Wednesday, April 29, 2020
More From the Silver Screen
The list I
posted last week included a few movies from a variety of sports.
There are many others, quite a few that I don't even know about. I
must confess I do not know the name of any cricket movies. I am sure
there are a few.
The world of
horseracing, particularly thoroughbred racing, is called “The Sport
of Kings”. Likely the most famous of all of the American horses is
Secretariat. A Canadian, Ron Turcotte, was in the saddle when
Secretariat won the “Triple Crown” of racing. A fine movie was
made about Secretariat's lfe.
An
Australian movie, Phar Lap, tells the story of the greatest horse to
race on the circuits down under. The horse was so revered after it
died that its bones were reconstructed, and placed in one museum in
Australia. In another museum is a model of the horse. Horse racing
plays a major role in several other excellent Australian movies.
Some of my
favourite movies come from the diamond. “The Natural”, starring
|Robert Redford, was quite well made. Unrealistic, at times, but not
enough to destroy the nature of the film. “Major League” is a
real beauty, great characterization.
A movie that
I consider to be a sleeper, and rarely discussed as a baseball movie
is “Max Dugan Returns”, starring Jason Robarts. There is a
segment in the movie in which Charlie Lau, the revered hitting coach,
discusses strategies and hitting tecniques. He was George Brett's
coach, responsible for several of Brett's batting titles.
There is a
wonderful display in Cooperstown in the Baseball Hall of Fame
dedicated to women in baseball. The greatest movie made to recognize
their place in the game is “A League of their Own”. It stars
Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, and is most realistic.
In 1954, a
group of Major League baseball players got together after the season,
and headed across North America, perhaps to showcase the game, but
more than likely to try to make a little extra money. Players were
not well paid, in those days. One of their stops was Belleville,
Ontario. My friends and I gathered at the grandstand of the Quinte
Exhibition and Raceway, long before the first pitch was thrown. We
were awe-struck, standing just a few feet away from some great
players. We knew their names, and would never allow their baseball
cards to rattle in the spokes of our bicycles. One of those players
was Jimmy Pearsall, from the Boston Red Sox.
Following
his turbulent career, a movie was made of his life, and his struggles
with mental health. “Fear Strikes Out” is a must for all baseball
fans.
I will list
a few other baseball movies, then move on to other sports next week:
Million Dollar Arm, (with roots in cricket), The Sandlot, Pride of
the Yankees, 42- The Jackie Robinson Story, Bull Durham, Don't Look
Back- The Satchel Page Story. And many more! In baseball terms, we
are still in the first inning!
Keep the
faith! We will overcome the virus some day!!
James Hurst
March 24,
2020.
# posted by James Hurst @ 1:31 PM 
