Jerry Houser

Slap Shot (1977)

[7] Paul Newman stars as an aging ice hockey coach and player who tries to salvage his team’s careers by leaning into on-ice violence and wrestling-like theatrics, what the players call ‘goonery’. The effort works, leading to a winning streak, publicity, and huge crowds. But when the team’s owner still decides to fold the team for a tax write-off, spirits dive and the championship is …

Class of ’44 (1973)

[5] Gary Grimes and Jerry Houser reprise their roles from the emotionally charged Summer of ’42 in this lackluster, somewhat pointless follow-up. Whereas Summer of ’42 was very much about a young man’s sexual awakening with an older woman, Class of ’44 is more of a slice-of-life movie with no overarching narrative goal. It sees Grimes and Houser’s characters off to college while their friend …