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:

California | Coach | Little League | Baseball | 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 (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (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:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The Bears were the only team in the league whose nickname and colors were not borrowed from a major league baseball team. This helped reinforce their status as misfits and underdogs.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Several times during the course of the movie, the league standings are displayed, but the numbers shown are mathematically impossible. The total number of wins and losses for all teams in a baseball league must be even (since there is a winner and loser of each game). But every time the standings are shown in this film, those numbers don't match. In one scene, the standings show every team with a .500 record or better, which cannot happen mathematically.

Quotes:

Coach Morris Buttermaker:All I know is when we win a game, it's a team win. When we lose a game, it's a team loss.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gossip Girl: Bad News Blair (#1.4)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Carmen

Single Greatest Kids and Sports Movie EVER!

I know that is an exaggeration, but I truly believe that this movie sets the standard by which all other "kids and sports" movies will be measured.

What it does that is unique is that it keeps the swearing and fighting where it belongs: on the field. This movie does not even try to make anyone look good, for the sake of making them look good. It just shows the kids at their very essence: booger-eating morons, just out to have a good time trying to play baseball.