Long Gone (1987) (TV)

Director:

Martin Davidson

Writers:

Paul Hemphill (story)
Michael Norell (teleplay)

Release Date:

23 May 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Plot:

Story of the Tampico Stogies, a low minor-league baseball team, and its star player and manager, Stud' Cantrell...

Plot Keywords:

Racism | Baseball | Beautiful Woman | Racial

Cast

William Petersen	...	Cecil 'Stud' Cantrell (as William L. Petersen)
Virginia Madsen	...	Dixie Lee Boxx
Dermot Mulroney	...	Jamie Weeks
Larry Riley	...	Joe Louis Brown
Katy Boyer	...	Esther Wrenn
Henry Gibson	...	Hale Buchman
Teller	...	Hale Buchman, Jr.
Robert Easton	...	Cletis Ramey
Panchito Gómez	...	Paco Izquierdo
David Langston Smyrl	...	Monroe Wright
Guich Koock	...	Bump Klein
Arthur Rosenberg	...	Peaches Cluff
Will Zahrn	...	Knucksie Chappell
Edward Blatchford	...	Whiz Whsonant
Joel Murray	...	Bart Polanski

Also Known As:

Stogies (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Lakeland, Florida, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

William Petersen declined the offer to star in Platoon (1986) in favor of this film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Joe Louis Brown clearly steps in front of home plate to hit his Home Run when he is being intentionally walked. It is against the rules to do so.

Quotes:

Joe Louis Brown: If they gonna try to lynch me, I'm gonna take two or three of 'em with me!

Great baseball movie!

How this movie only warranted an HBO premiere and not a theatrical run is astounding. Before "Bull Durham" or "Major League," "Long Gone" is the ultimate tale of "down on their luck baseball team turns things around." I know, it's been done a dozen times, but I love this movie.

Yes, the clichés are all there: "coulda been a star" fading veteran, his love interest, the doe-eyed rookie, the guy who can't get a break, the losing streak, and all that, but this film still works. The dialogue is crisp, the characters are very sharp, and the 1950s setting of the movie is great, shades of a simpler time when base ball was just a "boys game" like the main character Stud Cantrell (played by CSI's William Peterson) says, where "you hit the ball, you run like hell."

The movie touches on real issues from the time as well: premarital sex, racism, and the the like, but never gets preachy. And the ending to the "big game" is one of the more unique I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of them). The soundtrack is great, featuring gospel, honky-tonk, and some classic Hank Williams.

It's not Shakespeare, just a fun romp with a great cast and a great story. Highly recommended!