Baseball Goes to the Movies
(Applause Books). Lights! Camera! Play ball! From the early silent era to the present day, baseball movies have always been a staple of the cinema, from coming-of-age childhood classics to MLB-level epics. Baseball Goes to the Movies chronicles America's fascination with the sport from the beginning of the sound era to the current decade, quite literally covering the bases on all of the great and several of the not-so-great baseball flicks. From Field of Dreams ("If you build it, he will come..."), The Pride of the Yankees ("But today today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth"), and A League of Their Own ("There's no crying in baseball!") to an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture ( Moneyball ) and a sports flick that many believe is the worst ever made ( The Babe Ruth Story ), Backer always swings for the fences in his all-inclusive analysis of this underappreciated genre. Striving to emphasize the baseball aspects of every film featured, the book balances its critical discussions with information about players, teams, ballparks, interesting plays, statistics, baseball rules, and the legend and lore of the summer game (all without a DH!). Baseball Goes to the Movies is equally at home in the hands of silver screen fiends, sports fanatics, and frightened parents looking for a soft lob at the beginning of Little League.
1124662537
Baseball Goes to the Movies
(Applause Books). Lights! Camera! Play ball! From the early silent era to the present day, baseball movies have always been a staple of the cinema, from coming-of-age childhood classics to MLB-level epics. Baseball Goes to the Movies chronicles America's fascination with the sport from the beginning of the sound era to the current decade, quite literally covering the bases on all of the great and several of the not-so-great baseball flicks. From Field of Dreams ("If you build it, he will come..."), The Pride of the Yankees ("But today today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth"), and A League of Their Own ("There's no crying in baseball!") to an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture ( Moneyball ) and a sports flick that many believe is the worst ever made ( The Babe Ruth Story ), Backer always swings for the fences in his all-inclusive analysis of this underappreciated genre. Striving to emphasize the baseball aspects of every film featured, the book balances its critical discussions with information about players, teams, ballparks, interesting plays, statistics, baseball rules, and the legend and lore of the summer game (all without a DH!). Baseball Goes to the Movies is equally at home in the hands of silver screen fiends, sports fanatics, and frightened parents looking for a soft lob at the beginning of Little League.
19.99 In Stock
Baseball Goes to the Movies

Baseball Goes to the Movies

by Ron Backer
Baseball Goes to the Movies

Baseball Goes to the Movies

by Ron Backer

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$19.99 
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Overview

(Applause Books). Lights! Camera! Play ball! From the early silent era to the present day, baseball movies have always been a staple of the cinema, from coming-of-age childhood classics to MLB-level epics. Baseball Goes to the Movies chronicles America's fascination with the sport from the beginning of the sound era to the current decade, quite literally covering the bases on all of the great and several of the not-so-great baseball flicks. From Field of Dreams ("If you build it, he will come..."), The Pride of the Yankees ("But today today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth"), and A League of Their Own ("There's no crying in baseball!") to an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture ( Moneyball ) and a sports flick that many believe is the worst ever made ( The Babe Ruth Story ), Backer always swings for the fences in his all-inclusive analysis of this underappreciated genre. Striving to emphasize the baseball aspects of every film featured, the book balances its critical discussions with information about players, teams, ballparks, interesting plays, statistics, baseball rules, and the legend and lore of the summer game (all without a DH!). Baseball Goes to the Movies is equally at home in the hands of silver screen fiends, sports fanatics, and frightened parents looking for a soft lob at the beginning of Little League.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781495075551
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date: 05/01/2017
Series: Applause Books
Pages: 312
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Ron Backer (Pittsburgh, PA) is an attorney and an avid fan of both movies and baseball who has previously written four books on film, including works on Hollywood mystery movie series and horror films. Backer is a member of SABR (the Society of American Baseball Research). He has coached youth baseball teams and still suffers along with other Pittsburgh Pirates fans about his favorite baseball team.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

1 Major League Baseball 1

The Natural (1984) 1

Moneyball (2011) 5

Eight Men Out (1988) 10

Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) 15

A League of Their Own (1992) 18

Death on the Diamond (1934) 24

The Fan (1996) 27

2 Major League Dreams 31

The Rookie (2002) 31

Bull Durham (1988) 36

Trouble with the Curve (2012) 40

Pastime (1990) 43

Talent for the Game (1991) 46

Million Dollar Arm (2014) 49

Big Leaguer (1953) 52

Summer Catch (2001) 55

3 Youth Baseball 59

The Great American Pastime (1956) 59

The Bad News Bears (1976) 62

The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) 65

The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978) 68

Bad News Bears (2005) 70

The Sandlot (1993) 73

Hardball (2001) 78

Mickey (2004) 81

Block Busters (1944) 85

The Final Season (2007) 88

4 Baseball Biographies 91

The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 91

The Babe Ruth Story (1948) 99

The Babe (1992) 104

The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) 109

42 (2013) 115

The Winning Team (1952) 121

Cobb(1994) 127

The Pride of St. Louis (1952) 131

The Stratton Story (1949) 135

Fear Strikes Out (1957) 141

5 Fantasy Baseball 148

Field of Dreams (1989) 148

It Happens Every Spring (1949) 156

Angels in the Outfield (1951) 159

Angels in the Outfield (1994) 165

The Kid from Left Field (1953) 169

Little Big League (1994) 171

Roogie's Bump (1954) 175

Rookie of the Year (1993) 178

6 Young Fans and Real Players 182

The Kid from Cleveland (1949) 182

Safe at Home! (1962) 186

Chasing 3000 (2007) 189

Everyone's Hero (2006) 194

7 Baseball Romances 199

Fever Pitch (2005) 199

For Love of the Game (1999) 202

It Happened in Flatbush (1942) 206

Ladies' Day (1943) 208

The Sluggers Wife (1985) 211

8 Baseball Comedies 215

Major League (1989) 215

Major League II(1994) 219

Major League: Back to the Minors (1998) 221

Fireman, Save My Child (1932) 224

Elmer the Great (1933) 227

Alibi Ike (1935) 230

Hot Curves (1930) 233

Whistling in Brooklyn (1943) 236

The Naked Gun (1988) 239

Kill the Umpire (1950) 240

Rhubarb (1951) 243

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) 246

The Scout (1994) 250

Mr. 3000 (2004) 254

9 Baseball Musicals 259

They Learned About Women (1930) 259

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) 261

Damn Yankees (1958) 265

10 Baseball in Diverse Cultures 269

Mr. Baseball (1992) 269

American Pastime (2007) 272

The Yankles (2009) 276

The Perfect Game (2009) 279

Sugar(2008) 283

Bibliography 288

Index 293

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