During the Cold War, American U2 pilot John Goldfarb (Richard Crenna) crashes his spy plane in the Middle East and is taken prisoner by the local government.
His captor, King Fawz (Peter Ustinov), soon discovers that Goldfarb used to be a college football star. So he issues him an ultimatum – coach his country’s football team so they can beat Notre Dame or Fawz will surrender him to the Russians.
What the King doesn’t know is that Goldfarb’s nickname was “Wrong Way” Goldfarb – because he was noted for running a touchdown for the other team.
Goldfarb teams up with Jenny Ericson (Shirley MacLaine) – an undercover reporter for Strife magazine who is posing as a harem girl – and together they plot to escape their dangerous situation.
Jenny Ericson
Shirley MacLaine
King Fawz
Peter Ustinov
John Goldfarb
Richard Crenna
Miles Whitepaper
Jim Backus
Coach Sakalakis
Scott Brady
Heinous Overreach
Fred Clark
Mustafa Guz
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Secretary of State Deems Sarajevo
Harry Morgan
Prince Ammud
Patrick Adiarte
Secretary of Defense Charles Maginot
Richard Deacon
Ambassador Brinkley
Jerome Cowan
Samir
Leon Askin
Stottle Cronkite
David Lewis
Air Force General
Milton Frome
Strife Magazine Editor
Charles Lane
Pinkerton
Jerry Orbach
Father Ryan
Jackie Coogan
Frobish
Richard Wilson
Astrid Porche
Barbara Bouchet
Harem Girls
Angela Douglas
Teri Garr
Linda Foster
Eve Bruce
Carey Foster
Shelby Grant
Sandra Gregg
Gari Hardy
Ann Morell
Jane Wald
Irene Tsu
Notre Dame Quarterback
James Brolin
Director
J. Lee Thompson