antoniacarlotta Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I found this 12 minute IMP film from 1909 about a Choctaw man sentenced to death, who receives a stay of execution so he can pitch in one last baseball game. (Believe it or not, it's based on a true story!) Some sources say it's the first ever baseball film. That being said, it's a pretty terribly shot film as far as baseball goes. It's all filmed from one angle behind home plate, the bases are squished awkwardly together, and you can barely see any of the action since all the players' backs are to the camera. Can you guys think of any earlier baseball movies? Or what are some of your favorites? They're not so old, bt I think my favorites have to be A League of Their Own and The Sandlot 😊 2 Link to post Share on other sites
antoniacarlotta Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Here's also a second video I made which is about the history of the film and the true stories His Last Game is based on! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LawrenceA Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Baseball movies I like - Bang the Drum Slowly The Natural Eight Men Out Fear Strikes Out Major League Pride of the Yankees Sugar The Stratton Story Damn Yankees Bull Durham Other baseball movies I can recall seeing: Field of Dreams For Love of the Game The Fan Angels in the Outfield The Scout Trouble with the Curve Major League 2 The Pride of St. Louis A League of Their Own Alibi Ike The Babe Ruth Story The Jackie Robinson Story The Winning Team Big Leaguer The Bad News Bears The Babe Mr. Baseball The Comrades of Summer Cobb Ed Mr. 3000 Moneyball 42 Million Dollar Arm Link to post Share on other sites
antoniacarlotta Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Wow, what a list. I've seen embarrassingly few. I'll have to start with your list at the top! Link to post Share on other sites
jakeem Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Don't overlook these humorous baseball movies: "Kill the Umpire" (1950) stars William Bendix -- Babe Ruth in "The Babe Ruth Story" -- as an over-opinionated baseball fan who winds up as a professional arbiter. ` "It Happens Every Spring" (1949) stars Ray Milland as a college professor who creates a formula that repels wood. When he uses it on baseballs, he becomes an unhittable major-league pitcher. "Rookie of the Year" (1993) stars Thomas Ian Nicholas as Henry Rowengartner, a boy who develops a strong pitching arm after an injury. As a result, he signs with the Chicago Cubs and makes them a contender. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Dargo Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 One of the best I remember watching in recent times, would be this 2001 Billy Crystal-directed made-for-TV movie... 2 Link to post Share on other sites
antoniacarlotta Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Are there any other baseball films from the 1930s/earlier that anyone knows of? I'm so curious to see the evolution of the sport and how it's been filmed over the years. Link to post Share on other sites
Dargo Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 50 minutes ago, antoniacarlotta said: Are there any other baseball films from the 1930s/earlier that anyone knows of? I'm so curious to see the evolution of the sport and how it's been filmed over the years. Here's one from 1933, Antonia... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
antoniacarlotta Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 43 minutes ago, Dargo said: Here's one from 1933, Antonia... Thanks, Dargo! That's exactly the type of movie I was looking for. Now I just have to figure out where I can watch it... Link to post Share on other sites
scsu1975 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 The Busher (1919) starring Charles Ray is a nice little comedy/drama about baseball TCM has shown it, and it was on YouTube, but seems to have been taken off. Link to post Share on other sites
Dargo Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 13 minutes ago, antoniacarlotta said: Thanks, Dargo! That's exactly the type of movie I was looking for. Now I just have to figure out where I can watch it... If memory serves Antonia, I think TCM has shown Elmer, The Great in the past. (...might've been during some sort of tribute to Joe E. Brown) Link to post Share on other sites
