Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)

The story of the friendship between a star pitcher, wise to the world, and a half-wit catcher, as they cope with the catcher's terminal illness through a baseball season.

Director:

John D. Hancock (as John Hancock)

Writers:

Mark Harris (novel), Mark Harris (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Moriarty, Robert De Niro, Vincent Gardenia

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Bruce Pearson
Michael Moriarty	...	Henry 'Author' Wiggen
Vincent Gardenia	...	Dutch Schnell
Phil Foster	...	Joe Jaros
Ann Wedgeworth	...	Katie
Patrick McVey	...	Bruce's Father
Heather MacRae	...	Holly Wiggen
Selma Diamond	...	Tootsie, Hotel Switchboard Operator
Barbara Babcock	...	Team Owner
Maurice Rosenfield	...	Team Owner
Tom Ligon	...	Piney Woods
Andy Jarrell	...	Ugly
Marshall Efron	...	Bradley
Donny Burks	...	Perry
Tom Signorelli	...	Goose Williams

Storyline

Henry Wiggen (Author to his friends) and Bruce Pearson are members of the New York Mammoths major league baseball team - Author the star pitcher, Bruce the catcher who never quite lived up to his potential - friends, and roommates when they're on the road. During the off season, Bruce is diagnosed with a terminal case of Hodgkin's disease. Author is the only person on the team who knows of Bruce's illness, with neither planning on telling anyone. Author takes extraordinary measures to ensure that he is playing ball with Bruce during what will probably be Bruce's final season before he can no longer play. Author looks after Bruce in part because Bruce is mentally a simple man who can easily be taken advantage of, especially by his opportunistic girlfriend Katie. As the season progresses, the team isn't quite gelling, despite being the best team on paper. But as information comes to light, the dynamic on the team changes to make it a memorable end of the season especially for Bruce, who...

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | teammate | roommate | hodgkin's disease | friendship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

9 March 1978 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Das letzte Spiel

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

ANJS, Dibs Partnership, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pearson calls Henry by the nickname "Arthur". He does so because he misunderstands Henry's actual nickname, "Author", which Henry acquired after writing his first book, "The Southpaw".

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Goofs

In the same at-bat Bruce Pierson is seen facing pitchers from the Pirates and Indians.

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Quotes

Joe Jaros: Can you beat a Coney Island Thirty?
Bruce Pearson: What about this Double Ace Deucer?
Joe Jaros: I wish ya a lot of luck with it.

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Connections

Referenced in Sports Jeopardy!: Episode #1.11 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Look Before You Weep
Music and Lyrics by Orville Stoeber

User Reviews

A movie find

I first saw this movie when it was first released to TV in the early '70s. Although I had seen De Niro in some films, such as Mean Streets, he was really unrecognizable in this part as a Georgia Hillbilly. At the time, I thought the film was insightful, funny and extraordinarily touching.

I've seen he film several times over the years, and each time I've found the movie to be even more entertaining and moving. When a movie deals effectively with real life, as this does, the viewer will find different insights at different stages of their own life. The first time I saw it, I was struck by the insights into the world of baseball. As I've aged, I'm more impressed by the film's insight into the human condition.