Baseball film favorites shift like MLB infields

Bill Knight column for 10-7, 8 or 9, 2019

As Major League Baseball’s World Series approaches, some worry about the game’s rising prices and falling attendance, unfeeling owners and unhappy players, or just whether old veterans or new rookies will hang on or catch on. But apart from baseball’s weaknesses, its strengths endure, especially in movies.

I’ve written about baseball films for decades, in newspapers and the paperback “Video Almanac,” in the small press (Pig Iron, Spitball), and more (academic conferences and parts of college courses, and even advice to Robert Redford’s office for “The Natural,” after which they sent me a “Knights” pennant from the film.)

Since I started, others have joined in the fun: Howard Good’s “Diamonds in the Dark” (1997), Rob Edelman’s “Great Baseball Films” (1994), Stephen C. Wood’s “Reel Baseball” (2003) and Ron Becker’s “Baseball Goes to the Movies” (2017). There’s a lot to enjoy: “Pride of The Yankees” and “Pride of St. Louis”; “The Kid from Cleveland” and “The Kid from Left Field”; “Mr. Baseball” and “Mr. 3000”; “61*” and “42.”

After very few baseball films in the 1960s and ‘70s, a resurgence started after “The Natural,” and they’ve continued to be occasional settings, from “Moneyball” to “Million-Dollar Arm.” So, favorites can shift like infields when pull-hitters approach the plate. Here’s my current lineup:

“Angels in The Outfield” (1994). A remake of the 1951 comedy starring Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh, stars Danny Glover and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an Angels manager and foster kid watching prayers answered. Christopher Lloyd co-stars.

“Bang the Drum Slowly” (1973). Robert DeNiro and Michael Moriarty star in a drama based on Mark Harris’ novel about the friendship between a sophisticated and talented pitcher and a slow-witted and ailing catcher. Highly recommended.

“Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” (1976). Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor star in the film version of William Brashler’s novelization of the Negro Leagues in general and Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell in particular.

“Bull Durham” (1988). Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins star in a story of minor-league baseball and a love triangle. Robbins is rookie pitcher “Nuke” LaLoosh, with “a million-dollar arm and a five-cent head”; Costner is journeyman catcher “Crash” Davis. This launched Costner’s baseball trilogy, which includes “Field of Dreams” and “For Love of the Game” (much better than trilogies like the three “Bad News Bears” pictures).

“Cobb” (1994). Tommy Lee Jones is Ty Cobb and Robert Wuhl is sportswriter Al Stump in this drama showing the National Pastime has had jerks as well as role models. Still, even Cobb had a good side, helping ex-teammates and once commenting, “The great problem with baseball today is that the players are in it for the money rather than the love and the fun of it.”

“Eight Men Out” (1988). Filmmaker John Sayles used Eliot Asinof’s nonfiction classic to revisit the Black Sox scandal as a morality play. It stars Charlie Sheen, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney, John Cusack, John Mahoney, Christopher Lloyd and Studs Terkel.

“A League of Their Own” (1992). Geena Davis and Tom Hanks star in this affectionate history of women’s pro baseball, with Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna and, in a wonderful bit part, Jon Lovitz.

“The Natural” (1984). Robert Redford stars in this sanitized version of Bernard Malamud’s compelling novel, here structured as an Arthurian allegory. The near-epic’s outstanding cast includes Glenn Close, Darren McGavin, Robert Duvall, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Richard Farnsworth, Joe Don Baker and Barbara Hershey.

“The Scout” (1993). Albert Brooks stars as scout Al Percolo in this film that Time magazine called “the best comedy-fantasy about baseball ever made.” Brendan Fraser co-stars as power-hitting pitcher Steve Nebraska, somewhat foreshadowing the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani. Lane Smith is featured, along with a small part by George Steinbrenner.

“Tiger Town” (1983). This TV movie from Disney stars Roy Scheider as an aging athlete in his last season (patterned after Al Kaline) and Justin Henry as a young fan suffering a tragedy at home. Both hope for better days and a winning season, and the youngster starts wishing at all home games – successfully. Sparky Anderson and Ernie Harwell are featured.