The Bad News Bears (1976)

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writer:

Bill Lancaster (written by)

Release Date:

7 April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sport

Tagline:

...together they make it happen!

Plot:

An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Little League | Coach | California | Little League Baseball

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Coach Morris Buttermaker
Tatum O'Neal	...	Amanda Whurlitzer
Vic Morrow	...	Roy Turner
Joyce Van Patten	...	Cleveland
Ben Piazza	...	Bob Whitewood
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Kelly Leak
Alfred Lutter III	...	Ogilvie (as Alfred W. Lutter)
Chris Barnes	...	Tanner Boyle
Erin Blunt	...	Ahmad Abdul Rahim
Gary Lee Cavagnaro	...	Engelberg
Jaime Escobedo	...	Jose Agilar
Scott Firestone	...	Regi Tower
George Gonzales	...	Miguel Agilar
Brett Marx	...	Jimmy Feldman
David Pollock	...	Rudi Stein
Quinn Smith	...	Timmy Lupus
David Stambaugh	...	Toby Whitewood
Brandon Cruz	...	Joey Turner
Timothy Blake	...	Mrs. Lupus
Bill Sorrells	...	Mr. Tower
Shari Summers	...	Mrs. Turner
Joe Brooks	...	Umpire
George Wyner	...	White Sox Manager
David Lazarus	...	Yankee
Charles Matthau	...	Athletic
Maurice Marks	...	Announcer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Howard Culver	...	Newscaster (uncredited)
Maggie Munro	...	Kid (uncredited)
Ethan Tudor W.	...	Astros / Ballplayer (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Ritchie

Writing credits
Bill Lancaster		(written by)

Produced by
Stanley R. Jaffe	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Fielding

Cinematography by
John A. Alonzo		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Richard A. Harris

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Production Design by
Polly Platt

Set Decoration by
Cheryal Kearney

Makeup Department
Caryl Codon-Tharp	....	hair stylist (as Caryl Codon)
Jack Obringer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack Roe	....	unit production manager
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	executive production manager: Paramount (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Blair Robertson	....	second assistant director
Jack Roe	....	assistant director

Art Department
Pat O'Connor	....	property master

Sound Department
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	sound mixer (as Gene Cantamessa)
John Wilkinson	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Earl Gilbert	....	gaffer
Chris Schwiebert	....	camera operator (as Chris Swiebert)
Billy Walsh	....	camera assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Thomas S. Dawson	....	costumer: men (as Tommy Dawson)
Nancy Martinelli	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
John Wright	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Jerry Fielding	....	conductor
Jerry Fielding	....	music adaptor
Lennie Niehaus	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Frank Khoury	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Portia Adams	....	welfare worker
Phil Epstein	....	dialogue coach
Monica Lauer	....	secretary to the director
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor
Susan Shonnard	....	assistant to producer
Dominic Jack Pizzo Sr.	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Cinema International Corp. (1976) (UK) (theatrical)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Denny's Inc.  promotional consideration
• Glen Glenn Sound Company  sound by
• Westheimer Company  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Movielab) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | West Germany:6 | UK:PG | Japan:PG12 (2011)

Filming Locations:

Intersection of Sunset Boulevard and North Mapleton Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

When Coach Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) is getting into his car after leaving Councilman Whitewood's office, there's a sign in the background for a production of "Hello, Dolly!". Matthau played Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly! (1969).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Rudi Stein is first asked by Buttermaker to let himself get hit by a pitch, he is following Kelly Leak in the batting order (Kelly had just been walked intentionally). When he's asked the second time, he's following Ogilvie in the batting order.

Quotes:

Tanner Boyle:We lost eighteen to nothin', Buttercrud, and the Athletics are the worst team in the league!
Ahmad Abdul Rahim:*Second* worst...
Tanner Boyle:Sorry, I forgot.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010)

Soundtrack:

Carmen

Unsentimentally endearing

This is a superb movie. I don't think it will ever become dated--not as long as little league baseball is in existence. I remember first seeing it at a drive-in when I was ten, shortly after my own little league season had finished. Walter Matthau is excellent as Buttermaker, the beer-soaked coach who takes on the unwanted task of coaching a team of misfit kids who were allowed to play in the league only after a civil action law suit was won in their favor. Tatum O'Neal shines as the team's recruited pitcher Amanda, whose mother once dated Buttermaker. A touching subplot involves the relationship between Amanda and Buttermaker which turns from distant to warm as the final game approaches. Vic Morrow gives a frighteningly good performance as the out-to-win-no-matter-what coach of the opposing team who was never happy with the fact that the Bears were allowed to play in the first place. Joyce Van Patten is also good as the butch, outspoken league supervisor.

It's the kid players that really give this movie the edge. All performances are top-notch, and director Michael Ritchie splendidly keeps the focus mostly on them and their feelings about the whole ordeal. Stand-outs include Jackie Earl Haley as the heroic Kelly Leak and Chris Barnes as shortstop Tanner Boyle. This film should be a warning to relentless adults who try to achieve stardom on the backs of their children, be it on the baseball field or on the ballet floor.