It was a very special day Monday. It only comes once a year, and America always holds its breath in anticipation. It was Opening Day on Monday, which means it’s the start to the Major League Baseball season. America’s pastime has a long and cherished history which holds a special place in a lot of Americans’ hearts. In honor of this momentous day, I want to take a look at the films that portray this history. From the first baseball film to the Red Sox win in 2005, I will try to list all of the films that I love that portray a special part of baseball history.
The very first baseball film, “Casey At The Bat,” was directed by Thomas Edison, though it has been remade several times over. It tells the story of a player who beats up an umpire because of a bad call, a sentiment which I am sure many players have shared since. While very short — the original runs a mere 40 seconds — it tells the very first story of baseball captured on film, so it is a very important part of baseball movie history.
Next up is a film that portrays the infamous Negro Leagues of baseball, when the non-Caucasian players were still separated from their Caucasian counterparts. The film I think best personifies this era of baseball is “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings,” a whimsical movie about a team of players who leave the Negro League in hopes of joining the Major Leagues. The film portrays a rather negative aspect of baseball history, but it keeps the tone light while showing this. Other films have portrayed this same topic, including the more recent “42,” but most focus on a single player, Jackie Robinson. “Bingo Long” gives a better look at the entire Negro League, which is why I have it on this list instead of some more prominent or well-known films.
After the Negro League of Baseball, World War II happened. With the draft, the major leagues lost a large portion of their players. This led to the formation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which is the basis for the film “A League of Their Own.” Two sisters star in this film where they join the aforementioned league and play in its inaugural year. There is no question that this is the best film made on this subject of baseball history. It stars Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Madonna, and is directed by Penny Marshall. This film was also accepted by the United States National Film Registry as a film that showcases a facet of American history.
Once the war had passed, things settled down in the world of baseball. It became popular once again. This led to many kids who tried to imitate what their favorite players did, which brings me to my next film. “The Sandlot.” TheArguably the best baseball film made of all time, it shows the world of baseball through the eyes of a group of children who play in a sand lot, a popular activity during the ’60s. While that’s the general overview of the story, it tells so little about the love for the game, which the film expands upon. This is my favorite baseball movie for that reason. Of all the movies on this list, this one shows best the reason why we all love baseball, and it is an important film of baseball history almost entirely for that reason.
After the ’60s, the ’70s and ’80s went by with plenty of strikes between players and the managers. These gave way to a resurgence of baseball in the late ’80s and through the ’90s. A film that captures this resurgence is a tale of a rebirth in itself. “Major League” tells the story of the supposed worse team in baseball, which is purposefully set up to fail by a vengeful owner. While it is a comedy, it touches on how poorly the players were treated by the managers, but the players fight back and end up winning enough to spite the owner who wanted them to lose. Featuring a young Charlie Sheen, this film is one of the best comedies of all time and also tells a great time in baseball history.
The final film on my list tells the story of how our very own Boston Red Sox broke the curse of the Great Bambino, though it is told through a romantic comedy starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. “Fever Pitch” shows the life of a manic fan from the inside. The way Fallon’s character feels about the Red Sox is how many baseball fans feel toward their home team. A great rom-com on its own, it also tells the ending to an 86-year saga of baseball history. The Curse of the Bambino is such a key insight to how invested people are in baseball — they would go so far as to create a curse to explain why their team is not winning.
While these are definitely not all the films that share a part of baseball history, this list will hit most of the major points. I know I cannot please everyone when making a list like this, so I instead chose to go by the movies I loved to watch growing up and I thought really captured the spirit of the greatest sport on earth, at least to this writer.
Great read!