Polly of the Precodes Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 6 hours ago, jakeem said: "It Happens Every Spring" (1949) stars Ray Milland as a college professor who creates a formula that repels wood. When he uses it on baseballs, he becomes an unhittable major-league pitcher. Also see Milland in Rhubarb (1951), a comedy about a cat to whom an eccentric millionaire has willed a major league baseball team. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
EricJ Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 10 hours ago, Dargo said: One of the best I remember watching in recent times, would be this 2001 Billy Crystal-directed made-for-TV movie... If it wasn't a made-for-TV, I'd put it in the "Holy trinity" of baseball movies, alongside The Natural and Eight Men Out. And looks like I get to be the one who remembers The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976), about the looser, more homespun days of 30's Negro-league baseball: (Back when 70's black movies starred both Lando Calrissian and Darth Vader.) Link to post Share on other sites
Gio Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I am an avid collector of baseball on film. Here's my movie list: Red is what I cannot find. Movies 1898 Ball Game, The 1899 Casey At The Bat 1906 How The Office Boy Saw The Ball Game 1909 His Last Game 1912 Ball Play and the Bandit 1914 Hearts and Diamonds 1917 One Touch Of Nature 1917 Pinch Hitter, The 1919 Busher, The 1920 Headin' Home 1922 Casey At The Bat 1923 Giants vs. Yanks 1924 Battling Orioles, The 1925 Butter Fingers 1926 Happy Days 1926 New Klondike, The 1927 Casey At The Bat 1927 College 1927 Slide, Kelly, Slide 1928 Cameraman, The 1928 Speedy 1928 Warming Up 1929 Clancy At The Bat 1930 Hot Curves 1930 They Learned About Women 1931 Slide, Speedy, Slide 1932 Fancy Curves-Play Ball with Babe Ruth 1932 Fireman Save My Child 1932 Just Pals-Play Ball with Babe Ruth 1932 Loud Mouth, The 1932 Over The Fence-Play Ball with Babe Ruth 1932 Perfect Control-Play Ball with Babe Ruth 1932 Slide, Babe, Slide-Play Ball with Babe Ruth 1932 Stealin' Home 1932 Too Many Women 1933 Elmer The Great 1934 Death On The Diamond 1934 Dizzy and Daffy 1935 Alibi Ike 1935 Donkey Baseball 1935 One Run Elmer 1935 Swell-Head, The 1937 Girls Can Play 1937 Gracie At The Bat 1937 Home Run On The Keys 1937 Manhattan Merry-Go-Round 1938 Brother Rat 1938 Rawhide 1938 Opening Day 1940 Brother Rat and Baby 1940 Heckler, The 1941 Lovable Trouble 1942 It Happened In Flatbush 1942 Moonlight In Havana 1942 Pride of the Yankees 1942 Smart Alecks 1942 Brooklyn Orchid 1943 Ladies Day 1943 Taxi Mister 1943 Whistling In Brooklyn 1944 Bells of St. Mary's, The 1944 Block Busters 1944 Going My Way 1945 Naughty Nineties, The 1946 Mr. Noisy 1947 Diamond Demon 1948 Babe Ruth Story, The 1949 It Happens Every Spring 1949 Kid From Cleveland, The 1949 Stratton Story, The 1949 Take Me Out To The Ball Game 1949 Two Knights From Brooklyn 1950 Jackie Robinson, The 1950 Kill The Umpire 1950 Screwball, The 1950 Three Little Words 1951 Angels In The Outfield 1951 On Moonlight Bay 1951 Rhubarb 1951 Jim Thorpe All American 1952 About Face 1952 Pride Of St. Louis, The 1952 Winning Team, The 1953 Big Leaguer, The 1953 Kid From Left Field, The 1954 Roogie's Bump 1955 Strategic Air Command 1956 Great American Pastime, The 1957 Fear Strikes Out 1958 Damn Yankees 1961 Safe At Home 1973 Bang The Drum Slowly 1974 It's Good To Be Alive 1976 Bad News Bears 1976 Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings 1977 Bad News Bears In Breaking Training, The 1978 Bad News Bears Go To Japan, The 1978 Goodbye Franklin High 1978 Here Come The Tigers 1980 Squeeze Play 1982 Chasing Dreams 1982 Zapped! 1983 Blue Skies Again 1984 Natural, The 1984 Soldier's Story, A 1985 Brewster's Millions 1985 Slugger's Wife, The 1985 Insignificance 1986 Casey At The Bat 1986 Dog Baseball 1987 Ironweed 1988 Bull Durham 1988 Eight Men Out 1988 Naked Gun 1988 Stealing Home 1989 Field Of Dreams 1989 Major League 1989 Night Game 1989 Dream Team, The 1989 Simon Birch 1990 Mr. Destiny 1990 My Blue Heaven 1990 Taking Care Of Business 1990 Boiling Point 1991 Pastime 1991 Talent For The Game 1992 Babe, The 1992 League Of Their Own, A 1992 Mr. Baseball 1993 Rookie of The Year 1993 Sandlot, The 1994 Angels In The Outfield 1994 Cobb 1994 Little Big League 1994 Major League II 1994 Scout, The 1995 Kid In King Arthur's Court, A 1996 Ed 1996 Fan, The 1996 Last Home Run, The 1998 BASEketball 1998 Major League: Back To The Minors 1998 Wide Awake 1999 For