Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige (1981) (TV)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Richard A. Colla

Writers:

Leroy 'Satchel' Paige (autobiography Maybe I'll Pitch Forever)
Ronald Rubin (writer)

Release Date:

31 May 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Plot:

Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige, star pitcher in the Negro Leagues and later in the major leagues. Traces his life from his troubled youth...

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Historical | African American | Racism | Character Name In Title

Cast

Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
Beverly Todd	...	Lahoma Brown
Cleavon Little	...	Rabbit
Ernie Barnes	...	Josh Gibson
Clifton Davis	...	Cool Papa Bell
Hal Williams	...	Roberts
Taylor Lacher	...	Announcer
John Beradino	...	Jake Wells
Jim Davis	...	Mr. Wilkenson
Ossie Davis	...	Chuffy Russell
Tonea Stewart	...	Mama Paige (as Tommie Stewart)
J.R. Horne	...	Mr. Andrews
Donnie Walker	...	Sugar Boy Porter
Don Blakely	...	Bartender
Candy Ann Brown	...	Ramona

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Satie Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

Jim Davis' final film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Right after a White Sox player steals a home run from Josh Gibson, Charlie Gehringer is said to hit a ball into left-center field. We see the ball hit in that direction, the outfielder break to the camera's left, but when he fields the ball and throws home, a foul line (the Right field foul line) is to his right, and as the runner from first scores, the ball comes from the first base side (Right field) to the catcher.

Soundtrack:

Don't Look Back

Skip This Movie And Read The Book Instead

Boy, here's a classic case of a book being far better than the ensuing movie. Paige's autobiography was entertaining and both informative and humorous.

This film, thanks to a few things like actors who have no clue how to throw or hit a baseball, make the story lose credibility. Lou Gossett, playing Paige, can't throw which kind of hurts since Paige was a pitcher! Duh!! All-time great Negro League hitter Josh Gibson (Ernie Barnes), the "Babe Ruth" of his league, looks like a Little Leaguer with his horrible swing.

Meanwhile, the romance and the prejudice angles are all way out of proportion to Paige's book. Skip this film; read the book. It's far, far better.