Man's Favorite Sport? (1964) on Netflix
Roger Willoughby sells fishing gear and wrote a book on the sport, but he has never fished. His boss enters him in a tournament, and Abigail Page offers to teach him.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.0/106,949 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes63%
Trailer
Plot summary
Roger Willoughby works at Abercrombie & Fitch selling recreational fishing equipment, and his customers prize his advice for the annual tournament at Lake Wakapoogee. His boss, William Cadwalader, orders him to compete after Isolde 'Easy' Mueller, the lodge owner's daughter, and Abigail Page, its public relations director, suggest it. Roger has never fished, dislikes the feel and flavor of fish, and cannot swim; his reputation rests on repeating what talkative customers tell him. Abigail, who knows fishing well, threatens to expose him if he refuses and offers lessons before the contest. At the lodge he brings far too much gear and handles none of it. The lessons fail, one leaving him nearly drowned. Easy reports that a renowned fisherman, Joe Killroy, has entered, so the women improvise a broken arm for Roger to give him an excuse to withdraw.
Cast
Show all 20 cast
- Tom Allenas Bit Part (uncredited)
- Holger Bendixenas Fisherman (uncredited)
- Joan Bostonas Joan (uncredited)
- Boyd Cabeenas Fisherman (uncredited)
- Bill Cassadyas Bar customer (uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Cary Grant was Howard Hawks's first choice to star, but Grant turned the role down because, Hawks said, he felt too old to appear opposite three young women.
- Hawks said the film previewed well, but Universal cut 20 minutes to fit an extra screening a day; when that version previewed worse, the studio excised another 20 minutes, and that shortened cut was released.
- Howard Hawks said Paula Prentiss was good but could not remember what she was doing from one shot to the next, so her shots never matched.
- The story came from a magazine article Howard Hawks had read about a fishing expert who had never actually been fishing.
