Hey kids, sorry for the delay on this, but you know what they tell you in school: bourbon takes its toll. Particularly good bourbon.
But here we are, with today's Off-Day Happy Fun Pack! And it's all about YOU, the audience.
Our topic this week: the movies!
Specifically, what are the greatest of all baseball movies or TV shows? (Remember, nearly all of them involve the Yankees!)
Here is a modest list:
Damn Yankees
Pride of the Yankees
The Babe Ruth Story
Bang the Drum Slowly
*61
Speedy
Angels in the Outfield (but they're really Yankees!)
For the Love of the Game
And, oh yeah:
Eight Men Out
Bull Durham
The Natural
Field of Dreams
A League of Their Own
Trouble With the Curve
Moneyball
The Scout
Million Dollar Arm
Major League
Major League II
Major League: Back to the Minors
Major League: The Mexican League Years
Major League Goes Hawaiian
(Okay, a couple of those may have been embellished.)
Sure, people who value silly things like great scriptwriting, cinematography, direction, and acting might go with a tragedy such as as Eight Men Out (great performances by David "Never Bad" Strathairn as Eddie Cicotte, John Cusack as Buck Weaver, and John Sayles as Ring Lardner). But it's about the White Sox—though of course their game-fixing led to Babe Ruth and the Yankees saving baseball.
Or there's Bull Durham, which features a pretty young Susan Sarandon and a very young Jenny Robertson, for the more puerile-minded among you. (But no Yankees.) The Natural has a player BASED on Babe Ruth (Joe Don Baker as "The Whammer")—but features the New York "Knights." (Though it does get points for how Robert Redford's Roy Hobbs sacrifices himself to save The Whammer.)
Field of Dreams is going to force the Yankees to play in a damned cornfield next year, in MLB's never-ending round of gimmicks. As if London wasn't bad enough!
A League of Their Own is about girls, Trouble With the Curve is about Clint Eastwood being replaced by a girl, and Million Dollar Arm is about crickets. And lacks a hyphen.
Which leaves the Yankees movies.
I've never watched For the Love of the Game, but apparently you're supposed to root for Kevin Costner to pitch a perfect game in his last start...and thereby deny the Yankees a division title. How messed up is that?
Speedy, on the other hand, is filled with tension. Will The Babe make it to Yankee Stadium in one piece? And if he does, how many home runs will he hit? Inquiring minds want to know!
The rest of them...well, how DO you pick? Pride of the Yankees features Theresa Wright, the girl next door you want do many abominable carnal things with AND have her be your mom. Damn Yankees features Gwen Verdon, Ray Bob Fosse, Tab Hunter, AND Ray Walston. How do you beat THAT cast?
Well, I'll leave it to your vote. But first, a little trivia, for zero dollars in the championship round:
—When The Babe finally gets to the Stadium (sorry, should have said "spoiler alert!"), what other Yankee briefly passes on the other side of the car? Hint: the Harold Lloyd one-reeler was made in 1928.
—In For the Love of the Game, Kevin Costner was coached for his role by what former Yankees player (who also has a small speaking part in the film)? And what was this former player's most distinguished contribution during his brief Yankees career?
—In Bang the Drum Slowly, Robert DeNiro is a Yankees (all right, they're officially called the Mastodons, or some such) player, slowly dying of something or other. He is wearing the uniform number of what real-life Yankee—who played the same position, and also died prematurely?
—In The Babe Ruth Story, while advising on the film, The Bambino ogled what Hollywood star, and said out loud what a good time he would have with her if only he weren't dying of cancer?
—What former player absolutely refused offers to be in the aforementioned Babe Ruth Story, and why?
All right. Well, to quote an infamous TV kids show host, that oughta hold you little bastards for awhile—at least until the start of the Fenway Frolic.
Enjoy. And remember: if you send in your answers on an 8 x 10 postcard along with 10 box tops from Huskies cereal, YOU may be eligible to answer the further question of what great Yankee gaffe I'm referring to here!
Friday, September 6, 2019
Off-Day Happy Fun Pack
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11 comments:
DeNiro wore Munson's 15, I think. Great movie.
Lou Gerhrig appears in "Speedy." I have a huge collection of silents (Stummfilme), my favourites being "Gösta Berlings Saga" (1924 - from Mauritz Stiller and the first major role for Greta Garbo) and "La roue" (1923 - from Abel Gance, who made that endless Napoleon film). That being said I watch "Bull Durham" (called here "Annies Männer") and "62*" annually (I had to buy the the DVD of "62*" from America and then have it converted from NTSC to PAL and a new copy burned which will play on my equipment).
Oh yeah - my copy of "Speedy" lasts 86 minutes 14 seconds, so it most certainly is NOT a "one-reeler!" A reel in those days was about 15 minutes depending on the number of frames per second. If you need the complete "Speedy" I can send it to you.
You are correct, Parson!
And so are you, Austria. And thanks for cluing me in on "Speedy." I had foolishly assumed that, just because the Ruth segment was all I could see on YouTube, that it was a short.
Good to know...and boy, didn't NYC traffic look insane back in the 1920s, even in a comedy (and with many fewer cars)? Hardly any traffic signage in sight, while you had to maneuver around trucks, streetcars, and the stanchions of the various elevateds. What a nightmare!
But I do love that shot of Gehrig gliding by, ghost-like. A shivery experience. Also, note how trim The Babe looks in the movie. Not yet atrophying...
The Sandlot and the Original Bad News Bears are two that should be on the list because you said baseball.
The best two TV shows about baseball have to be Eastbound and Down and the incredible, Brockmire.
Doug K.
Correct, Doug K! Where is The Sandlot? Most correct!!
A Yankees movie that should be on the list is Safe At Home, made in 1962 with Mantle and Maris (https://www.si.com/vault/1962/04/02/593549/mantle-and-maris-in-the-movies).
Here are some lesser know Yankee gems.
"Harmonica: The Phil Linz Story"
"Fritzcaraldo - The Burden of Schemes"
Fritz Peterson tries to get the former Mrs. Kekich to go with him to the mountains for the weekend.
"Bride of the Yankees" (The original name of the above.)
A Long Relievers Journey Into Night The George Frazier Story
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Series - A cast of Yankee legends try for one more tittle as they look for a big W.
And of course...
Cashablanca
Doug K.
In "Bang the Drum Slowly", I thought the super-pitcher buddy of the dying catcher was modeled on Tom Seaver.
Sorry about missing those, guys!
I think I was confusing the original "Angels In the Outfield" with "Safe at Home," but the original "Angels" was in 1951.
David in Cal, you may be right, although the book it was based on was before Seaver...
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