Bang the Drum Slowly (terrible)

[mintacular]

As much as I like the opinions of forum members, whomever recommended this movie really wasted my time tonight...could not have watched a worse movie omg this one is bad and I'm all about creative movie-making, this one was terrible on so many levels, plus I wasted my parents time, not a baseball movie really. the Yankees playing the Pirates in the 70s?

[baseballart]

No Yankees in the movie, as the teams are fictional. It's the NY Mammoths.

Max

[RCMcKenzie]

net54baseball may be the best internet resource for pre-WW1 baseball cards, but it would not be my go-to reference for movie classics.

Most sports movies are difficult to sit through to the end. I saw Bang the Drum Slowly on basic cable about 30 years ago and I remember it being sort of 2 star, slow, 70's arty movie, but not good slow arty like 2001 A Space Odyssey. The Natural is the only baseball movie I've seen more than once.

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

net54baseball may be the best internet resource for pre-WW1 baseball cards, but it would not be my go-to reference for movie classics.

Most sports movies are difficult to sit through to the end. I saw Bang the Drum Slowly on basic cable about 30 years ago and I remember it being sort of 2 star, slow, 70's arty movie, but not good slow arty like 2001 A Space Odyssey. The Natural is the only baseball movie I've seen more than once.

To me, Bull Durham depicts the dynamics of a baseball team the most accurately. The Natural is the most romantic toward the game, and the most mesmerizing.

[sdkammeyer]

I just watched "Cobb" for the first time yesterday and was pretty disappointed........ and I am a life-long Tigers fan. I didn't waste anybody's time but my own ........ but I was hoping for more baseball.

That new MLB Network special "The Third Team" was MUCH more to my liking.

[Jay Wolt]

Eight Men Out & 61* I've seen many times each and never get tired of them

[atx840]

42 looks really good.

Trailer

[bbcard1]

For fun, I like Bingo Long. I also like Field of Dreams a lot as well as Bull Durham. The Natural is a good film as is the original Bad News Bears. I would consider my baseball movie library essentially complete with those four films, though the Major League franchise was good for some yucks.

As for other sports movies, I never get tired of We Are .... Marshall (I grew up in the community and went to Marshall). Slap Shot is a fun diversion.

[bigtrain]

There are "masterpieces" of modern art hanging in prestigious museums that I think are dreck. We all have different tastes in art and in movies and we are all entitled to our opinions. As far as "Bang the Drum Slowly", you say terrible, I say terrific.

[howard38]

/

[Nashvol]

Originally Posted by bigtrain

There are "masterpieces" of modern art hanging in prestigious museums that I think are dreck. We all have different tastes in art and in movies and we are all entitled to our opinions. As far as "Bang the Drum Slowly", you say terrible, I say terrific.

I second that emotion...

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

net54baseball may be the best internet resource for pre-WW1 baseball cards, but it would not be my go-to reference for movie classics.

+1

Net54 is a source for information on prewar cards, solid financial investments and opinions on gun control.

Movie reviews? Please.

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by Rob D.

+1

and opinions on gun control.

hahahahahahahaha

[ynnek4]

Originally Posted by sdkammeyer

I just watched "Cobb" for the first time yesterday and was pretty disappointed........ and I am a life-long Tigers fan. I didn't waste anybody's time but my own ........ but I was hoping for more baseball.

That new MLB Network special "The Third Team" was MUCH more to my liking.

Cobb was awful (IMO).

[David R]

My favorite baseball movie is The Sandlot. My kids love it too.

[ullmandds]

agreed...i really didn't like Cobb at all!!!!!

[irishdenny]

Originally Posted by David R

My favorite baseball movie is The Sandlot. My kids love it too.

I Completely Agree! If You ever played any kind of "Neighborhood Ball" growing up... Then this movie will certainly be a Good Watch every other year or so, especially if you have kids

And as far as diversity in opinions on this board... Correct Again!
As I Thought "The Pride of the Yankees" was Awesome!!!

[Sean]

To all of you who hated the movie Cobb, I can't say that you're wrong because I never saw it. However, I did read the book that it was based on (by Al Stump) and I recommend it very highly to anyone interested in Cobb or pre-1920 baseball.

[tbob]

Glad someone mentioned 61 and The Natural as really good movies but come on! Not one mention of Soul of the Game, maybe the best ever, not just because it was of the Negro Leagues or Satch or Josh or Jackie, but well-written, well acted and was extremely interesting.
P.S. Cobb was horrible.

