1976 - The Bad News Bears

0:00 Oh, my boys, would like to say something to your team. Boys. We just want to say, you guys played a good game and we treated you pretty unfair all season. We want to apologize. We still don't think you're all that good at baseball. Team you got guts aaliyah, Hey Yankees, you can take your apology. Hey, you a trophy and shove it snaight up your ass. And another thing, just wait till next year. Yea. Hello everybody, and welcome back to nineteen seventy six. It is a limited series film a film by podcast. We are focusing on some of the iconic films from nineteen seventy six. We're gonna share some behind the scenes information, kind of talk about our favorite underrated moments, share some words that matter. And today I am joined by my good friend who is no stranger to our show. I'm talking about Jason Colvin from The Shirley You Can't Be Serious Podcast. Hello, Jason, what's up? Jeff? How's it goal man? It is going great. Jason, if you wouldn't mind for our first time listeners tell us all about the Shirley you Can't Be Serious Podcast.

1:19 So The Shirley Can't Be Serious Podcast is a podcast I do with mister James D. Graves, good buddy of mine, and he wanted to be here today, by the way, but I canna make it happen. But we're a podcast for the MTV generations. So we're seventies, we're eighties, we're nineties, we're two thousands. Usually we take an epic movie and match it up against another movie. We've done album to album. Think this upcoming season, we're gonna go TV show to TV show, and so we were trying to hit that sweet spot of seventies, eighties and nineties. If you're watching MTV, then you would like our podcast. I was watching MTV, and that's why I love your podcast, Jason, As I said, you're you're no stranger to the show. You know, you have had extensive guest spots on our on our very popular nineteen eighty six series, and you've been you've been helping us out on our Patreon doing this, doing that very thing.

2:15 Right. Yeah, So thanks man, I'm so glad you keep having me back. We've done. What have we done? We've done Nine of the Creeps, We've done Wisdom, We've done the Hitcher, We've done Joe Eagles League Eagles, we did Ghostbusters two, we did Superman four. On my podcast Alien three, where We've got me, you indeed discussing what the heck happened with Alien three, and you and I actually, uh, we go round and round a little bit. We kind of tussle. You know. I think I think anyone that's listened to the two of us talk movies, uh several times we typically are like, hey, I love this movie, and hey, I love this movie too. And when they tune into the Shirley podcast and and here the Alien three episode, they're gonna hear us a little bit of odds, you know. I right, that is a spirited conversation for today, Jason. I got a nig glue cooler full of Budweiser, Miller, High Life, Schlitz and cores. So what do you say you join me. We'll crack open a cold one. We'll talk baseball with the Bad News Bears. Okay, wait, wait before we go any further. We've got it. We've got to do it, Jeff, we have to do it. What's that? I know it's corny, but oh you're not gonna make us do this? All right? Here we go, first base, second base, third base home home around these bases, we will. I love it. I knew the coach. I knew the coach,

3:50 and you was gonna come out today. So oh yeah, yeah, I'm excited about this. Yes, I see, I was math how a lot on this movie. I bet. Let's start off first. Let's start off with the writer, Bill Lancaster, because we've got to have a great Any great baseball movie has to start with a great script. Jason, do you happen to know anything about Bill Lancaster? Here's what I know about Bill Lancaster is not much. Maybe you can help with this. I do know he is the son of world famous actor Bert Lancaster. Yeah, yes, that's correct, and that he wrote this movie based on his and his son's experience together in little league baseball. That that is absolutely right. Buttermaker's grumpiness is actually taken from Bert himself, who who we also know. Uh no stranger to baseball. He uh he was featured in Field of Dreams. He played Moonlight. Graham, that's exactly right, that's exactly right, now, Graham. Yep. Now, Bill Lancaster he the Bad News Bears movies.

5:02 But do you happen to know what other huge movie that you and I both love that he wrote. He wrote the thing. Yes, John Carpenter's the thing. Hey, Swede, he was even he even played one of the Norwegian uh extras, one of the one of the guys that the really awesome. Okay, like when when they're watching the videos when McCready brings back the videos, Yeah he is. He is one of the Norwegian guys. But oh man, love it? How do you love it? I would love We don't. I know, we don't have time to do it today, but I would love to find out. How do you how do you show up to John Carpenter's office to say, Hey, I'm the guy that can write this movie for you, and here's my body of work and it's The Bad News Bears. Like I've done The Bad News Bears, which is a kid comedy about baseball. So I'd like to help you with this science fiction thing you're working on. Yeah. I don't get it, but uh, but I'm glad. I'm so glad that he did he do it. How about director Michael Ritchie When we're talking about this, Michael Ritchie, like you said, it is kind of like Ron Shelton. He's the sports guy.

