Tiger Town
| Tiger Town | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Drama Family Sport |
| Written by | Alan Shapiro |
| Directed by | Alan Shapiro |
| Starring |
Roy Scheider Justin Henry |
| Music by | Eddy L. Manson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Susan B. Landau |
| Location(s) | Detroit |
| Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
| Editor(s) |
Richard A. Harris John F. Link |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Distributor | Walt Disney Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Original release |
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Tiger Town is a 1983 American made-for-television sports drama film and is the first television film produced for the Disney Channel. It was awarded a CableACE Award in 1984 for Best Dramatic Film. The film stars Roy Scheider as Billy Young, an ageing baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, and Justin Henry as Alex, a young fan who believes in him. Tiger Town originally aired October 9, 1983 on the Disney Channel.
The film was written and directed by Detroit native Alan Shapiro. It was subsequently aired on ABC's Disney Sunday Movie, and had a limited theatrical release in the Detroit area in June 1984, the same year the Tigers won the World Series at home against the San Diego Padres.
Most of the film was shot on location at Tiger Stadium and in the city of Detroit. One notable goof in the film shows Alex racing his bicycle across a bridge over the Detroit River on the way to the stadium. The bridge is the one leading from the Detroit mainland to Belle Isle Park, an island park where there is no residential area.
Alex (Henry) and his father (Ron McLarty) are devoted Detroit Tigers fans, even now as they are struggling. Alex's favorite player is aging star Billy Young (Scheider), who is having a sub-par season, his last before retiring.
Alex's father dies unexpectedly, but not before he tells Alex that he should always believe. Consequently, Alex decides to visit every Tiger home game. Every time Young comes to the plate, Alex closes his eyes and wishes hard, and Young ends up hitting a home run. Thanks to Young's rejuvenated play, the Tigers start winning again.
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Wikipedia