[tbob]

And as far as sleepers, how can you not love The Final Season? A true and incredible story. Rent it and watch it!

[novakjr]

"The Final Season" was enjoyable. But when it comes to sleepers, I'd cast my vote for "For Love of the Game". It's often lost behind Costner's other baseball classics "Field of Dreams" and "Bull Durham", but I think it's every bit as good as those two, if not better(albeit a different kind of better). Personally, it's my favorite baseball movie..

[RGold]

It Happens Every Spring (1949), Angels in the Outfield (1951) and The Pride of St. Louis (1952).

I'm old, a Cardinals fan and a sucker for Joanne Dru.

[Shoeless Moe]

The Winning Team (1952)

[e107collector]

"Major League" - starring Charlie Sheen!!

Tony

[TRC4191]

Originally Posted by Sean

To all of you who hated the movie Cobb, I can't say that you're wrong because I never saw it. However, I did read the book that it was based on (by Al Stump) and I recommend it very highly to anyone interested in Cobb or pre-1920 baseball.

The writings of Al Stump about Ty Cobb since Cobb's death in 1961 have pretty well been debunked as fiction. See my 2010 article on this subject in SABR's The National Pastime http://tinyurl.com/27p5qsd

Or, see a summary introduction at http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=874

[MacDice]

Looking forward to seeing 42 this summer. As bad as the original Jackie Robinson movie was it was entertaining from the fact that you got to see Jackie portray himself.

[z28jd]

Anyone like the original Babe Ruth Story? I thought that movie was horrible, and that is coming from someone who owns one of the stars of the movie, the bat William Bendix took home. Notice the VHS copy of the movie watched exactly once for good reason

[WillowGrove]

Bang the Drum Slowly may not be a great movie but somehow a few lines stick with me....

Yo Joe how's the Show? (deniro waking up as Phil Foster is busting on him)

And not behind no pillars nor posts! (hotel operator hollering out to Moriarty where she Doesn't want her free tickets to be.)

And who could forget Skipper Vincent Gardenia sitting in the whirlpool smoking cigarettes listening to Moriarty's lies about where him and Pearson wuz, and he disgustedly says, "flip up the bowl".......so he can toss out his cigarette.

Good stuff!

Oh and on the bench when the back up veteran catcher turns to Deniro and asks the innocent Pearson how tall he is and Pearson responds, "I am exactly five feet eight inches tall" to which the grizzled vet says, "gee I didn't know they can pile sh#t that high."

C'mon guys this is a hidden gem!

Double Kranko anyone?

peter

[Jlighter]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202808/

Can't speak for it, but perhaps with Paul Newman and George Peppard this ones better.

[Runscott]

It's been a while, but I don't remember hating 'Cobb'. Maybe it was because I read the book first - generally if I like a book, I look forward to seeing how various aspects were translated on the screen. Plus, I was so fixated on how inappropriate the casting of Tommy Lee Jones was, that it was hard to evaluate the rest of it.

'The Natural' is easily my favorite baseball movie, followed by '8 Men Out' and '61*'. I liked 'Field of Dreams' a lot, definitely the best of Costner's "I love Me" series of baseball movies, but 'Tin Cup' puts his other sports movies to shame.

Never saw 'Bang the Drum' - the reviews right here on Net54 moved it way down my list.

[frankbmd]

I, too, am partial to Bang The Drum Slowly too for two unique reasons:

1. Scenes were filmed in Clearwater, Florida where I grew up and went to high School, particularly the hotel scene (Fort Harrison Hotel) with the pink church visible out the window. My best friend was married in the pink church.

2. Tegwar - the card game played in the movie where rules were created as the game was played. The movie was made in 1973. A high school friend of mine and I played a game very much like Tegwar from 1963-65, sort of a pre-tegwar tegwar.

[matthew]

Originally Posted by tbob

And as far as sleepers, how can you not love The Final Season? A true and incredible story. Rent it and watch it!

+1

[matty39]

"Bang the Drum Slowly" A great movie. I loved it, on so many different levels. Definitely not a waste of time.

[Jlighter]

If you didn't like that Drum, perhaps you will like this one.

Not my card.

[mets41]

Since the movie Pride of St. Louis was mentioned, what former major leaguer is Joanne Dru's nephew?

[RGold]

J.D Dru

[ScottFandango]

No mention of moneyball?