6:21 Right, he's done. Yeah, he's done The Scout, he did Digstown, he's done the Bad News Bears. But he's also done like Wildcats, Golden Child, Fletch, Yeah, he's this is the guy to give us Fletch semi tough with with Burt Reynolds. That's right, another football movie. He It's funny when you think about his background because we're talking about a Harvard educated Oscar winning Uh. You know, a director of an Oscar winning film, you know he he uh, he did The Candidate with Robert Redford. Yeah, that's right. We we love Michael Richie. We have covered him on our nineteen eighty sixth series. We did Wildcats, and we did The Golden Child. I'll tell you right now, if we do a fourth Michael Ritchie film, it has to be nineteen ninety two Diggstown, if only for the chance. Yeah it's a great movie, but if only for the chance to call out that it's the fourth time we've done a Ritchie film, and it would be the fourth time we cover a Louis Gossa junior film. So that seems made in heaven right there. It seems like it's going to have to happen next season. I don't know. Hey, you know, just looking at his body of work, he and matth that will work together several times. Yeah, Matt, that was kind of like his his good two guy for a while. Right, So bad News Bears. There's Survivors with Robin Williams. Have you ever seen that? It's it's been a few years,

7:56 but yes, it's funny. It is hilarious. I love that one. What about the Catching Trip? I think that's what I need to I need to revisit. Maybe you know as my as my good buddy and co host from a film by Brad Koza would say, it's a second chance Sunday because that's another one. You got Walter Mouthou you've got dan Ackeroid in a comedy. It should work. So I remember, I think I think I remember seeing it when it first came out, and maybe maybe it just wasn't for me then. But what, I don't know, what do you what do you think you have it? Well? I rented, you know, I VHS rented it, So that tells you how long ago it's bence I've seen it. Uh, you know, dan Ackroid's kind of hit and miss for me. Yeah, I don't really remember. I didn't like it very much at the time. Let's talk a little bit about the casting the process on this. Apparently, I don't know if you saw this, but apparently wasn't exactly a formal reading. There was a baseball game set up on the back lot at Paramount Pictures, just to see can these kids not only can they play, like do they have the fundamentals, but can they can they believe it played badly? Because you know, we need good we need good players like the Yankees, the Denny's Yankees, and you know, and the Mets and the Athletics, but we also need to know like and these kids miss grounders and throw to the wrong bass and just look bad. I think that's really cool that they that that, that the richie would do that.

9:20 I think that's fantastic. One of the things that drives me insane, particularly when I watch grown people play sports, you know, act in sports movies. Being a former athlete, I'm sure you do too. You look at him, You're like, that dude can't hit. That dude can't hit that sling. That swing is weird. I can see it. When you know, we're talking baseball, certain baseball movies when just when they the way they the way they hold a bat, yeah, or that you know, whether the way they choke up on a bat, it's like, what have you ever played baseball? Because that's that's not how that's not how it works. Man. Well when you know and what you're talking about there, the kids in this movie have to sell what they're doing, and I think they do it beautifully. And I don't think they're acting. I think they're kicking groundballs.

10:07 I think they hit rockets at them. And you know, there's one scene in particular, I think it's it's one of the Spanish speaking kids. They throw the ball to him and misses it. It hits him in the hand. Yeah, oh yeah, he does little little he does like the mouse the owl and shakes his hand. Yep. I don't think that that wasn't acting. I would have to think that maybe it is like a straight up batting practice, and let's let's just roll the camera, you know, bea b footage and just get shots to these kids missing flyballs and just looking terrible. I'll tell you this real quick. I coached both of my sons little league teams. So I have two boys they're one's twenty one and one's nineteen. Now, I was setting out the basis for the first practice of the season with my middle son. So we haven't even I haven't even addressed the team. I haven't started practice. You know, kids are showing up.

11:00 I'm I'm literally putting out the bases and some kids show up. I'm like, okay, guys, just go out there. And then you know, in the outfield and warm up. First throw of the season. We have one kid's got a good arm, throws that one kid missus hits him in the nose, breaks his nose, blood everywhere. That whole thing. I haven't even set out the basis on the season yet. You are. Butter Maker Films primarily filmed in the San Fernando Valley. And here's one thing I learned that I loved the Bears sponsor Chico's Bail Bonds. That was an actual local company. Love it right. That is so perfect for this movie and and for the Bears team. Because the other cool thing, and I think the first time, maybe think of the first couple of times you watch this, you know, it kind of goes over your head. They're in a league where the other sixteen teams. You know, they're playing against the Yankees, the Mets, the Athletics, the White Sox. The Bears are the only team in that league that don't have an MLB name, And I definitely think that helps to kind of show how much of the outcasts that they are. Yeah, I love that because it it did. It totally went over my head the first couple of times I watched this until I kind of picked up on it. Speaking of the White Sox, Uh, you know, the Bears get that one, they get that one win against the White Sox because he can't feel the off team. Yes, you know he's only got eight players. You recognize that guy, right, he's in Fletch,

12:30 He's in Yeah, that is That is Erwin R. Fletcher's ex wife's attorney who was always showing up to shake him down and get alimony. I love that guy. I am neither loitering nor stocking. I am. Yeah. That guy's great. He's awesome. I'm gonna ask you know, Coach Colvin, I'm gonna ask you a question. Yes, in a situation like that where you've got your team shows up to play, the other team shows up to play, everyone's in their uniforms. Moms and dads have packed the cars. If you have a situation, you know, because the white you know, the White Sox manager. He goes, Hey, I've got a plan. I'm gonna have my two guys play. I get that we have the rule book, but in that kind of sense, can't we just let the kids play. We're gonna let the kids play. Absolutely, don't let to put kids play, right, I mean, of course, even if it's like a hey, technically this is a forfeit win for for the Bears.

