Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)

Director:

John D. Hancock

Writers:

Mark Harris (novel)
Mark Harris (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 May 1978 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot:

The story of the friendship between a star pitcher, wise to the world, and a half-wit catcher, as they cope with the catcher's terminal illness through a baseball season.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Teammate | Roommate | Friendship | Terminal Illness

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Bruce Pearson
Michael Moriarty	...	Henry 'Author' Wiggen
Vincent Gardenia	...	Dutch Schnell
Phil Foster	...	Joe Jaros
Ann Wedgeworth	...	Katie
Patrick McVey	...	Bruce's Father
Heather MacRae	...	Holly Wiggen
Selma Diamond	...	Tootsie, Hotel switchboard operator
Barbara Babcock	...	Team Owner
Maurice Rosenfield	...	Team Owner
Tom Ligon	...	Piney Woods
Andy Jarrell	...	Ugly
Marshall Efron	...	Bradley
Danny Burks	...	Perry
Tom Signorelli	...	Goose Williams
James Donahue	...	Canada
Hector Elias	...	Dego
Nicolas Surovy	...	Aleck Olson
Danny Aiello	...	Horse
Hector Troy	...	George
Tony Major	...	Jonah
Barton Heyman	...	Red Traphagen
Jack Hollander	...	Tegwar Player
Lou Girolami	...	Tegwar Player
Ernesto Gonzalez	...	Dr. Charleston P. Chambers
Alan Manson	...	Doc Loftus, Mammoth team doctor
Arnold Kapnick	...	Detective Rogers
Jean David	...	Dutch's Wife
Herb Henry	...	Keith Crane
Beatrice Manley	...	Joe's Wife (as Bea Blau)
Dorothy Neubert	...	Mrs. Pearson
Dell Bethel	...	Third Base Coach
Vince Camuto	...	Baseball Player
Jeff Sartorius	...	Baseball Player
Willie Lemmey	...	Baseball Player
Doug Major	...	Baseball Player
Forrest Wynne	...	Bat Boy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frederic C. Weiler	...	Photographer (uncredited)

Directed by
John D. Hancock		(as John Hancock)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mark Harris		novel
Mark Harris		screenplay

Produced by
Lois Rosenfield	....	producer
Maurice Rosenfield	....	producer

Original Music by
Stephen Lawrence

Cinematography by
Richard Shore

Film Editing by
Richard Marks

Production Design by
Robert Gundlach

Set Decoration by
Frederic C. Weiler

Costume Design by
Domingo A. Rodriguez

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Allan Wertheim	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
John H. Bolz	....	sound (as John Bolz)
Les Lazarowitz	....	production sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	grip

Production Companies

• ANJS
• Dibs Partnership
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1977) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Pictures (1982) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Paramount Pictures (1989) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Transvídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Clearwater, Florida, USA

Company:

ANJS

Trivia:

The lead role was originally to have been played by Al Pacino, while Robert De Niro was to have played the driver Paulie in The Godfather (1972). Francis Ford Coppola wanted Al Pacino to play Michael Corleone, so to get Pacino released from his contract for this film, he had to give up De Niro to replace him.

Goofs:

Continuity: During a rainstorm, the grounds crew is shown pulling the tarp over the field. After a locker room scene, the next exterior shot shows only the home plate area covered, and the rest of the field open to the rain.

Quotes:

Henry Wiggen:These are Fifth and Two. Fifth and Queen.
Joe Jaros:Red Rooster.
[long pause, then Tegawar Player lays a 3. Joe slams down his cards]
Joe Jaros:BANJO! Ha-HAAAA! That's the first natural Banjo since the days of Joe Dimaggio in St. Petersburg.
Henry Wiggen:Hey, wait a minute. Fifteen and Fifteen's Thirty-One.
Tegwar Player:Hey, what's the name of this game?
Joe Jaros:Fifteen and Fifteen is Thirty-TWO!
Henry Wiggen:Thirry-T... oh, that's right.
[to Tegwar player]
Henry Wiggen:That's a Double Honeybees.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "St. Elsewhere: Bang the Eardrum Slowly (#3.23)" (1985)

Soundtrack:

Home On The Range

death be not proud...

I originally saw this movie when it first opened in early 1973 . I haven't seen it in many years but fondly remember it as one of those pictures that leaves an indelible impression. Based on an early '50s novel by Mark Harris about a fictional N.Y.City Baseball Team (The Mammoths) the movie's focal point is the friendship between the team's star pitcher and a dying catcher, a naive, backwoods boy lacking in the social graces.

I'll never forget Michael Moriarty's Henry Wiggen in a scene where he reaches out to embrace a distraught, frightened Bruce Pearson (Robert De Niro), trying his best to console his dying roommate. " We're all dying " , Wiggen says to his friend, and thus begins and shortly ends one of the most tender scenes ever filmed between two men, in a movie about baseball, no less. And yet it's really not about baseball at all; yes, there are the obligatory scenes of the team at play and a humorous locker room speech by the team's crusty manager (the wonderful, late Vincent Gardenia, who received a supporting actor Oscar nomination for this film). There is plenty of humor to go along with the pathos in this story but pathos wins out. Death hangs over everyone's head in this picture : the message is pure and simple . To quote the movie's poster tag line, "Nothing is more important than friendship, not even death". I suppose a movie like this wouldn't work as well nowadays. The team support and management along with ridiculous sky rocketing salaries and apathetic treatment of sports fans has changed everything for the worse; this sweet little movie touches on a more innocent time. BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY will not enter the record books as one of the all time greats: it's too pat and maudlin at times (the locker room scene where Piney Woods plaintively strums the title song on the guitar is overkill, although it gets to me every time). But Moriarty and De Niro and a timeless reminder of the importance of love and friendship make this an unforgettable film.