Just an average movie I guess. Not one to watch over and over...

Also they failed to mention why the A's we're good that year, it wasnt because of hatterberg or Bradford....it was because they had the best group of young stud starting pitchers that was not mentioned once! Hudson zito mulder

[thetruthisoutthere]

1. The Pride Of The Yankees

2. Eight Men Out

3. The Stratton Story

4. 61

5. The Winning Team

[bobbyw8469]

The Bad News Bears was pretty good as far as little league ball goes. A classic. The girl who pitched in the remake with Billy Bob Thornton was killed in a car crash not too long ago. So sad - she was barely 21....

[Jlighter]

Originally Posted by ScottFandango

it was because they had the best group of young stud starting pitchers that was not mentioned once! Hudson zito mulder

It was, in the beginning of the movie there are three signs for each pitcher, which are being taken down in the off-season, it was subtle, but still there.

[Prof_Plum]

Thought by now somebody would have mentioned it. But maybe I'm one of it's few fans "The Rookie"....not the Eastwood/Sheen flick.....and "In a League of their Own".

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by atx840

42 looks really good.

Trailer

Thanks for posting this...that does look like it's going to be really good. Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey...never would have pictured that 20 years ago, but he sure does look the part in that trailer.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

agreed...i really didn't like Cobb at all!!!!!

I liked it more when I didn't know what a liar/charlatan Al Stump really was. It's too bad that much of what he wrote was just BS because few people had that kind of access to Cobb.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by ScottFandango

No mention of moneyball?

Just an average movie I guess. Not one to watch over and over...

Also they failed to mention why the A's we're good that year, it wasnt because of hatterberg or Bradford....it was because they had the best group of young stud starting pitchers that was not mentioned once! Hudson zito mulder

This is exactly why Hollywood strikes out so much on baseball movies with Net54ers. We know too much.

[pete zouras]

Watched 'Bang the Drum' based on a recommendation of former net54er Julie V. (her fav bb flick), and liked it. Has anyone mentioned that Michael Moriarty's grandfather is George Moriarty of pre-war major league bb?

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by ScottFandango

No mention of moneyball?

Just an average movie I guess. Not one to watch over and over...

Also they failed to mention why the A's we're good that year, it wasnt because of hatterberg or Bradford....it was because they had the best group of young stud starting pitchers that was not mentioned once! Hudson zito mulder

I enjoyed the hell out of "moneyball", although I found it to be pure spin and somewhat anti-climactic.. I choose to accept it as a biased, semi-fictional, film intended to really do nothing more than glamorize Bean and Sabermetrics. Again, while being able to block that out, and just view it as a film, I did enjoy the movie.

Realistically, I don't believe that sabermetrics had a whole lot to do with that team winning like they did. The series of supposedly genius sabermetrics moves took the team from 4th in the AL in Runs in 1999, and dropped them to 8th by 2002(and 9th the following two seasons). The true force on that team was it's young pitching, much like it had been the previous 2 years, yet somehow the film managed to severely downplay it. Plus the intentionally negative portrayal of Howe, makes it even more clear that it was nothing more than a biased spin-machine for Bean and Sabermetrics in general.. I do think that Bean and his guys have been incredible when it comes to evaluating pitching prospects though.. Hell, even last year's success was almost purely based on pitching(2nd in ERA), as they were only 8th in the AL in runs(and below AL average),

[tbob]

Just curious as to why no one commented on Soul of the Game I thought the portrayal of Josh Gibson was truly amazing.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by tbob

Just curious as to why no one commented on Soul of the Game I thought the portrayal of Josh Gibson was truly amazing.

I've never seen it and don't ever remember seeing it on tv. I'll be sure to watch it whenever I come across it on tv, maybe even buy the dvd if I see it seeing cheap somewhere. I usually only buy DVD's with "The Simpsons" in the title...

[byrone]

Anyone remember "Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige", a TV movie from 1981?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082277/

I was just a kid when I saw it back then, but it made a big impression on me

As did "Pride of the Yankees". Saw it on TV one Saturday morning, I was around 8 years old and probably hooked on vintage baseball for life after that.

Afraid my baseball interest only went up to 1994.

Haven't cared about modern baseball since.

[leaflover]

I rented them all and watched them all. They all had their moments, however
the only ones I could sit thru twice were;
"League of their own"
"The Natural"
"It happens every spring"