13:24 But we're gonna still play and have some fun out there. Let the kids play, right, all right, It's all about the kids. It's all about the kids. Well, let's take a quick break, and when we get back, Jason, I want to I wanna go over what I'm gonna call the starting lineup for this team. Awesome. Excuse me, ma'am. We'd like to take away their schlitz and have them try our beer. Do you want to take away bear schlitz? You want to take away their gusto? You're cute, dumb, a cute. If you want to take away their schlitz, they're gusto, you're gonna end up a Carstone in a holl right, going to turn you into an off ramp on the intersade. If you don't have switch, you don't have you don't have beer. All Right, we are back, Jason, h We have some We had some talent on on this field, right absolutely. You know, I wanted to tell you something about that field before we get into the talent. Okay, I found this interesting. Now, I I'm not a California guy. I haven't been in LA in a long long time, but I know you go out there, and I know Brad's out there, so maybe he can shed more light on this. But apparently there is a Lancaster Field out there named after Bill Lancaster. Okay, really okay, And so people who visit Lancaster Field they know this is the guy who wrote The Bad News Bears, and so they go the Lancaster Field. They're like, and this looks totally different.

14:56 Well that's because the movie wasn't filmed there. That's where he and his son would play their games, and so therefore it's named Lancaster Field. But it was shot in Chatsworth, California, which is a suburb of LA. It's actually filmed at Mason Park and I watched a video on YouTube, and as soon as the guy was showing where the baseball field is, I'm like, yep, absolutely still there. Now the bleachers look a little different, but it's very recognizable. Okay, well, I'm definitely gonna have to hit Brad up and find out, you know, when we're heading to the Lancaster field, because I'm not going out there without without getting some some some picks for you, you know, maybe have a maybe have a game of catch with Brad, you know, see see see what he says. That's right, we'll grab a bat punk Yeah, exactly. Uh. Walter Matthau as Buttermaker, as you mentioned he is, he's kind of Richie's go to guy.

16:00 Makes seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars plus ten percent of the box office and in the late seventies. That's that's a good deal, right. Oh yeah, definitely. And you know he's looked a hundred years old his entire life. Yeah, he's fifty six in this movie. I'm not shocked that he's fifty six in this movie. But at the same time, he looks a little bit younger than fifty six. Like I like, I think we were talking about this earlier, and I was like, he could pass for fifty, you know, And I think it's because he's he's a little more lean, you know, in the seventies, you know, when we see him in the eighties, in the nineties, when he's when he's doing the grumpy old men movies and he's he's in JFK. You know, he's kind of settled into a heavier right, a heavier weight. But to your point, I was actually watching an archived interview with him, a CBS interview, and I think it was like early sixties maybe black and white really, I mean, and he definitely looked younger, but he still looks exactly like this, Yeah, because he was you know, the host was asking him like, how do you you know, you're kind of known for always playing the grumpy guy and the jerk, Like how do you how do you do it?

17:11 And he just said, well, what, you know, I hit my thirties and I just got uninhibited about being who I want to be. And you know, it worked because all of a sudden, all these nice guys are, you know, getting out of the way so I can take these all these roles. So he was happy about it. Yeah, Now Tatum O'Neill, who plays Amanda. You want to talk about deals, she's making three hundred and fifty thousand dollars plus a percentage of the profits. You have to ask, well, the first question you gotta ask is why is she getting such a big payday? She had just won an Oscar Yes, actress, are you kidding me? The youngest person ever to win an Academy award at age ten. She wins the Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon, and she's she's Hollywood worlty because her father is Ryan O'Neill, So you can kind of understand how how she gets. You know, most of the kids that are on this are making like three thousand dollars for five weeks of shooting.

18:15 Yeah, and then you've got you've got Tatum O'Neil making making six figures and getting a percentages. She's not alone though. We got Jackiear o'hiley as the legendary Kelly Leak. Yeah. Now now he's coming off in nineteen seventy five. John Schlessinger film, who we recently talked about last month when we did Pacific Heights. He's in Slessinger's nineteen seventy five film The Day of the Locust. Oh wow yeah. Now, kind of a kind of a flop at the time, but over over the years it's kind of got like a cult thing happening where people are like, oh yeah, it's you know, you go back and like you see like the cinematic merit in it, apparently, but got up. I've got something for you. Got an alternate, alternate universe for you on a couple of these people. Okay, Okay, this I don't know, so laid on me. Okay, So other than Walter math Out as butter Maker, m let's see if you can visualize any of these guys. Okay. So the first guy they talk about is Burt Lancaster, right, yeah, yeah, his son writes the screenplay. Well, maybe we could get your dad to play Buttermaker and Bill Lancaster is actually the guy who's like, Nope, not happening because I don't want people to think that I got this success because my dad's involved. So he actually nixed it.

19:40 Okay, smart move. Then they asked Steve McQueen and Warren Beatty. I'm gonna say no to Warren Beatty. I just don't see him in that role and Steve McQueen I think definitely could have done it, but he's he's too cool for a role like this. So is perfect. Mathou is the perfect And I say this, I say this respectfully and lovingly. He's the perfect shlub that can pull it off. I watch math Ou on this. I believe that he was a great ball player in his heyday. I believe that he cares about the kids. But I also believe he has damaged and he has his you know, he has those like fletch like uh at, you know, tendencies to kind of skirt the skirt the law when he needs to and you know, get one and get one over on people. Right.

