... the other one being Long Gong.
Both are stratospheres better than the slobberfest that is Major League.
I agree about Bingo Long being overlooked and very worthwhile. I was telling a sports movie (esp. baseball) fan about Bingo and he told me Long Gone (the 1987 TV version with William L Peteson and Virginia Madsen) is his favorite of all baseball movies. I haven't seen that but sounds like you're right on target.
shareOh yeah, it is absolutely one of the better baseball movies ever made. The on-field action shots are still some of the best baseball sequences in movie history, even compared to more modern classic like Bull Durham and For Love Of The Game. Great film.
shareAbsolutely!! A terrific, playful movie! I used to watch this with my Dad! Thinking about it makes me miss him.
shareHaha, no doubt! I can remember being a kid watching it with my parents and being afraid of the knife scene. Hilarious.
shareTBLTAS&MK was one of my favorite movies as a child. It had a snappy tune and was so much fun. And the issues of racism wasn't lost on me---I could see how the All Stars weren't treated correctly because they were black. My favorite part is where James Earl Jones' character "rises from the dead" out of the coffin and the woman faints.
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you're missing the point.
They were a travling all-star team. They quit their respective Negro league teams to go out on their own. The "clowning" and "circus peformer" parts were what they had to do in order to drum up people to come watch them so they could get paid.
Remember Bingo was against it but realized it was the only way to earn a living unless they went back and played for the Negro owners.
Not only that, but remember what was big at the time that not only the time period when the movie was placed, but also when it was released. Harlem Globetrotters. They had a Saturday Morning cartoon at the time this movie came out.
shareI hope they release this on Blu Ray!
shareGreat movie, and the racism is as overt as it was in the late 1930's. From the beginning scenes where the Negro Leagues are described, to the gorilla on the pitcher's mound, and so many scenes where the players have to sell themselves based on the stereotypes of their race just make me sick.
DeeDee
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Great Movie. No doubt. But needs to be seen by more people.
My Sig: Nothing Here.
It's unfortunate that this film is so obscure, especially considering the strong cast. This played on HBO quite a bit in the late '70s, but it never really found its audience in the video ago.
shareI wish more people would see it. It has some of my favorites in it: Stan Shaw, James Earl, Billy Dee, and Richard Pryor was hilarious trying to break into the majors as a Cuban.
I wish I was the right hand white glove, that's what I wish...MJ Fan
RIP Manute Bol
Yes, it's a great film, sadly overlooked. I'm not a baseball fan, but this has enough going for it to appeal to anyone. It's important historically and very entertaining as well.
share Bingo seems like it captures the spirit of the Negro League players. And baseball barnstormers in general, very well.
I've done a ton of baseball research and reading, "Eight Men Out" with John Cusack, DB Sweeney, Charlie Sheen, among others; is a very realistic and accurate account of a true story. While not as broadly entertaining as Bingo, or a melodramatic as Field of Dreams, it's still good.
Without question, the best baseball movie, is the documentary (and book) "The Glory of Their Times". The film is now obscure but has been on A&E. Absorbing interviews, films, and stills of actual early 1900's major league players. The book and subsequent audio CD is much more readily available.
Saw this in a theater during its original release. Loved it. Agree that this film should be seen by more people. Fortunately, it's now available for streaming on Netflix.
For reading, I’d recommend Robert Peterson’s 1970 book Only The Ball Was White.
If it is what it is, what is it?
This was one of the first movies I saw on HBO when you could hijack the signal with a thin piece of aluminum foil and a flat cable wire. If I remember right, Bingo Long, The Man Who Fell To Earth and Assault On Precinct 13 were the first three movies I saw on HBO in that manner.
shareGreat film,and one of the best films Motown ever made during the '70s. And, yeah, it still is criminally underrated next to most sports films---don't know why,since it has a great cast from top to bottom,excellent direction,great acting, and a story that's extremely entertaining (and really funny at times) from beginning to end. I got it myself on DVD,since I've always liked it after catching it on the CBC way back in the day. Plus it's got Richard Pryor,James Earl Jones, and Billy Dee Williams in it (all in their prime at the time) that's a real triple plus right there that alone makes it worth seeing.
sharePlus, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings has the great Thelma Houston's Razzle Dazzle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzOOVqTUJVI
If it is what it is, what is it?