Note: This entry is a combination of the official press release sent by the Hall of Fame and my comments/edits.
With the release of Legendary Entertainment’s landmark film 42 this spring, the worlds of movies and baseball came together for fans across the globe.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will recognize the twin traditions of baseball and film when, for the eighth consecutive year, it hosts the Baseball Film Festival in Cooperstown, Sept. 27-29. Eleven films, with themes ranging from legendary fan Johnny Sylvester to the inspiring play of Beep Ball athletes, will be screened, as filmmakers and fans celebrate the timeless connection between baseball and the big screen.
All films will be shown in the Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theater and Bullpen Theater. I’ve been told by a Hall representative that although there are no formal post-screening discussions, many of the filmmakers hang around for informal chats with the audience.
Tickets for the screening of Film Festival entries, including 42, are free of charge but limited and must be reserved. Admission to the Museum is required for films shown during regular Museum hours. Members can reserve their tickets starting Sept. 9, and any remaining seats will made available to the general public beginning Sept. 23 by calling the Membership department at 607-547-0397 or visiting the Membership desk in the Museum.
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Opening Film
Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., Grandstand Theater
42
In 1946, Jackie Robinson is a Negro League baseball player who never takes racism lying down. Branch Rickey is a Major League executive with a bold idea. To that end, Rickey recruits Robinson to break the unspoken color line as the first modern African-American big league player. As both anticipate, this proves a major challenge for Robinson and his family as they endure unrelenting racist hostility on and off the field, from player and fan alike. As Jackie struggles against his nature to endure such abuse without complaint, he finds allies and hope where he least expects it.
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Session 1
Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m., Bullpen Theater
Cards Against the Wall (9 min.)
Cards Against the Wall celebrates the lives of three of the greatest names in baseball. Shoeless Joe Jackson, Van Lingle Mungo and Bobo Newsom may not be in the Hall of Fame but the three have memorable names. And all three were South Carolinians. Storyteller Alex Sanders takes us back to the golden age of baseball when big league ballplayers made big impressions. And these S.C. ballplayers were special on and off the ball field. Directed by Tim Fennell, produced by Dave Brown, Tim Fennell, Brooks Quinn. Based on a short story by Alex Sanders. You can get a good sense of the project from its Kickstarter page which includes some scenes from this YouTube promo
The Renegades: A Beep Ball Story (72 min.)
The Renegades: A Beep Ball Story tells the awe-inspiring story of version of baseball that allows blind athletes to enjoy playing the national pastime. Beyond the games, the film is about the people and their stories: hope, heartache, and what it means to play as a team. We see what it’s like at home and at work for some players and find why the team’s only female player can’t get enough of this sport. Mix in a fierce New York/Boston rivalry, an international World Series, the drama of a particular player’s hopes of making the team and a coach whose style can only be described as “tough love” and you have non-fiction entertainment at its best.
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Session 2
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2 p.m., Bullpen Theater
Holy Grail (14 min.)
The T206 Honus Wagner is the most famous baseball card in the world, but does its value really lie in the eye of the beholder? This film deals with the mystery and intrigue surrounding the most lucrative collectible in all of sport. The film features interviews with card experts and enthusiasts including Keith Olbermann. Directed by Nick and Colin Barnicle. You can watch whole film here. Frankly I don’t think it’s fair to compare a project like this with the entries at the Cooperstown FF. Doesn’t it seem like it has an advantage of some sort? Then again, I don’t think it’s fair to consider cable TV shows along the same lines as broadcast TV when it comes to the Emmys. After all, cable has a lot more leeway to take chances when it comes to items their counterpart can’t touch because of advertising considerations. Just sayin’.
Hitting the Cycle (103 min.)
A few years ago, Major League baseball player Jimmy “Rip” Ripley was at the top of his game. But now he finds himself back in the minors after a debilitating knee injury has left him struggling to make it back to the “show.” Caught off-guard by the news that his club is cutting him, he also receives word that his estranged father is gravely ill. With nowhere else to turn, Rip reluctantly revisits his long-forgotten hometown to finally come face-to-face with the father he hasn’t seen or spoken to since he was eighteen years old.