20:34 Yeah, definitely the guy who's always always has a beer within arm's reach. Exactly. I've got an alternate universe for you on Amanda. Do you want to hear this? Okay, Okay, Tatum O'Neil was not their first choice. Listen to the who they actually cast in this role, and you could probably guess it, and he guesses all right, I'm thinking, I'm thinking Actresses of the correct age YEP in nineteen seventy six, nineteen seventy five. I would say, I'm gonna give you two guesses. Okay, all right, I'm gonna go Christy McNichol maybe yep, bingo Okay, And if I had I know she can't possibly do it because she's in another nineteen seventy six movie. But but maybe someone like Jodie Foster nailed it. Nailed it, Okay, you nailed it. They had hired Jodie Foster to play Amanda.

21:33 Okay, she drops out to do taxi driver. Okay, U good call. I don't know, good call, Okay, I mean yeah, it's a good call because you know she she wouldn't bet Jodie Foster today if people knew her as Amanda and bad news bear. So yeah, all right, that was a good, good call by Jodie Foster. And as I understand it, they had basically told Christy McNichol that she had the job, and then when she came back over a weekend, it was Tatum O'Neil's job. Oh that's she's like, wait, abuite what happened? That's that's not cool. I mean especially, I mean you're talking about a child actor. Like, right, I don't I got one more for you? Okay, auditioned not seriously considered but auditioned. Yeah, eleven year old at the time, Sarah Jessica Parker. Oh wow, I now see. I can't see her any younger than like seventeen when she's in a Girls Just Wanna Have Fun or you know, immediately I was immediately thinking about her as a Willard's girlfriend and footloose. But you know, she's got the she got the acting chops, right, maybe she could have been Amanda there you go, all right?

22:44 I like that. Well, so no, no, uh no casting whatef's on. Jackie ar o'hiley. No, alright, I'll tell you right now. I don't care what you say. No one could have played that role of Kelly Leak than Jackie Earl Haley. Like he It's like you, Jason. You know when you watch a movie and you have a young kid who's trying to play older or play tough, and it just comes off as cheesy or it comes off as as cute, Right, I don't get that from from his performance. Like this kid, he's a badass in this movie and I you know, he's smoking cigarettes, he's on a Harley David's a dirt bike. He's you know, he's dressed probably like, you know, ten years older than what he should be. But it's believable. Like, I believe this kid is a you know, a minister society. But I also believe, you know, he'll have your back if if you need him to. Yeah, I totally agree with you. Most of the time, when I'm watching kid actors try to play tough, I'm like, that kid just needs a wopan. Yeah. But when I watched Jackie Arrol Haley, I think if I did anything to him, I would have a stiletto in my tires, you know. Yeah, exactly, So this is the kid that'll pull a blade on you. Yeah, definitely. Can we talk for a second about Vic Morrow playing the Yankees coach Turner Jason. Has this guy ever not played an asshole? I looked it up, man, I was looking for like a Vic Morrow movie where I remembered him as like, oh,

24:18 yeah, the lovable Vic Morrow. It doesn't exist. I'm with you, Van, He's always, I mean, I say always, the two roles I'm most familiar with him. Man. Are this in Twilight Zone? You know? And he was an unlovable character in both? Oh gosh, yeah, I'll tell you it. Well, it doesn't it doesn't stop there. There's a I think we might have talked about this a long time ago, or at least at least there was a conversation you and I were having with several several other buddies. But he also does a Roger Corman movie called Humanoids of the Deep, and he plays an asshole on that too. He is not likable in anything. Man. You know, I don't know if you remember this or not. You probably do, but that is Jennifer Jason Lee's dad. Yeah, and he was that He was the actor who was killed along with two other child actors in the Twilight's in the movie. It's sad because Twilight's in the movie. First off, it's awesome. I love I love Twilight's on the Movie's great. His his segment, it's yeah, he plays a he plays a total jerk, but he also has a moment of redemption towards the end. And it's kind of sad when you you know, when you know the the story, you know, especially if you know the gruesome details of how he died on set. It's it's a It's one of the things where he's such a he is you know, like we we we kid around, we say, you know, he always plays a jerk and everything, but he is a he was an incredibly talented actor, and

25:49 it's a little it's a little disheartened to think, you know, he that's what he's. One of the things that he's he's known for, though, is his is his death? I mean infamously, Yeah, you know John Landis and Steven Spielberg had to lead the country. Yes, I mean Landis had that barely got out of jail. M hm. So rounding out the cast of the adult characters, you've got Joyce Van Patton playing the playing her name is Cleveland. She's like the athletic director for the fields. Yes, without even looking you hear that name Van Patton and you think, okay, well, she's either a sister or a cousin of Dick Van Patten. Turns out she's his sister. Oh do you know who she was married to?

