February 17 – Arsenal hit the Silver Screen

IT’S off to the movies on OTFD today, as Ealing Studio big-wigs first had the idea of putting the beautiful game on the big screen when they released The Arsenal Stadium Mystery today in 1940.

Murder mysteries were all the rage at that time, so using the dominant team in English football as a key plot device was always going to keep the masses happy.

The stadium in question was Arsenal’s old Highbury ground, and the mystery was the death of one of Arsenal’s opponents, the fictitious Trojans team who had fallen victim to a poisoning (rumours of a sequel centring on the Spurs lasagne-gate incident that saw the Gooners pip them to a Champions League place in 2006 are unfounded).

But whodunit? Was it one of the unfortunate Trojan stars’ team-mates? His former mistress? Arsenal stars Cliff Bastin or Eddie Hapgood? Surely it wasn’t Arsenal manager George Allison who bagged himself a speaking part in the film?

We wouldn’t dream of ruining the plot for you so you’ll have to go and find out for yourself. The film features match action from Arsenal’s final game of the 1939 season, with their opponent that day Brentford wearing a special striped kit in what would be Arsenal’s last match before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Since then the film industry has given us football ditties such as Escape to Victory and Bend It Like Beckham, but as far as sports films go, there’s not been a football film to touch the likes of Raging Bull or Rocky.

The upcoming adaptation of David Peace’s excellent book The Damned United, staring impressionist extraordinaire Michael Sheen as Ol’ Big ‘Ead will have us rushing out to get the popcorn, but until then have a look at our reviews of a few recent football movies staring the likes of Maradona, Zizou and Pele that might have escaped under your radar here.

We’ll be back tomorrow for more musings tomorrow, but until then see what else was going on today here and have a look at a tribute reel to the Gooner’s former ground below.