61* (2001)

Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.

Director:

Billy Crystal

Writer:

Hank Steinberg

Stars:

Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barry Pepper	...	Roger Maris
Thomas Jane	...	Mickey Mantle
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Whitey Ford
Richard Masur	...	Milt Kahn
Bruce McGill	...	Ralph Houk
Chris Bauer	...	Bob Cerv
Jennifer Crystal Foley	...	Pat Maris ('61)
Christopher McDonald	...	Mel Allen
Bob Gunton	...	Dan Topping
Donald Moffat	...	Ford Frick
Joe Grifasi	...	Phil Rizzuto
Peter Jacobson	...	Artie Green
Seymour Cassel	...	Sam Simon
Robert Joy	...	Bob Fitschel
Michael Nouri	...	Joe DiMaggio

Storyline

Aiming for one of the most famed records in sports history, a pair of very different baseball players hit home runs at an impressive rate. Roger Maris, a reserved sort, is much less popular than his hard-partying New York Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle, the player who many observers think will be the one to challenge Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in one season. But in the summer of 1961, Maris surges ahead of Mantle, making a run at Ruth's mark.

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Plot Keywords:

babe ruth character | reference to ed sullivan | joe dimaggio character | reference to mark mcgwire | mickey mantle character | 

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Taglines:

Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Why did America have room in its heart for only one hero?

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Sport

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

HBO

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

61

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Face Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fan who runs out and shakes Roger Maris's hand and slaps him on the back as he approaches home plate after his record-breaking 61st home run is an actual life-long Maris fan who was present at the original game. He was hired as a consultant and always wished he could have been that guy back in the summer of 1961 when he saw the game as a 13-year-old kid.

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Goofs

During Roger Maris and his wife's phone conversation, Roger picks up some Camel cigarettes in a pack that wasn't designed until the late-90's.

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Quotes

[about a newspaper article on Mickey Mantle]
Sam Simon: All I did was say that he had an off season.
Dan Topping: He hit forty home runs last year. A lot of players would kill for that kind of an "off" season.

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Crazy Credits

After the first set of credits, a father tells his son "That's Mickey Mantle and that's a homerun". The film is then dedicated to director Billy Crystal's father who introduced him to baseball as a child.

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 17 July 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

I Love Mickey
Words & Music by Ruth Roberts, Bill Katz & Teresa Brewer
Performed by Teresa Brewer
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Perhaps best baseball movie ever

So superb was the job Billy Crystal did on this movie that it is the best baseball (even sports) film I have ever seen. Every detail is meticulously worked out, even more accurately, I believe, than in The Titanic (which, contrary to popular belief, had a few inaccuracies). And while a strong effort in getting look alikes can never completely pay off with so many people involved, how about Barry Pepper as Maris? (Of course, the most important person.)

Mickey Mantle's faults are brought out unrestrainedly by perhaps his No. 1 fan, and yet he still comes across in a positive light, as he should. Maris's problems with the press are also portrayed sympathetically, and yet so are members of the press, who are personalized and humanized and have their side also fairly presented. Particularly moving was the scene at the end where a press person who had been at odds with Maris is cheering him on to break the record. An ornamental portrayal of Pat Maris would of course not be tolerated, but Crystal makes an extra, very successful effort at making her an important part of the film with great character development and a thoughtful inclusion of her problems. In fact, I find it hard to think of another movie in which there is such an absence of plastic people. And in spite of the post-Ball Four attitudes about how athletes really are, this movie appears to be accurate in presenting Maris as a good Catholic (and relatively nonboozing) family man.

Yankee haters may not be into this film as much as Yankee lovers, but in any event it brilliantly captures the Yankee mystique (and dominance in this particular season) in the early 60s. Were they the apotheosis of the pre-Vietnam, All-American ideal? If you are one of those people whose main complaint about movies these days is more than specific factors, but the general lack of anything uplifting, see this movie. More in the modern vein than, say, Pride of the Yankees, but no less uplifting.