The Love Of The Game 1999 Perfect Game 1999 First of May, The 2000 Frequency 2000 My Dog Skip 2000 Frankie and Hazel 2000 Broken Hearts Club, The 2001 A Little Inside 2001 Hardball 2001 Summer Catch 2001 Snow In August 2002 Mickey 2002 Rookie, The 2003 Pitcher and the Pin-Up 2003 Ball Of Wax 2003 Month of Sundays, A 2004 El Sonador 2004 Touching The Game 2004 Mr. 3000 2005 Sandlot 2, The 2005 Bad News Bears 2005 Game 6 2005 Fever Pitch 2005 Rounding First 2005 Upside of Anger, The 2006 Big Guns 2006 Off The Black 2006 Beer League 2006 Full Count 2007 Sandlot, Heading Home, The 2007 American Pastime 2007 Final Season, The 2007 War Eagle Arkansas 2007 For One More Day 2008 Champions Of Faith 2008 Sugar 2008 Touching Home 2008 Black Irish 2008 WooLife 2009 Calvin Marshall 2009 The Perfect Game 2009 Open Road, The 2010 Chasing 3000 2010 Screwball: The Ted Whitfield Story 2010 Yankles, The 2011 Moneyball 2011 A Mile In His Shoes 2011 How Do You Know 2011 One Hit From Home 2012 Catcher, The 2012 Trouble With The Curve 2012 Home Run Showdown 2012 Battery, The 2013 42 2013 Home Run 2013 Dealin' With Idiots 2013 Gibsonburg 2013 Ring the Bell 2013 Season of Miracles 2013 Investigator, The 2014 Million Dollar Arm 2015 Curveball 2016 108 Stitches 2016 Phenom, The 2016 Undrafted ? Babe Ruth Kinogram 2016 Everybody Wants Some !! 2018 Catcher Was a Spy, The TV Movies 1955 Rookie Of The Year 1956 Bang The Drum Slowly 1962 Flashing Spikes 1967 Damn Yankees 1973 Rookie Of The Year 1977 Murder At The World Series 1977 ABC Afterschool Special Hewitt's Just Different 1978 Love Affair, The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story, A 1978 One In A Million, The Ron LeFlore Story 1978 Rag Tag Champs, The 1978 Thank You, Jackie Robinson 1979 Bleacher Bums 1979 Aunt Mary 1979 Kid From Left Field, The 1980 Comeback Kid, The 1981 Hallmark Hall of Fame, The Casey 1981 Don't Look Back, The Story Of Leroy "Satchel" Page 1982 Million Dollar Infield 1983 Tiger Town 1985 Babe, The 1986 Winner Never Quits, A 1987 Long Gone 1990 Court Martial Of Jackie Robinson, The 1991 Babe Ruth 1992 Comrades Of Summer 1993 Cooperstown 1993 Man From Left Field, The 1995 Past The Bleachers 1996 Damn Yankees 1996 Soul Of The Game 1997 Joe Torre:Curveballs Along The Way 2000 Finding Buck McHenry 2000 Angels In The Infield 2001 61* 2001 Bleacher Bums 2004 Hustle 2009 Slow Moe 2017 Perfect Catch, The 2013 Swindle Cartoons 1915 Colonel Heeza Liar At The Bat 1917 Happy Hooligan 1919 Dud Makes A Home Run 1922 Felix Saves The Day 1924 Sport Of Kings 1925 Over The Plate 1927 Alice In The Big League 1929 Ball Park 1931 Play Ball 1932 Ball Game, The 1933 Play Ball 1933 Buddy's Bearcats 1936 The Soft Ball Game 1936 Boulevardier From The Bronx 1937 Kiko at the Bat (Play Ball) 1937 Twisker Pitcher, The 1939 Barnyard Baseball 1940 Foul Ball Player, The 1940 Porky's Broadcast 1942 How To Play Baseball 1943 Screwball 1944 Batty Baseball 1946 Baseball Bugs 1946 Casey At The Bat 1947 Mexican Baseball 1948 Base Brawl 1949 Slide Donald Slide 1954 Gone Batty 1954 Casey Bats Again 1956 Gumby League, The 1957 Great Baseball Mystery 1957 Sahara You 1958 Right Off The Bat 1959 Kiddie League 1960 King of Swat Babe Ruth 1960 Base On Bawls 1960 Popeye 1961 Case of the Big Ball Game, The 1961 Debased Ball 1961 Bats In The Ballpark 1961 Abner The Baseball 1962 How To Be A Successful Umpire 1962 Clyde Crashcup Invents Baseball 1962 Take Me Out To The Ball Game 1962 Ladies Day 1963 Big League Freddie 1965 Little Big League, The 1965 Bat Guy 1966 Living Poetry Series 1968 Concord 1968 Charlie Brown's All Stars 1976 It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown 1976 Aims Instructional Media 1977 Baseball Basics and Blunders 1978 Dinky At The Bat 1979 Take Me Out To The Brawl Game 1979 ABC Weekend Special 1980 Take Me Up To The Ball Game 1980 Umpire Strikes Back, The 1983 Alvin and the Chipmunks 1983 Alvin and the Chipmunks 1985 You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown 1991 Frog Baseball 1992 It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown 1992 Homer At The Bat 1997 Arthur Makes The Team 1999 A League of His Own 2001 Hungry, Hungry Homer 2002 Out For The Team 2002 What's New Scooby -Doo? Sports Spooktacular 2003 Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown 2003 Bears Team Up! 2005 The Losing Edge 2006 Everyone's Hero 2012 Analysis of Baseball 2014 Henry and Me 1956 Musical LuLu 1931 Japanese Baseball Anime 1959 Seventh Inning Stretch 1954 Foghorn Leghorn ^ Friends 1964 Dreams of Glory 2008 Field of Streams 2011 Curious George Plays Baseball 1986 Baseball's Best Player 1986 The Old Ball Game 1999 A Hero Sits Next Door 2005 All About Steve Brockmire The Complete First Season Link to post Share on other sites
