MovieChat Forums > 61* (2001) Discussion > do the batting helmets look fake to anyo...

do the batting helmets look fake to anyone else?


does anyone else think that the batting helmets look fake that they are wearing throughout the film? they look like cgi or something

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Thats what batting helmets looked like in the early 60s

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I couldn't figure that out either. They looked like they were covered in felt ... kinda like horse riding helmets. I wonder if they had to make them a dull mat finish instead of glossy because of CGI issues -- to control lighting and reflections? And if they have to change something for CGI it is usually to keep it throughout the movie so that it doesn't attract attention switching back and forth. ..... It doesn't matter one way or another to me, except that it caught my attention each time I saw the movie. We had dull plastic helmets in little league during the mid-60s, but they still didn't look that dull. I've read the comments about anachronisms in this film, but no matter what the actual reason is, it dosen't it take away from my enjoyment.

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The helmets were simpler in the 1960s -- and optional for a time. An ear-flap would have been ridiculed as a cowardly device. I do believe that some players went on wearing the plastic liners inside their regular caps right up until helmets were mandated. (Sounds daffy, but remember what touchy timing is involved in hitting: an extra pound on your head must surely have an effect.)

I seem to remember that Joe Adcock got nailed in the head by a pitch, and the story was that he'd have probably died had he not opted for a helmet just shortly before. I think that was like 1959!

[Edit: Nope, the Adcock beanball incident was in 1954. But he had only begin wearing a batting helmet about a month prior to it. I think that some players (Bob Allison?) went with just the cap liner until forced to adopt the helmet.]

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goudgo - I thought the same thing about the felt, but when I saw some pictures from the early '60's they did look like that!

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yeah, i was thought they looked like they were covered in felt, the reason i thought they looked fake was because they stood out so much from the rest of the uniforms, someone said dull but i thought that they looked bolder and brighter than the rest of what the players were wearing. i guess it's not that big of a deal though, this movie is great regardless.

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