The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979) United Artists/Comedy RT: 102 minutes Rated PG (language) Director: Gilbert Moses Screenplay: Jaison Starkes and Edmond Stevens Music: Thom Bell Cinematography: Frank Stanley Release date: November 6, 1979 (US) Cast: Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Jonathan Winters, Meadowlark Lemon, Jack Kehoe, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Margaret Avery, James Bond III, Michael V. Gazzo, Peter Isacksen, Nicholas Pryor, M. Emmett Walsh, Stockard Channing, Flip Wilson, Marv Albert, Debbie Allen, Julius J. Carry III, Jerry Chambers, Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, Malek Abdul-Mansour, Dwayne Mooney, Daryl Mooney, Branscombe Richmond, Harry Shearer, The Spinners, The Sylvers, Joe Seneca. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
The title makes it sound like a cheesy monster movie from the 50s, but I assure you that’s not what The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh is about. It’s an amusing sports comedy from the late 70s (aka The Disco Era) about a losing basketball team and the unique way they bounce back.
I remember when this one played at theaters. At the time, I liked basketball. Yes, you read that right …. I liked a sport! I just thought there was something cool about the game. My team was the Philadelphia 76ers (aka The Sixers). Their star player, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, plays the lead in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. I wanted to see this movie in the worst way, but I couldn’t talk anybody into taking me. I didn’t actually get to see it until I caught it on cable TV in ’97.
While I liked it, I would have liked it even more as an 11YO as that appears to be the target audience. It’s a movie for children and a silly one at that. It’s yet another variation of The Bad News Bears with the whole “sports team comprised of misfits” storyline. The main difference is we’re talking about adults instead of foul-mouthed preteens. The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh is reasonably entertaining without being exceptional in any way. It’s fun, but predictable and cartoonish. However, I don’t think that the target audience will care.
The plot of The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh is a total no-brainer. The Pittsburgh Pythons are having a really bad season. Their continuous losing streak and almost complete lack of talent has made them a laughing stock. There’s plenty of in-fighting between the players, especially when it comes to star player Moses Guthrie (Erving). He’s the only decent player on the team. Finally, the other players walk out to play for other teams.
Tyrone Millman (Bond, School Daze), the team’s young ballboy, comes up with an unorthodox method of selecting new team members. With the help of astrologer Mona Mondieu (Channing, Grease), they set up a new team comprised entirely of players born under the sign of Pisces (aka the fish, hence the movie’s title). They’re a unique bunch, that’s for sure. The new team members include Reverend Grady Jackson (Lemon of The Harlem Globetrotters), rhyming DJ Jackhammer (Ferguson, Prince of Darkness), diminutive but talented Setshot (Kehoe, Car Wash), mute Bullet (Abdul-Mansour), twins Benny Rae and Kenny Rae (Dwayne and Daryl Mooney), Native American Winston Running Hawk (Branscombe, Commando) and oddball Vietnam vet Driftwood (Isacksen, Under the Rainbow).
To everybody’s surprise (except viewers over the age of 14), the new team is a complete success. Thanks to their astrological compatibility, they work very well together. While the team owner (Winters, Mork & Mindy) loves the team’s new concept (he renames them The Pittsburgh Pisces) and their sudden winning streak, his evil brother (Winters, in a dual role) would love to see them fail. Oh yeah, a romance develops between Moses and Tyrone’s older sister Toby (Avery, The Color Purple) who thinks her brother is wasting his time on basketball.
To be perfectly honest, there isn’t much more than basketball and a whole lot of razzle-dazzle to The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. It lends credence to the notion that athletes should stick to what they do best and not try to break into acting. Dr. J may be great when it comes to shooting hoops, but fouls out when it comes to acting. Lemon fares better, but The Harlem Globetrotters are more of a comedy act than a real team, so that makes him more of an actor than an athlete. I don’t understand why Abdul-Jabbar receives such high billing when he doesn’t even show up until the climax. Even then, we only see him in a few brief shots. I don’t even think he had any dialogue.
The characters and subplots are underdeveloped. We don’t get to know the players or coaches beyond a defining characteristic or two. Again, I doubt that 11YOs will care about any of this which renders all preceding comments moot. The basketball sequences are well done. That’s likely the only thing that will matter to those watching it. I also like the music. The Sylvers (of Boogie Fever fame) perform a number on the court during the climactic game. The Spinners make a cameo as choir members at Reverend Jackson’s church.
Like I said, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh isn’t a bad movie, just an unexceptional one that will appeal more to youngsters. Is it suitable for them? Yes, I don’t see why not. Except for some rough language, there’s nothing offensive at all in the movie. It’s a fun little movie if watched in the right frame of mind. Overall, it’s not too bad. It scores more than it misses.