26:33 No, Martin Balsom Martinson, famous for well, famous for many things, but I always know and love him from the Detective from Alfred Hitchcock Psycho. Oh my gosh, are you kidding? Yeah? And now for fans of our nineteen eighty six series, fans of Chuck Norris, he plays Benjamin Kaplan in The Delta Force. He's one of the he's one of the hostages on the plane. So yeah, So Joyce not a very likable character in this, Like you would think like she's you know, when you first watch this, you just assumed that she's the hard working, lovable type mom, you know, baseball mom type character who's just there for the kids. But she's definitely siding up to Vic Morrow. She's like his, like his Hinchman, hinchwoman. I should say, I've had some experience with people that you think are nice, kind of winning the league and not afraid to stick it to you when the schedule tournament comes out, or that type of thing. You know. So so so Cleveland rings true, Like when you when you watch this movie, you're you're like, I know a Cleveland. Yeah. Do you recognize Joyce Fan Pattent for anything else? I do not. I always know her. I know her from this and I know her from one other fantastic eighties film if you remember a little film called Saint Elmo's Fire. Yes, yeah, so Mayor Winningham mom is Joyce Van Patton in the movie.

28:03 Is the one that's like whispering, like drugs you know, yeah, prison, Yeah, talking about Rob Lowe's character. Yeah, that's Pat. Oh that's great, that's fantastic. I love Samos Fire Saint Ellis Fire. Oh, it's I love that movie too. As far as the rest of the Bears are concerned, there's only a few of them that appeared in television or film after these movies. Yep, I've got I've got something for you on Toby. Toby Whitewood. Toby Whitewood. He okay, So the city council member's son, Okay, yep, Yeah, he is now a pastor at a church in Connecticut. Yep. Okay, so he he hung around, acted for a little bit, nothing major, and is now a pastor.

28:49 How about that any I'll tell you I went digging. There's not a lot on these kids as far as where they're at, what they're doing. I know, I know they kind of got together for a fortieth anniversary thing a while back, like a photo shoot, but even then, like half of them were there, half of them weren't. Yeah, you know, I don't know. It's I do know that the one that played Tanner, Chris Barnes. All the interviews I saw, like where they where they did get ahold of some of these kids. They were all asked the same question, like, what's going on with Chris Barnes, And apparently, you know, after after he does the Bad News Bears movie, he does a second one, doesn't do the third one, and then he does some TV movies like after School Specials, and then kind of just fades away, last known to be working in Utah and a flower shop, but does not talk about the Bad News Bears, does not talk about his time making the film, and doesn't really have any contact with the with the cast and crew. Yeah, that is really too bad, because he is by far my favorite character in this He's got to be your favorite, right, Yeah, I mean he like that that scrappy kid that it's telling it like it is. You know, Stick fights the entire seventh grade. Yeah you wait, you fought the entire seventh grade. Yeah. I love I love I love Tanner. He's he's probably he's probably my favorite character in the movie. How about you?

30:23 Definitely Tanner. I mean, I love Mathow, but Tanya Tanner's it. You know. Yeah. It's one of those things where as a kid you thought you thought Kelly Leak is cool, but you you felt more like Tanner, like Tanner's coming over to playing Nintendo with you. Kelly Leak, It's not you know, Kelly Leak is still in your lunch money. Right, That's right, that's right. I love how I mean, we can we can talk about Tanner here and when we talk about quotes, but it tells his coach go back to your beer and you know, get out of here. Buttercred and you know, just has all these funny lines, you know he does. I'll tell you the one thing watching it. You know, when you haven't watched this for a while and then you watch it recently, it's you kind of I'm a little taken aback, just like some of the things they do say, because this movie is known, it's it's got some real vulgarity in it, and these kids are saying they're definitely saying some things that they shouldn't be saying. And I can't imagine you try and make this movie today. I know they did a remake in two thousand and five, but you try doing this today, You're not going to get some of the language coming out of Tanner's mouth. I don't think it's uh, it's it's bad. But it's funny. It's funny. He offends everybody. He's an equal opportunity as center. That is this for sure, I got I got one more thing for you. As far as what was going on on set, yep. So let's talk about celebrities on set. According to according to

31:57 David Pollock, uh, he he's the kid who that played Rudy Stein. You know that wasn't exactly that, you know, the thick glasses, you know, Yeah, I can't throw strikes. So he shared that there was a quote a constant parade of celebrity guests on set. So Ryan O'Neill is there all the time to visit his daughter, which goes without saying. Sure. Bert Lancaster is dropping in to check up on his son. Jack Lemon visits to seek his pal Walter Mathau, and he's taking the kids out to Baskin Robbins after the shooting. Yeah, could you imagine you're you're working the counter Baskin Robbins and here comes Jack Lemon and you know, nine ten year olds. Yeah, now, this would have been awesome. I have to believe the kids love this, this one more than any of the movie stars.

