, while the modern coach is flustered at having so many members to manage and send out to the field. The Modern Team huddles together to figure out their next move, and when they get back to position – the game is interrupted by an advertisement for a dishwasher. The game continues, but the modern team doesn’t seem to be faring very well, though they finally score a touchdown. The score is tied, and at the halftime, the two teams take very different approaches to prepare for the game. The second half is full of chaos and confusion on both sides. The game is tied once again – and once again gets interrupted by the dishwasher commercial. In the end, the grandfather insists that this only proves that everyone should have that kind of dishwasher, and heads out to get one.