The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)

Tired of the slave-like treatment of his team's owner, charismatic star Negro League pitcher Bingo Long takes to the road with his band of barnstormers through the small towns of the ... See full summary »

Director:

John Badham

Writers:

William Brashler (based on the novel by), Hal Barwood (screenplay),

Stars:

Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Dee Williams	...	Bingo Long (P)
James Earl Jones	...	Leon Carter, All-Star (C)
Richard Pryor	...	Charlie Snow, All-Star (RF)
Rico Dawson	...	Willie Lee Shively, All-Star (RF)
Sam 'Birmingham' Brison	...	Louis Keystone - All-Star - SS (as 'Birmingham' Sam Brison)
Jophery C. Brown	...	Emory 'Champ' Chambers, All-Star (3B) (as Jophery Brown)
Leon Wagner	...	Fat Sam Popper, All-Star (1B)
Tony Burton	...	Issac, All-Star (CF)(C)
John McCurry	...	Walter Murchman, All-Star (LF)
Stan Shaw	...	Esquire Joe Callaway, All-Star (CF)
Otis Day	...	Rainbow, All-Star (bat boy) (as DeWayne Jessie)
Ted Ross	...	Sallison 'Sallie' Potter, Owner of Ebony Aces
Mabel King	...	Bertha Dewitt, Owner of Charcoal Kings
Sam Laws	...	Henry Dunbar, Owner of Baltimore Elite Giants
Alvin Childress	...	Horace Quigley, Owner of Atlanta Black Crackers

Storyline

Tired of the slave-like treatment of his team's owner, charismatic star Negro League pitcher Bingo Long takes to the road with his band of barnstormers through the small towns of the Midwest in the 1930's.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | negro league baseball | baseball movie | baseball | african american | 

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Taglines:

They put the ball in baseball.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1976 (France)

Also Known As:

Bingo

Filming Locations:

Monticello, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motown Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Spielberg was initially very interesting in directing, but the massive success of Jaws meant that he was able to get any project of his own off the ground, and decided to make Close Encounters of the Third Kindinstead.

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Goofs

In the 9th inning of the game to decide the fate of the All-Stars, Leon Carter (James Earl Jones) hits a 3-run homer to win the game 3-2. Unfortunately, he stepped out of the batter's box and over the top of home plate to hit the ball because the other team was trying to intentionally walk him. Rule 6.06(a) states that a batter is out if he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box. Leon should be out and the score should revert to 2-0.

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Quotes

Leon Carter, All-Star: [after Esquire Joe bowls him over with a slide at the plate] Say, boy - does you do this constantly?
Esquire Joe Callaway, All-Star: No, suh. I does it all the time.

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Crazy Credits

The movie begins with an older version of the Universal Studios logo, as part of the opening news reel.

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Connections

References King Kong (1933)

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Soundtracks

"Razzle Dazzle"
Written by William Goldstein and Ronald Miller
Performed by Thelma Houston

User Reviews

Offbeat, charming film for a rainy afternoon

This offbeat little film tells the story of a team at the tail-end of the Negro Leagues and their struggle to fight the corrupt ownership of the league. It is similar in tone to "A League of Their Own" but came earlier and is less glossy and, in my opinion, more fun. There are some good points made in it about racism and the athlete as commodity, but the film doesn't take itself too seriously and is never preachy or heavy-handed. It's an easy-going film which is great fun to watch. The cast is fantastic--Billy Dee Williams was never smoother or more charming, James Earl Jones appears to be having the time of his life, and the supporting cast is full of young versions of actors who went on on to bigger things. If you are used to seeing Jones only as a grand elder statesman of acting, check out this film where he plays his role with a lot of humor and energy and a sexy twinkle in his eye.