32:49 Steve Garvey showed up way. That's fantastic. You're you're Jason, You're you're in a baseball movie. You're playing baseball, and here comes one of the game's greatest players just to meet and talk with you, I mean, world famous star of the Dodgers. Yeah, and you know, you know he had to have you know, probably taken a little batting practice with them, did some fielding, had had some catch going on. So I think that's awesome and that's really cool. And lastly, television star Bill Bixby, who would go on to star in The Incredible Hulk. He stopped by several times because one of the kids worked with him on a on a TV series. It's called The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Bill Bixby, famous for being The Incredible Hulk. I also believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that he shared the screen with your good friend Valerie Perrine in the only nude scene ever shown on public television. Yes, that's correct. And his reaction to seeing the divine Miss Perrine topless when he wasn't expecting to that is that is television history. I think I love I love that moment. Yes, on PBS, that's that's where you're gonna go to get away, to get away with it, right. I got one other thing for you that I dug up. All right. Himie Escobido, who played Jose Aguilar, one of the He was one of the small ones that yeah, couldn't talk, Yeah, couldn't speak English. Yeah, well in all actuality. In real life,

34:22 he couldn't speak Spanish. He only spoke English, right, that's perfect, and neither one of them could speak Spanish. He is now an La County Reserve Deputy Sheriff in La County. So all right, way to go, himI. Yeah, I love it. So yeah. It's one of those things like these kids might not have grown up to become movie stars, but they all went on to have lucrative careers and and and find their calling if one, if one made it, made it big jackiear o'hilly playing very warm and loving characters like Rorshak in Watchman, right, and Freddy Krueger and a Nightmare ONLM Street. Yeah that's right, okay, kind of about that.

35:06 Yeah, not warm and lovable, but no, I'll be I'll tell you right now. I love Zack Snyder's Watchman. He is he's got to be everyone's favorite character. You know, if this was g I Joe, he'd be snake Eyes. He is the he is the coolest anti heroo out there. And I gotta be honest, I understand that the Nightmare ONM Street reboot didn't get a lot of a lot of love, but his portrayal of Freddy Krueger is absolutely terrifying. I need to watch that. I have not seen the new ones of those. You haven't seen the new one. I mean there was only one, so I mean it got it really got you know, a lot of heat for just not being what the Nightmare movies typically are. But you have to remember Robert Uncle England had played the gut the character like eight times at this point, so this is kind of like, here's the new James Bond, Here's here's the new Batman, right, And they made a you know, they made a very informed decision to take away that that one liner Freddy Krueger that we all kind of got accustomed to, and they said, we're gonna take it back to basics. He's gonna be terrifying, he's not gonna be being he's not gonna be sarcastic, and we're gonna make his makeup, we're gonna you know, they studied burn victims to get the makeup right. So when you got when you got the critics and you got the audience saying, hey, the makeup is wrong, and hey he's not funny, and well, yeah, he's not supposed to be.

36:37 He's supposed to be terrifying. He' supposed to be scary. So I love what he did in that movie. But okay, I gotta check it out, man, I would check it out. Yeah, Young Rooney Mara before she wins Zick the oscar. She's she's in it, so definitely worth check it out. Okay, cool, Well, let's let's check out a word from our sponsors, and when we come back, Jason, I will talk underrated moments and words that matter. So it's not the favorite scene, it's not in the trailer for the film, but without it, the film is a whole lot less. Jason, is there an underrated moment that you love in this movie? Absolutely? As a former baseball player and a former coach and a former athlete, the underrated scene for me is it adds a dose of realism that is important, and the awkwardness is spot on. And I'm talking about the scene where Buttermaker passes out all the jockstraps in the duck.

37:40 Okay, there's something I forgot to tell you, guys. It's a league rule. Cups and supporters gotta be one at all time. Believe you wear them. Get that one. Either you wear them or you don't play rights trapped one of these things on me. Well, she'll wear one. I don't wear one. She doesn't wear one, neither do I. And everybody's like, I don't want to wear this thing. This thing is so uncomfortable. I'm not into it. And Buttermaker's like, sorry, guys, sorry, guys, got to it's the it's the rules. And they're like, well, what about her? Does she have to wear one? Because you know, and then Tanner's like, this is too small anyway. You know, if she ain't wearing it, I ain't wearing it. That's right, my underrated scene. Yeah, you know, and it takes it takes you back because at least if you're a young boy playing baseball or sports for that matter, you know, you always remember the first time one of those is put in front of and you're like, Okay, you gotta wear it.

38:46 And here's why you gotta wear it. And more importantly, here's how you wear it. That's that scene has played for laughs and and it is. It's funny because it's true. Though. I'll tell you I got one and that I love. And I'm talking about the time. I'm talking about their first game where the Yankees absolutely destroy them. It's like twenty six to zero. When Buttermaker just says, that's it. You know, he forfeits. I love after the game when he climbs the tree to console a mod uh huh, and and he shares that that that story that that that not too factual story about Hank Aaron's time in the Sandlot League. You know as a kid. You know, this kid, all he wants to do. I A Mod's one of my favorite characters as well, because all he wants to do is be like his hero Hammer and Hank. But he doesn't know a whole lot, you know, he's when when Buttermaker's like, hey, you know what, what's your name? Where you want to play? He's like, hey, what what's Hank play? Right field? Okay? I want to? I want to I want to do that. I don't want to switch it like Hank Karen. He's more concerned with switch hitting by Hank Karen.

