Soul of the Game
| Soul of the Game | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama History Sport |
| Written by | Gary Hoffman (story) David Himmelstein (teleplay) |
| Directed by | Kevin Rodney Sullivan |
| Starring |
Blair Underwood Delroy Lindo Mykelti Williamson Edward Herrmann R. Lee Ermey Harvey Williams |
| Music by | Lee Holdridge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Kevin Kelly Brown Gary Hoffman Mike Medavoy |
| Producer(s) | Robert Papazian |
| Location(s) |
Birmingham, Alabama Huntingburg, Indiana League Stadium - 1st & Cherry Streets, Huntingburg, Indiana Los Angeles Ontario Pasadena, California St. Louis Rickwood Field - 1137 2nd Avenue W, Birmingham, Alabama |
| Cinematography | Sandi Sissel |
| Editor(s) | Victor Du Bois |
| Running time | 94 min. |
| Production company(s) |
Gary Hoffman Productions HBO Mike Medavoy Productions |
| Distributor | HBO |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release |
|
Soul of the Game is a 1996 made-for-television movie about Negro league baseball.
The film starred Blair Underwood as Jackie Robinson, Delroy Lindo as Satchel Paige, Mykelti Williamson as Josh Gibson, and Harvey Williams as "Cat" Mays, the father of Willie Mays. The film depicts Paige and Gibson as the pitching and hitting stars, respectively, of the Negro Leagues in the period immediately following World War II. Robinson is an up-and-coming player on Paige's team, the Kansas City Monarchs.
Branch Rickey, played by Edward Herrmann, is the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers who is determined to integrate Major League Baseball. He begins sending his scouts to Negro League games to find the best players. Rickey directs his scouts to look not only at playing ability but also at the players' maturity and capacity to withstand the hostility that is sure to be directed at the first black player in the Major Leagues.
Robinson gradually comes to Rickey's notice both for his skills on the field and his personal background. Although Paige and Gibson are far more prominent, Rickey decides to pass them over, concerned about Paige's age and reports about Gibson's mental stability. Rickey makes history by signing Robinson to the first contract between a black man and a Major League Baseball franchise. This alienates Robinson from his two friends at first, until Paige enlists Robinson's help in getting Gibson temporarily released from a mental hospital so that the three men can all play in the annual exhibition game between the All-Stars of the Major Leagues and the Negro League. The game is rained out, but Paige and Gibson seem reconciled to Robinson's being signed ahead of them.
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Wikipedia