Baseball is an inherently cinematic sport, filled with unlikely heroes, surprise twists, and endings that pack an emotional punch.
It’s no surprise that America’s pastime has been at the center of countless beloved films. Before you sit back on the couch to watch your favorite baseball flick, try your hand at the following trivia questions.
Who was the James Earl Jones character in Field of Dreams based on?
James Earl Jones and his unmistakable voice add gravitas to any production. In 1989, Jones lent his talents to the movie Field of Dreams, appearing as an author named Terrence Mann.
While Field of Dreams is steeped in fantasy, the Mann character was actually inspired by a real person. In Shoeless Joe, the book that inspired the movie, Mann is notorious recluse J.D. Salinger. Shoeless Joe author W.P. Kinsella had read The Catcher in the Rye as a young man and was heavily influenced by the novel. Kinsella conceived of a story in which his protagonist went to New Hampshire, kidnapped Salinger, and took him to a baseball game. As a result, the working title for Shoeless Joe was The Kidnapping of J.D. Salinger.
Salinger was still alive at the time of Shoeless Joe’s publication and didn’t take too kindly to being featured in the story. Afraid that the litigious Salinger would sue them, the filmmakers behind Field of Dreams changed the character’s name for the big screen adaption.
Why was Bob Uecker cast in Major League?
Bob Uecker earned the nickname “Mr. Baseball” from Johnny Carson, but Uecker’s career goes far behind the baseball diamond. The multi-talented broadcaster and former MLB catcher had a role on the sitcom Mr. Belvedere, made more than 100 appearances on The Tonight Show with Carson, and starred in a series of commercials for Miller Lite.
Uecker’s comic timing in those Miller Lite ads caught the eye of writer/director David S. Ward, who was looking to cast actors for his movie Major League. Lo and behold, Uecker fit the role of Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle perfectly. According to Ward, “Harry Doyle was a combination of somebody I imagined and just thinking about Bob Uecker.”
A gifted improv comic, Uecker ad-libbed many of his lines in the movie, including the oft-quoted “Juuuuuust a bit outside.”
Who was originally supposed to direct Moneyball?
The movie adaptation of Moneyball was released in 2011 to praise from both audiences and critics. It took years for the movie to be completed, and there were multiple complications that arose along the way. Originally, Ocean’s Eleven director Stephen Soderbergh was attached to the project. Soderbergh planned to blend a traditional cinematic narrative with more realistic elements; former A’s players Scott Hatteberg and David Justice would play themselves, while other real-world figures like Darryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra would appear in interview segments. The role of Paul Depodesta (later changed to Peter Brand) was given to comedian Demetri Martin.
Just five days before the start of production in 2009, Sony Pictures pulled the plug on Soderbergh’s film because they felt that it was too (pardon the pun) inside baseball. The detailed nature of the script was considered too “arty” for the picture’s $58 million budget, and the studio worried it wouldn’t appeal to a mainstream audience. Months later, the film was revived when Capote director Bennett Miller signed on to the project. Jonah Hill replaced Demetri Martin in the Brand role, and Aaron Sorkin came on to do a rewrite of the screenplay. With the new creative team in place, Moneyball went ahead with production and began filming in the summer of 2010.
How did the ending of The Natural differ from that of the book?
Watching The Natural, you’d swear its source material featured a perfectly cinematic ending. In the movie, Robert Redford’s Roy Hobbs completes his redemption arc by hitting a ninth inning home run that wins his team the pennant. The home run hits the stadium lights, causing an explosion of sparks that rains on Hobbs as he triumphantly runs the bases.
It’s a classic feel-good movie moment, a rousing climax to send audiences home on a high note. The book that inspired the film took the opposite approach, however. Instead of playing the hero, Hobbs accepts a bribe to throw the World Series and strikes out to end the game. Despite the changes made to his story, author Bernard Malamud was reportedly happy with the film adaptation, believing that it legitimized him as a writer.
For more on the true stories that inspired The Natural, click here
Which story inspired the musical Damn Yankees?
You may be familiar with the musical comedy Damn Yankees, which debuted on Broadway in 1955 and was later adapted into a film. The original production is known for igniting the artistic partnership between actress Gwen Verdon and choreographer Bob Fosse, whom she would later marry.
But before Damn Yankees was a smash hit on stage, it was a novel titled The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant. That book drew upon the German legend of Faust, a man who sells his soul to the Devil for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. In The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (and subsequently Damn Yankees), a middle-aged fan of the Washington Senators sells his soul to the devil to become a star baseball player.
Searle’s Final Say
A great baseball game often has the same profundity of a classic film. Like movies, baseball games encourage us to become emotionally invested in events beyond our control. And, just like movies, baseball games reward us with stories that grab our attention and stay with us through the years.