40:01 He just didn't even know where he plays or what team he's on. But but I love that moment because he clearly, you know, had a bad game, he didn't play good, and it gives Buttermaker, who we've seen at this point is like an absolute clown. You know, he's got the got the cooler full of beers. He's Walter Mathou always has a cigar or a beer in hand throughout most of this movie, unless he's holding him bat to hit some balls. And so this is the moment where you go, Okay, you know what, butter Maker has feelings, he has he cares about these kids. And it's a good, heartfelt moment, a good you know. It lets you know, like, you know what, this guy, you know, I like him, He's he's all right, you know, because yeah, I don't know. I think that's that's a great one. Yep, talking words that matter in a movie known for vulgarity and it's use of profanity, Let's Let's car definitely talk about one or more of our favorite quotes or memorable lines. What what do you got Jason? Well, my favorite non vulgar line in the movie. Yeah, is when Tanner says, God Jap bogerin Spas makes me want a puke. Banner is the best. Tanner just lets it fly and he is fantastic every time he does it. H That's definitely one that I've got if I if I have to,

41:36 if I have to look at the just like the for love of the game, I would say I do, I do like that. Buttermaker has that one where he says, all I know is when we win a game, it's a team win. When we lose a game, it's a team loss. So yeah, that's huge, that's a that's a huge one. I gotta, I gotta, I gotta believe that was in a coach Colewn's playbook. Yeah, definitely. We're not gonna blame this on Ahmad for drop in the ball. Yeah, it was in the game. You know, you can't you can't. Let's talk prequel, sequel, remake. So Jason, if you took this movie and you wanted to, you wanted to do something with it, you know what do you got? Because because we've had sequels, We've had a two thousand and five remake with Billy Bob Thornton and do you know who else was in that movie that remake? No, I don't, none other than our special correspondent Jenna Cozo. What Yes, Jenna, Jenna actually was in the Bad News Bears remake had had one had one scene with Billy Bob and the and the kids, and you really put that you watch the movie, she's right there. Yep. That is cool.

42:51 Yeah, I won't tell you. I won't tell you which scene you have to you have the next time you watch. You have to look for it. But yeah, fun fun stuff. But I digress. We even had a short lived TV series. So what's uh, what's your what's your thought here? What do you want? This is tricky. It's tricky because so the sequels that we've seen include The Bad News Bears Go to Japan, which Jackiearrol Hailey called the worst movie ever. Yep. Okay, so sequels have been done, not all that great. M can't do a prequel because the kids are ten years old. Okay, mhm, We've already seen a remake with Billip Thornton. But here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go back.

43:32 I'm gonna get into DeLorean, I'm gonna go back in time. Yeah, and I'm gonna remake this in like nineteen eighty four. Okay, so you're talking an eighty four remake, yes, all right, Well I know, I know you just got Deaf Dave's attention. So I'm assuming you've got a cast for us, and if I have for you, I lay it all through. I got a cast for you, okay, all right, So here's what I got. I got for Catcher. For Engelberg. Mh, I've got none other than Jeff Cohen, okay, perfect chunk from the Conies, yep, right, okay. Uh. For Toby the Kid, the city councilman's son, yep, I'm putting Sean Aston in that role, okay, okay, so yeah, he's good, he kind of talks whatever.

44:30 For the role of Ahmad, I've got Jelil White. Interesting was he that's that's age appropriate then? Right? Yes, that's okay, right, Yeah. I was thinking like, was it was family matters? Was that nineties or was that I guess it was early early nineties, wasn't it. You may have to bend the time a little bit on this, okay, okay. Uh, here's another just kind of key player, you know, just extra outfielder. I want key we Kwan just somewhere in the field. Okay, okay, short round out there, Roman, I love the field. For Timmy Lupas, I've got Lucas Hass. That is spot on perfect casting. Okay, Lucas Hoss is Timmy Lupas. Thank you. I thought I was proud of that one. Okay, here you go. Here's here's my big hitters. Okay. So for Keilly Leak, right, I have Noah Hathaway. Okay, all right, he is a tray you in Never a New Story. Good could call? Yeah, okay, love it looks like, you know, long hair, kind of wrong side of the tracks.

45:42 Definitely grew up to kind of be wrong side of the tracks looking right. Yeah, okay, and a child child badass like I you know, I believe how tough he is in the Never Never New Story. Okay. For Ogilvy, I've got Andrew Casise. Okay, this is a bit of a stretch. He plays worms are in Revenge of the Nerds. Oh wow, Okay, yeah, okay, brilliant, brilliant. He has the look. Yeah, probably has the same prescription glasses for Amanda. Yeah, I have Sleigh Moonfry. Oh perfect you Punky Brewster throwing, throwing on throwing on the mound. Absolutely okay. And then for butter Maker, who you got her Russell Kurt Russell in nineteen eighty four playing butter Maker. Yes, and and you know when you think about Russell's time playing minor league ball, that's perfect casting the dudes baseball player. He always looks like he's got a beer within arm's reach anyway, so he's he's kind of like doing like a Reno high tower, you know, best best of time times. Look, I could see it, I could. I could totally see that. I love it. I like it all right, Okay, there you go. Oh shoot, I forgot to give you a Tanner. Oh yeah, wait wait wait, you gotta have Tanner. I gotta have Tanner. Okay, here

47:14 it is. You gotta bend you gotta bend the years for me just a little bit. Okay, okay, So since we're doing this in what eighty four, eighty five, eighty four, okay, I am putting for Tanner. M hm, Henry Thomas, I'm thinking the moment in ET when he yells Penis breath. Yeah, okay, yeah, that it works, I mean eighty two yeah, he's a little too old, but I think I think he could play he could play young. I like the conviction of that statement in that movie, So I like it. Yeah, I I like the the nineteen eighty four remake that you are posing that is. That's that's good. I like it. Thank you. Lucas Hoss was my was my favorite pick of that bunch. Lucas Hoss was was the ace in the hole right there? You You won me over? What that one? That one?