Sepiatone Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I really couldn't add any movies here since all the ones I've seen and like were already listed. However, the only thing I could add is--- GIO: Your list has DAMN YANKEES as a TV movie from 1967! Indeed, I saw it at the movies with my folks when it came out in 1958. Methinks a revise of your list is suggested. Sepiatone 1 Link to post Share on other sites
chaya bat woof woof Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I like that in certain movies, like Pride of the Yankees, they refrained from showing you what Lou Gehrig or Gary Cooper looked like at the end. Cooper did a fantastic job but it can't compare with the real Gehrig's speech. I think both my parents saw Gehrig play (I know that Dad saw Babe Ruth). They filmed The Natural around where I live, though I was living in NYC at the time. I think The Natural won one of TCM's fan favorites a few years ago and Ben M. was up here. I love the moment in The Natural when he hits the home run and the lights shatter. It is almost mythical. My Dad was a Giants fan and, now that they are no longer in NYC, I'm rooting for the Yankees. Link to post Share on other sites
txfilmfan Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Sepiatone said: I really couldn't add any movies here since all the ones I've seen and like were already listed. However, the only thing I could add is--- GIO: Your list has DAMN YANKEES as a TV movie from 1967! Indeed, I saw it at the movies with my folks when it came out in 1958. Methinks a revise of your list is suggested. Sepiatone It's correct. There's the film version listed in 1958 under Movies, and NBC produced a TV version of Damn Yankees in 1967. Link to post Share on other sites
sewhite2000 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 It's not really about baseball, but I do like the extended scene early on in Woman of the Year in which Spencer Tracy takes Katharine Hepburn to a baseball game. Link to post Share on other sites
NoShear Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 8 hours ago, Gio said: Re: "I am an avid collector of baseball on film... TV Movies ..." Unless I overlooked it, here's an additional telefilm for you: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071676/ Link to post Share on other sites
NoShear Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 7 hours ago, sewhite2000 said: Re: It's not really about baseball, but I do like the extended scene early on in Woman of the Year in which Spencer Tracy takes Katharine Hepburn to a baseball game." EXPERIMENT in TERROR (1962) - 1961 Candlestick Park and some notable, uncredited Los Angeles Dodgers Link to post Share on other sites
NoShear Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 12 minutes ago, NoShear said: Unless I overlooked it, here's an additional telefilm for you: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071676/ Sorry: I overlooked it, but it's a TV movie!! Link to post Share on other sites
NoShear Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 7 hours ago, sewhite2000 said: It's not really about baseball, but I do like the extended scene early on in Woman of the Year in which Spencer Tracy takes Katharine Hepburn to a baseball game. The Odd Couple (1968) - 1967 Shea Stadium: A triple play was staged prior to a regular season game! Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I used to find baseball very confusing. But maybe that's because it was these two guys who first taught me about it. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
EricJ Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 19 minutes ago, TomJH said: I used to find baseball very confusing. But maybe that's because it was these two guys who first taught me about it. Oh, that's easy, it can be simplified: Link to post Share on other sites
antoniacarlotta Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 I love that this baseball thread came back around because I just won my fantasy baseball league the other day and now I have somewhere to not-so-humble brag 💁♀️ Link to post Share on other sites
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