The Green Weenie.” Thousands of words about Pittsburgh Pirates history, every day! All by Ron Ieraci. Check it out!" data-portal-copyright="" />
Here’s the Internet Archive link for tonight’s movie. Hit “play” at 7:30, and make jokes/comments as we go along!
Paul Douglas (not the meteorologist) plays Billy Martin a mean cranky manager who berates
and cusses out his players a lot. Janet Leigh is the reporter who challenges him to be a little bit of a nicer guy. And, with the assistance of some theologically-dubious baseball angels, Douglas is gonna give it a try. With Keenan Wynn (Requiem for a Heavyweight); directed by Clarence Brown.
Brown was generally a director of lighthearted comedies (like this) and sensitive, emotionally-compelling dramas; the “kid loves animal” classics The Yearling and National Velvet were both directed by Brown. He also did Intruder in the Dust, based on a William Faulkner novel, about a proud southern Black man who refuses to grovel to White folks, even if it risks his life. Brown retired from filmaking after 1952, and refused to watch any new movie for the rest of his life (which lasted until 1987); he said if he watched any new movies, he might be tempted to un-retire. (By then he was rich from real estate.)
Paul Douglas usually played tough guys or meanies. He was originally cast in “Casey in the Bat,” a Twilight Zone episode about a baseball team that gets the world’s first human-looking robot pitcher; but by then Douglas was very sick from a heart condition. (The crew thought he was hungover; nope, he was dying. His scenes were re-shot with Jack Warden.) And after his death he was replaced by Fred MacMurray for the meanie role in The Apartment.
Janet Leigh would, of course, be most famous for her part in Psycho, but she could actually act, too; she’s quite good in The Manchurian Cadidate. She dialed back on taking roles in the mid-60s to spend more time with her kids. One of those kids is pretty good at acting, herself — Jamie Lee Curtis. (Janet Leigh was married to actor Tony Curtis for awhile.) Incidentally, after seeing Psycho, even Janet Leigh was scared of showers. So, in a small tribute to that…
NSFW (language), but the language is no worse than last week’s movie or next week’s.
Meanwhile, if you didn’t see the caption, the poster art up top is swiped from an INCREDIBLE website called “The Green Weenie” (I don’t know why it’s called that.) Thousands of words about Pittsburgh Pirates history, every day! All by Ron Ieraci. Check it out!
(Why does a Pirates history website mention this movie? Because singer Bing Crosby makes a short appearance in the film. Crosby owned 25% of the Pirates.)
Here again is the Internet Archive link for tonight’s movie. Show starts at 7:30!
Here’s the upcoming schedule:
November 28: Bull Durham (1987)
About a experienced catcher and experienced groupie who teach a young pitcher a thing or two. Written/directed by Ron Shelton, no relation to Twins manager Derek Shelton… but Ron DID play on a team with Derek’s dad. Free on Plex, Pluto, Roku, and Tubi (with commercials, probably how I’ll watch it). It’s on the free library streamer Kanopy, and on library DVD (no commercials on those).
December 5: A League of Their Own (1992)
If we keep this going, I wanna mix in a “somewhat based on true story” movie every now and then. (It’s Hollywood, you know they never make it strictly factual.) Oddly, I’ve never seen this one. (Because Madonna’s in it, is probably why.) Free on Pluto.
December 12: Major League (1989)
Yes, Charlie Sheen is a jackass, and Wesley Snipes had some stupid ideas about paying taxes. But Rene Russo is cool. Plus Bob Uecker! A team’s crummy owner wants them to lose, and the players fight back by winning. I wish! Free on Pluto.
December 19: Damn Yankees (1955)
A long-suffering Senators fan gets an offer to magically turn into a star player and save the team; but, when you make a bargain with Mr. Applegate, the devil’s in the details. Free on Fawesome, Pluto, and Tubi.
I’ve got some good ideas for future ones if we do this more, and all movie suggestions are absolutely welcome & wanted!
But, until then, pop your popcorn, and let’s start the show at 7:30!
