John W. Mecom Jr.: I can’t recall exactly how it happened, but I thought, well, if Chuck Heston’s going to be involved in it—and I’d had interest in the picture business before that—but I thought if Chuck was going to be involved, then there’s got to be something to it.

[Audio from “Number One, 1969 Radio Promos” YouTube video plays. (Drums roll.)

Voice-over: Fifteen years in pro football leaves scars on the body (sound of a collision). On the soul (whistle blowing). And when you’re number one, there’s nowhere to go but down.]

Mecom: I don’t think it was a very good picture. It just wasn’t edited, I think, correctly. There were some great people in it.

[Promotional video continues with marching band music.

Voice-over: Charlton Heston. Jessica Walter. Number One.]

Mecom: Chuck actually thought it was going to be all he could—since he was a big man, back in those days—he could handle it. Well, after three or four of those days of work—I don’t think it lasted three or four days; maybe two days—he decided we’d better get a stunt double. Chuck was a good sport. He really was.

[Audio clip from Number One film.

Heston: Double flat. X, Y, Z corner. On two. Ready, break!]

Mecom: There was a man I mentioned earlier that should get a lot of credit for that picture, getting it done and finished, by the name of Jack Weiss. Jack was a friend of ours in New Orleans in the scrap business and I guess went on to be in the picture business after Number One was in Houston—I mean went to New Orleans. It was fun doing it. I think the crowd got into it also, because we had to film a couple of scenes during a game, a real game. I can’t imagine the league allowing that to happen in today’s world, but they did back then. I guess we called it part of the halftime.

[Jazz music from Number One plays.]

Mecom: I went to the premiere, yes. I had a shocked look on my face. I remember exactly, at the end of the picture. I was like, oh, no, it can’t be that bad. And Chuck was sitting not far from me. “Well, what’d you think?” I said, “Kind of reminds me of one of the games we just lost.” That’s all I could say. It just—it wasn’t what I had seen in the rushes and also the first cut. Just didn’t turn out very well.

[Jazz music continues.]