Odessa high School - Over a Century of Excellance

Odessa High School

Odessa High School

Number One - The Movie (1969)

Starring Charlton Heston and the Odessa High School Band

Robert (Bob) McSpadden -- Class of 1970

The movie "Number One" was shot at the Old Sugar Bowl stadium in New Orleans. We were there to march the half time show. The Saints were playing the Cowboys and we were the guests of the Saints. We didn't know they were shooting a movie until we arrived. The band appeared in the movie as a band marching at half time.  It was bad in a couple of ways. We were marching to one song and the sound track was playing another and the movie was pretty poor. 

When the movie opened the next year at the Ector Theater the marquee had a big banner under the title.  "Number ONE, Featuring the ODESSA HIGH SCHOOL BAND." (I wish I had a picture of that!) The school board was not impressed because the movie was rated "R". "Do we want our kids going to an "R" rated movie to see themselves march!!?". It was a big stink. "Who gave you permission to appear in this "R" rated movie!!?" (They didn't ask us if we wanted in the movie.) I also think there was some jealousy from our cross-town rivals.

When we went on our band trip that year the school board cut our travels days in half and we ended up in a mad dash to Dallas and had no time for any sightseeing or recreation. In the paper the day before we left was a warning from a school board member saying "They better not sneak into any more movies with out our permission!"

I do have pictures of the crowd at the Sugar Bowl. There were 83,000 people in that old wooden stadium. It was the largest crowd for a regular season game that year. I posted one of them in the scrapbook of the band webpage

What a lot of people don't know is that we where on the front of the New Orleans Saint Christmas Card that year in our shield formation, (the one with the red and white cloth stripes)

Also the one with the most movie time was twirler Linda Davis. I saw her at our 30-year reunion and she looks just as good today as she did then.


If you would like to submit a story about an experience you had in Odessa High School email them to me. I will review them and select the stories that I think will be of general interest to the alumni of Odessa High High School. I will also edit at my discretion all stories submitted. This editing will be kept a minimum and will only be done for clarity. Submission does not guarantee posting on this page.  To make submission click here. Bob McSpadden Class of 1970