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 Midwest in the 1930's.

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 being treated like a slave by team owner Sallison Potter (Ted Ross), charismatic star pitcher Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams) steals a bunch of Negro League players away from their teams, including catcher/slugger Leon Carter (James Earl Jones) and Charlie Snow (Richard Pryor), a player forever scheming to break into the segregated Major League Baseball of the 1930s by masquerading as first a Cuban ("Carlos Nevada"), then a Native American ("Chief Takahoma"). They take to the road, barnstorming through small Midwestern towns, playing the local teams to make ends meet. One of the opposing players, 'Esquire' Joe Calloway (Stan Shaw), is so good that they recruit him. Bingo's team becomes so outlandishly entertaining and successful, it begins to cut into the attendance of the established Negro League teams. Finally, Bingo's nemesis Potter is forced to propose a winner-take-all game: if Bingo's team can beat a bunch of all-stars, it can join the league, but if it loses, the ...

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

They put the ball in baseball.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bingo Long was based slightly on Leroy "Satchel" Paige, the Negro league and Major League Baseball player and pitcher.

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Goofs

While examples of racism and racial name-calling are seen, there's no evidence of institutional segregation in food service, accommodations or otherwise.

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Quotes

Sallison 'Sallie' Potter, Owner of Ebony Aces: Have we got a game?
Bingo Long (P): Yeah, we got a game. And we gonna win, too. Easy.
Sallison 'Sallie' Potter, Owner of Ebony Aces: We got a game!

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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

The Bingo Long Song (Steal On Home)
Written by Berry Gordy and Ronald Miller
Performed by Thelma Houston

User Reviews

A Rare Richard Pryor Letdown

The hilarious Richard Pryor doesn't generate very many laughs in this very slow story about a group of black baseball players who have defected from their own national league and go around challenging white baseball teams (the setting is 1939). Released around the same time as another baseball comedy, "The Bad News Bears" but nowhere near as good as that one.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings

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