Among the greatest challenges in writing The Chief, the stage play on which this movie is based, was in satisfactorily conveying Art Rooney’s singular humanity, his stunning capacity for everyday empathy.
Plenty of people asked us, by which I mean Rob Zellers and me, if there were stories about the great sportsman and founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers that we regretted had not made in into the script of the play, and by extension the word-for-word version now available through the efforts of the film's producer Mike Wittlin and executive producers Tom Chaffee and Bruce Kaplan. Time simply did not permit the telling of every compelling story about The Chief. There are one hundred and one such stories, and that’s just about boxing. But my favorite goes pretty much like this.
When The Chief’s wife died, which would have been in 1980, the funeral home employed for the viewing had two rooms. Katherine Rooney was in one. A local fireman in the other. As the sessions wore on, The Chief, even in his grief, noticed that no one was showing up to pay respects to the fireman. Finally he asked the one visitor who came to the other room what was up. “Oh Mr. Rooney,” the man said, “This is my father. My mom’s dead, and I’m the only living relative that I know of. That’s why no one’s come.” From that point until the end of the viewings, the Chief made sure that all flowers that were delivered to his wife’s room where split between Katherine and the fireman, and that everyone who came to pay respects to his wife also visit the fireman and sign the fireman’s book. When a long-lost relative did turn up during the final session, she remarked, “Oh my gosh, I didn’t know that dad knew Lynn Swann and Franco Harris, and all these players!”
This story just slays me. Not only didn’t he have to do it, he clearly didn’t have to do it – indeed it appeared to have no purpose – after the first visitor indicated no one else would be coming. Yet he did it because it seemed right to him. It seemed polite. There was no one like him.
Many, many people, I hope, will see this DVD, just as tens of thousands saw the play, the most successful production in the history of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. Many of them will praise the staggering performance of Tom Atkins, and to lesser extents the work of the producers, directors, writers, and all talented people who contributed to its existence in any way.
I would only ask that they remember that the overriding reason it works is and always has been Art Rooney. We are all privileged to be associated with him even in this humble way.
- Gene Collier
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