The Bad News Bears (1976)
The Bad News Bears is a 1976 comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal. The film was produced additionally with two sequels, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training in 1977 and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan in 1978, a short-lived 1979–80 CBS television series, and a 2005 remake.[1]
Contents
Plot
Morris Buttermaker, an alcoholic and former minor-league baseball pitcher, is recruited to coach "the Bears," a Southern California Youth Baseball League team of misfit players formed as a compromise to a lawsuit brought against the league for excluding such players from other teams. Shunned by the more competitive teams (and competitive parents), the Bears are the outsiders. Buttermaker forfeits the opening game after the team allows 26 runs without recording an out.[1]
To improve the team, Buttermaker recruits two unlikely prospects: sharp-tongued Amanda Whurlitzer, a skilled pitcher (trained by Buttermaker when she was younger) who is the 11-year-old daughter of one of Buttermaker's ex-girlfriends; and, the local cigarette-smoking, loan-sharking, Harley-Davidson-riding troublemaker, Kelly Leak, who also happens to be a good athlete, but has been excluded in the past by league officials. With Amanda and Kelly on board, the team starts gaining more confidence, and the Bears start winning games.[1]
Eventually, the Bears make it to the championship game opposite the top-notch Yankees, who are coached by aggressive, competitive Roy Turner. As the game progresses, tensions rise as Buttermaker and Turner engage in ruthless behavior toward each other and the players in order to win the game. When Turner strikes his son, the pitcher, for not following an order, Buttermaker realizes he, too, has placed too much emphasis on winning, and puts in his benchwarmers to allow everyone to play. Despite Buttermaker's move, the Bears nearly win the game. Buttermaker gives the team beer which they spray on each other with a field celebration as if they had won.[1]
Cast
Adults
- Walter Matthau as Morris Buttermaker, coach of the Bears.
- Vic Morrow as Roy Turner, coach of the Yankees.
- Joyce Van Patten as Cleveland, league manager.
- Ben Piazza as Bob Whitewood, city councilman and lawyer.
Kids
- Tatum O'Neal as Amanda Whurlitzer, the 11-year-old pitcher who feels insecure about her tomboy image.
- Chris Barnes as Tanner Boyle, the short-tempered shortstop with a Napoleon complex.
- Jackie Earle Haley as Kelly Leak, the local troublemaker who smokes and rides a mini Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
- Erin Blunt as Ahmad Abdul-Rahim, a black Muslim boy who plays in the outfield, is liked by everyone on the team and adores Hank Aaron.
- Gary Lee Cavagnaro as Mike Engelberg, an overweight boy who plays catcher; a great hitter, he frequently teases Tanner about his size.
- Alfred W. Lutter as Alfred Ogilvie, a bookworm who memorizes baseball statistics.
- David Stambaugh as Toby Whitewood, an unassuming boy who plays first base.
- Quinn Smith as Timmy Lupus, initially described by Tanner as a "booger-eating spaz;" plays right-field and is considered to be the worst player on the team.
- Jaime Escobedo as Jose Aguilar, Miguel's older brother who plays second base.
- George Gonzales as Miguel Aguilar, Jose's younger brother; mostly plays right-field.
- David Pollock as Rudi Stein, a nervous relief pitcher with glasses who is a terrible hitter.
- Brett Marx as Jimmy Feldman, a fairly quiet third baseman with curly blond hair.
- Scott Firestone as Regi Tower, a fairly quiet, red-headed third baseman whose dad vocally attends practices and games. Also plays first base.
- Brandon Cruz as Joey Turner, the star pitcher for the Yankees.
Controversy
Tanner Boyle, the racist kid who ready to get in fights with anybody, has a white trash self-loathing to him because he couldn’t make a good (white) team. He’s angry that he can’t really say he’s better than any of his teammates. Tanner Boyle: “Jews, spics, niggers, and now a girl?” Amanda: “Grab a bat, punk.” Boyle gets pushback for it, and the threat that he’s going to get his ass kicked if he doesn’t shut up. [2]
Dialogue :
Tanner Boyle : Jews, spics, niggers, and now a girl?
Tanner Boyle : All we got on this team are a buncha Jews, spics, niggers, pansies, and a booger-eatin' moron!
Ogilvie : Tanner, I think you need to be reminded from time to time that you are one of the few people on this team who is not a Jew, spic, nigger, pansy or a booger-eating moron. So you'd better cool it or we may be disposed to beat the crap out of you.
There is also a dialogue quoted like this one :
Coach Morris Buttermaker: [trying to console Ahmad after his errors in the first loss] There was nothing easy about those fly balls, Ahmad. They were tough chances! The sun was in your eyes!
Ahmad Abdul Rahim: Don't give me none of your honky bullshit, Buttermaker. I know they were easy.
Coach Morris Buttermaker: Let's not bring race into this, Ahmad. We got enough problems as it is.[3]