There’s a Vikings Documentary in the Works
Get ready for more Minnesota Vikings content.
With an unknown release date, a documentary film, thanks to Winter State Entertainment, is in the works, profiling the “Purple People Era” of Vikings football.
There’s a Vikings Documentary in the Works
Deadline broke the news this week and explained the upcoming project, “Following the Minnesota Vikings’ introduction into the NFL in 1961, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Alan Page and Gary Larsen made up the core four on defense who helped bring the team five NFC Championships, 10 division titles, and 19 Pro Bowl selections.”
Early in franchise history, the Vikings were primarily known for one thing — defense. That side of the ball propelled the purple team to four Super Bowl appearances, led also by Hall of Fame head coach Bud Grant and Hall of Famer passer Fran Tarkenton.
“One of the most iconic front fours in the history of the NFL, these men had great battles in Super Bowl VIII against the Miami Dolphins, in Super Bowl IX against the “Steel Curtain,” Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in Super Bowl XI against John Madden’s Oakland Raiders. Featuring the participation of Eller, Marshall, Page and Larsen, the doc will also showcase interviews with former NFL players Ahmad Rashad and Jared Allen, along with other former Vikings teammates,” Deadline’s Matt Grobar continued.
Grant oversaw the famous Purple People Eaters Vikings defense in the late 1960s and the entirety of the 1970s. He famously said about cold weather, “Being cold for a short period of time is not life-threatening. You can perform a task when you’re cold. We proved that when the Vikings played outside.”
On the impending documentary, Carl Eller, a Purple People Eater, said, “I am very excited for this documentary about the Purple People Eaters to be shared with the World, so they can see what a special, talented group of guys manned the line. It was my good fortune to have experienced the friendships and camaraderie of these phenomenal men. We are the only remaining living front four from the era of great defensive lines and it will be truly special for the viewer to see what made us the players we were.”
The aforementioned Eller and Page are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Marshall and Larsen are not, although Marshall has been a semifinalist for the last two years, but no cigar.
In the six seasons preceding Grant’s arrival to the Vikings, Minnesota was the league’s sixth-worst franchise with a .369 win percentage. On his watch, that climbed to fifth-best (.632). When he was gone from the Vikings for good, the franchise became the ninth-best organization from 1986 to present with a .548 win percentage.
Deadline’s Grobar also wrote that Winter State Entertainment has projects around the bend featuring stories of “civil rights, social justice issues and more, along with more sports docs spanning the arenas of football, baseball, boxing, basketball, and hockey.”
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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