48:19 All right? So I got I got two options for you. Okay, okay, what you got? You said, Hey, we can't do a prequel because you know they're all ten years old. But how about this. I'm gonna pitch you the prequel Bad News butter Maker, a baseball comedy about his time in the miners starring Miles Teller. All right, there we go. That's these kids are transfixed by his stories, you know, his baseball stories. Yeah, and he's always talking about his time in the miners and yeah, you know when you're when you when you talk minor league baseball, Bull Durham is that's the top of the mountain right there. It's not gonna get better than that. But it doesn't mean, we can't have more minor league baseball movies, so bad News butter Maker more. I mean, that's a million dollar title right there. Yeah, you know, give me, give me some clueless studio execs. I sell that one just on the title alone. Yeah, however, I got another option for you. How about And I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do the Hollywood thing that I don't like, but it's gonna have to work. Bad News Bears, Okay, we're gonna keep. We're gonna just keep the title. Only this time it's all about a past their prime Bears team reuniting to win the softball league.

49:46 And you're I'm pulling Jackie o'hila back. Yeah, that would be fun, like guys our age getting out there one one one final season and you know, competing against all the younger the younger kids, the better kids. But then they they end up putting their softball league. Hey, the world needs the first great men's softball movie. It hasn't happened, right right? Why not? And why not? How much fun we have at the softball field. I all the years I played, I had a blast. Yeah, you know we my my tea. Yeah, I miss I miss it.

50:28 I miss going down to the field, you know, getting your getting your beer, getting your back bag out, having a having having a blast. It was awesome. I loved it. Man too well, Jason. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to hit the local pizza hut. So let's wrap. Let's wrap this one up. Roger Ebert gave this three stars, saying it's quote an unblinking, scathing look at competition in American society. Jean Siskel gave it two and a half stars, complaining about the kids foul mouth dialogue, saying it was quote overdone. So what do you give this film out of a possible for four stars? I give this one three and a half stars. Oh, okay, I love it. I love it, And the foul mouth stuff doesn't bother me at all. Okay, Yeah, and I really love this. There's no romantic interest, there's no parental breakoff. It's all about the kids, and all the drama is on the field and all that. The only thing I'm a little bit uncomfortable with is the kids celebrating with alcohol at the end of the championship game.

51:49 So wait, you're you're saying when when your sons when they when they won the Little League championship, you weren't cracking open beers for all the all. I did not pass out beers to my son's team, the Cobras. Yeah. So uh. On that note, Jackie Earl Hiley once revealed that it was ginger ale in the beer bottles, that they're well in that gaze. It's great. All right. Uh look, I'm gonna agree with Ebert's three stars, and I will concede. I will slightly concede that Jean is right about the kids profanity. And I'm not saying like the profanity profanity. I'm saying I get to, you know, if you've got if you've got one kid using racial slurs and it's it's played for laughs once. Okay, you know we wouldn't get that nowadays, but it was funny for its time.

52:47 But it happens. I think it happens like two or three times, and it's a little overdone. Like I would I would have rather Herd Tanner, you know, just like, give this kid a paintbrush and let's see what kind of you know, tapestry of obstinity he can He can really paint. But I always have to be the bad stuff, but it can It could be the fun bad stuff, right, the fun bad stuff like booger eating spass. Right, that's that's bad enough. Right, Well, I mean that one's fun. But even even when you know you hear him fly off at the handle, he's he's got some he's got some choice words that are that are fun. Yeah. Uh, Jason, do you want to you want to share what's coming up on the Shirley You Can't Be Serious podcast?

53:28 Yeah, you bet. We're covering the Cures album Disintegration track by track, and we're comparing that to Depeche Modes Violator. And we're not getting like an exclusive final judgment here on nineteen seventy six, are we We're gonna We're gonna have to tune in and listen absolute wait wait, okay, well I know I will. I want to thank you as always for for for stopping and talking movies. I was excited because, you know, as you mentioned at the beginning of this, initially you and d both were We're like lined up to do the Bad News Bears, you know, but schedules, there's scheduling conflicts. Things happened. D He joined us for the initial episode on nineteen seventy six when we covered the Outlaw Josie Wales. We got you now, and I'm happy to say the next time we talk, I know it'll be the both of you because we got we got one or two others from nineteen seventy six that are gonna be coming out here before the year's over. And having the Shirley you Can't be Serious podcast Join us for especially join us for those two is going to be a fun time and a fun conversation. So I can't wait, Man, I can't wait. Thanks for having me, man, I always love being here. Absolutely show it's awesome. Well, thank you man and uh and listeners. You can let us know what you think of the Bad News Bears at www dot a film by podcast dot com or on social media. Thanks for lending your ears. Catch you on the flip side.