George A. Romero Appears in Night of the Living Steelers NFL Documentary
I never thought of George A. Romero as having any involvement with the NFL, but a new episode of the documentary series “The Timeline” titled “Night of the Living Steelers” will examine how his Living Dead movies and the Pittsburgh Steelers both became cultural icons. Get more on their official website.
It premieres on October 5, and if anything, it’s great to see something related to the NFL come along that doesn’t involve people whining about Colin Kaepernick expressing his First Amendment rights granted to him as a US citizen.
From the Press Release:
“If there is a similarity between what was going on with the Steelers at that time and what was going on with us, it’s about perseverance.” – George Romero
The second season of NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated documentary series The Timeline from NFL Films continues Wednesday, October 5 at 8:00 PM ET with Night of the Living Steelers, examining the similar legacies of filmmaker George Romero’s classic zombie films and the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.
Romero – known as the father of the zombie film – hosts and narrates the one-hour show, reflecting on how the Steelers and his zombie films grew to become Pittsburgh icons. Along with Romero telling the story of how the success of the Steelers mirrored that of his films, Night of the Living Steelers focuses on four Steelers-based films Romero made in the mid-1970s: “Franco Harris: Good Luck on Sunday,” “The Steel Curtain,” “Terry Bradshaw: Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and “I’m Back: The Rocky Bleier Story.”
Night of the Living Steelers features interviews with Romero, Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Steelers president/co-owner Art Rooney II and former Steelers player personnel chief Art Rooney Jr., as well as former Steelers Franco Harris, “Mean” Joe Greene and Rocky Bleier each watching the Romero film they starred in at the Parkway Theater.
To view a trailer for Night of the Living Steelers, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEW5iTX7_hE
Among the topics discussed in Night of the Living Steelers are:
How George Romero created the zombie film empire starting with Night of the Living Dead
Four Steelers-focused films Romero made in the 1970s
The connection between the rise of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the rise of Romero’s movies
The copyright issue with Night of the Living Dead which prevented Romero from receiving the profits
Night of the Living Steelers includes interviews with the following people and more:
George Romero – Filmmaker
“Mean” Joe Greene – Steelers Hall of Fame defensive tackle
Terry Bradshaw – Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback
Franco Harris – Steelers Hall of Fame running back
Art Rooney II – Steelers president/co-owner
Art Rooney Jr. – Former Steelers player personnel chief
Rocky Bleier – Former Steelers running back
Provided below are some select quotes from Night of the Living Steelers:
– “I used to be the only guy in the playground. I was the only guy doing zombies. Then all of a sudden ‘The Walking Dead’ happened and it became mainstream. Now, they’re all over the place.” – George Romero
– “There were two cults – movie cult and sports cult – that captured the imagination of the people not only here [in Pittsburgh] but throughout this country.” – Rocky Bleier
– “It was the start of something that no one saw coming.” – Franco Harris
– “If there is a similarity between what was going on with the Steelers at that time and what was going on with us, it’s about perseverance. Whatever that quality is of never say die, seemingly against all odds.” – George Romero
Each episode of The Timeline – as well as all NFL Network programming – is streamed live on the NFL Mobile from Verizon app (NFL.com/mobile) and via Watch NFL Network on tablet (NFL Mobile and Watch NFL Network apps), PC (NFL.com/watch), Xbox One and Xbox 360(NFL on Xbox app) and other connected TV devices (NFL app on Apple TV and Playstation 4).
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