You can watch the entire Hitting the Cycle on YouTube for $3.99. Between us, this reminds me a little bit of another indy film, Touching Home, about dysfunctional fathers and sons and baseball. I did an interview with Logan and Noah Millers, the brothers who wrote, produced, and starred in that venture (Ed Harris played their father), which you can access here.
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Session 3
Saturday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Bullpen Theater
La Hazana Del 41 (52 min.)
On Oct. 22, 1941, a group of young Venezuelan baseball players achieved the unthinkable: Taking the world title away from the eternal champion, Cuba. These young men put Venezuela’s name on the international baseball map, and became national heroes. This documentary pays tribute to these Venezuelan sports icon by telling their story, their achievements, and revealing their enormous influence on the ascension of baseball as the king of all sports in Venezuela.
The title translates to The Feat of 41. Here’s the Facebook page. Unfortunately, there are no subtitles for this trailer:
The Only Real Game (82 min.)
The Only Real Game explores the power of baseball for people in a troubled, distant place. The small, once princely state of Manipur joined the Indian Union under pressure in 1949 triggering a corrosive separatist conflict that continues to this day. With paltry infrastructure, widespread corruption and unemployment – it’s an astonishing place to find reservoirs of inner strength that are tapped in pursuit of our National Pastime. Even more surprising in a deeply patriarchal society is that women are a driving cultural force. Though Manipur has been closed to the outside world for 60 years, baseball delivers release from daily struggles, and a dream for healing a wounded society. Dreams chase reality when First Pitch, a small group of baseball-loving New Yorkers, and two Major League Baseball Envoy coaches team up with Manipuri men, women and children to “Play Ball.”
Here’s the movie’s official site and the Facebook page. (For what it’s worth, this is my pick for top prize at the CBBFF.)
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Session 4
Sunday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m., Bullpen Theater
I’ll Knock a Homer for You: The Timeless Story of Johnny Sylvester and Babe Ruth (46 min.)
During the World Series of 1926, one of the most enduring baseball legends occurred that has been shrouded in mystique for almost a century. Babe Ruth, at the height of his popularity, promised to hit a home run during Game 4 for an ailing boy named Johnny Sylvester. Ruth delivered on his promise, and one of the most famous human-interest stories was given life. To this day, the story of Babe and Johnny has reached mythic proportions in America’s popular culture. Through rare interviews with Johnny himself and people familiar with the events, this film will shed light on this amazing story of triumph.
Not Exactly Cooperstown (68 min.)
Quick: Name the baseball hall of fame that allows fans to vote. It’s a hall that has room for players like Curt Flood, Jim Bouton, Jimmy Piersall, Josh Gibson, Maury Wills, Bill Buckner, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Jim Abbott, “Shoeless Joe Jackson and Dock Ellis. And there’s room for more than players. There’s a labor leader (Marvin Miller), umpires (Emmett Ashford and Pam Postema), a maverick owner (Bill Veeck), a surgeon (Dr. Frank Jobe), and even a chicken (The San Diego Chicken). Give up? It’s the Baseball Reliquary, and it’s not exactly Cooperstown.
I did a Bookshelf podcast with filmmaker Jon Leonoudakis, which you can access here. And here’s the official site. Surprisingly, however, I could not find a trailer.
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Session 5
Sunday, Sept. 29, 2 p.m., Bullpen Theater
Eddie the Fan (5 min.)
“Eddie the Fan” is a piece about a young fan named Eddie who attends the Reds/Dodgers game in which the division title is on the line. Told in Seuss-like style, we see the experience of attending a Major League Baseball game through the eyes of a delightful four year old baseball fanatic.
The Booth (88 min.)
The Booth is a feature length documentary about Major League Baseball Broadcasters. The film is interview driven and features 30 of the top broadcasters in the game including several Ford C. Frick Award Winners. The Booth looks at what it takes to become a broadcaster and how to stay a broadcaster. The viewer will get a peek into the relationships and experiences in way not seen before.
Here’s the Kickstarter page for The Booth. As of this posting, it’s pretty underfunded, so crack open those virtual checkbooks. Supposedly, you can watch the whole film via the IMDB site, but it didn’t work for me.
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend, the Museum observes daily regular hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Museum observes summer hours of 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. from Memorial Day Weekend until the day before Labor Day. Ticket prices are $19.50 for adults (13 and over), $12 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $7 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.
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