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
Jenny Ericson
Ambassador Brinkley
Frobish
