Had the producers not lost faith, it might have been the most radical conversion since Saint Augustine was redeemed from debauchery 16 centuries ago. But no, former quarterback Joe Namath doffed the Carmelite robes and beatific mien that initially went with his role of undercover agent in the movie thriller Avalanche Express. After catching Namath in monk's garb, they scrapped the disguise, fearing audiences would find Joe, well, holy out of place. (The rumor is false that it was because his gimpy knees precluded genuflection.)
Since quitting football, Namath has flung himself into acting with the concentration—but not the brashness—he brought as an AFL rookie 13 seasons ago. "He's reserved and nice to work with," says Avalanche co-star Lee Marvin, who, with Namath, is assigned to guard a defecting KGB chief (Robert Shaw) on a trans-European train. Old No. 12 sized up his competition on the Milan set and sees himself as "about sixth in the cast," which also includes Maximilian Schell and Mike Connors. "I'm not carrying the picture by any stretch of the imagination," he admits.
In his next outing, though—headlining the NBC fall series The Waverly Wonders (he coaches a no-win high school basketball team)—Joe will have to carry the show. When asked if the kid can act, Lee Marvin replied: "Sure—he's in the movie." Okay, but does Namath have a future in Hollywood? Smiles Marvin: "He certainly doesn't have a future in football."
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