12 best baseball movies, ranked: ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘Bull Durham,’ ‘Moneyball’ and more [Photos]. This FAQ is empty. When the film was first released, the film industry staff at Variety wrote: Perhaps the saddest chapter in the annals of professional American sports is recounted in absorbing fashion in Eight Men Out...The most compelling figures here are pitcher Eddie Cicotte (David Strathairn), a man nearing the end of his career who feels the twin needs to ensure a financial future for his family and take revenge on his boss, and Buck Weaver (John Cusack), an innocent enthusiast who took no cash for the fix but, like the others, was forever banned from baseball. It tells the story of how the stars of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team took payoffs from gamblers to throw the World Series, but if you are not already familiar with that story you’re unlikely to understand it after seeing this film. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? In 1920, Cicotte and Jackson admit that a fix existed (though the illiterate Jackson is implied as having been coerced into making his confession). Then I realized that you could make a serious movie with baseball in it. 8x10 Photo~ EIGHT MEN OUT ~1988 ~John Cusack ~Christopher Lloyd ~Tay Strathairn ~Richard Edson ~Jim Desmond ~etc A vintage studio original 8x10" inch photograph still issued out for promoting the movie. Need some streaming picks for the month? (Most of the players didn't get as much as promised.) Bush Stadium - 1501 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Gerry Molyneaux, "John Sayles", Renaissance Books, 2000 p 179. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eight_Men_Out&oldid=998506521, Cultural depictions of Shoeless Joe Jackson, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 January 2021, at 18:02. As far as the Blu-ray, it should be noted that the case is thicker and its corners sharper than the usual Blu-ray case. In 1925, Weaver watches Jackson play a semi-pro game in New Jersey under the assumed name "Brown". A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series. Eight Men Out (1988) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Frustrated, a number of Sox players agree to throw the World Series for $10,000 each. Charlie Sheen is also good as the team's most suggestible player, the good-natured fellow who isn't sure whether it's worse to be corrupt or be a fool. A reporter hired to write the 'official' biography of Ty Cobb discovers just how dark the baseball legend's real story is. It's entertaining even for someone who doesn't know a thing about baseball (like me). The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox scandal, in which six members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. The scandal itself still reverberates baseball to this day and Eight Men Out is the definitive piece of literature on the subject. If you stay out of foul trouble you can win as an eight-man team, and we've been able to stay out of foul trouble so far. The most significant replacements … Chicago journalists Ring Lardner and Hugh Fullerton grow increasingly suspicious, while Gleason continues to hear rumors of a fix, but he remains confident that his boys will come through in the end. Written by The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. Babe Ruth becomes a baseball legend but is unheroic to those who know him. A number of players, including Gandil, Swede Risberg, and Lefty Williams, go along with the scheme. The eight players are suspended for life, and Buck Weaver, for the rest of his life, tries to clear his name. Ripe for a money-making scheme, the demoralized team agrees to throw the World Series. Talking about his thoughts for the cast when he first wrote the script, Sayles said "my original dream team had Martin Sheen at third base, and I ended up with Charlie in center field. Gamblers "Sleepy" Bill Burns and Billy Maharg get wind of the players' discontent, asking shady player Chick Gandil to convince a select group of Sox—including star knuckleball pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who led the majors with a 29–7 win–loss record and an earned run average of 1.82—that they could earn more money by playing badly and throwing the series than they could earn by winning the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. There’s a curse on it. Read More. The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. "Actors kidded around, rubbing dirt on each other", the Tribune reported. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Eight Men Out is a 1988 American sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. View production, box office, & company info. It’s detailed. Much of the movie was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Was this review helpful to you? It's near perfect. Eight Men Out. Eliot Asinof's book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series is the best-known description of the scandal. It was written and directed by John Sayles. Cicotte loses, again, in Game 4 and the Sox lose Game 5, as well, putting them 1 loss away from losing the series. The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. This began a string of performances including Shoeless Joe Jackson in Eight Men Out (1988), Dish Boggett in Lonesome Dove (1989), Travis Walton in Fire in the Sky (1993), and as Doug Dorsey the hockey player turned figure skater in the classic romantic comedy The Cutting Edge (1992). A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him. "I wanted to take part in this film because I love baseball. I give it 7/10. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. Favorite Baseball Movie or Mini-Series Biopic? The team is bitter at their penny pincher owner, Charles Comiskey, and at their own teammates. "[6], Right-handed Sweeney told Elle that producers considered using an old Hollywood trick to create the illusion that he was hitting lefty. Cast & Crew. Hearing other fans suspecting his true identity, Weaver tells them that Jackson was the best player he ever saw, solemnly reminiscing on the events of 1919. As a result of the revelations, Cicotte, Williams, Gandil, Felsch, Risberg, McMullin, Jackson, and Weaver are tried. After 19 years of playing the game he's loved his whole life, Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel has to decide if he's going to risk everything and put everything out there. The only movies about baseball that could interest me were comedies ("Major league" , "Dullham bulls") . John Sayles Director. [5], Sweeney remarked on the chilly Indiana temperatures in an interview with Elle. Fullerton writes an article condemning the White Sox. Shoeless Joe Jackson, an illiterate and the team's hitting star is also invited, but is depicted as not bright nor entirely sure of what is going on. I've never been a fan of baseball. Suddenly we'd change from Game Two to Game Four, and she'd have to shuffle through her papers to learn who was on second, then track the right guys down all over the ballpark. Eight Men Out is clearly one of the most important baseball books that has ever been written. Gamblers take advantage of this opportunity to offer some players money to throw the series. Sayles told the Chicago Tribune that he hired them not because they were rising stars, but because of their ball-playing talent. Search our listings for more items on this movie and the actors. The movie has cast full of stars – John Cusack ("Say anything"), Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the future") , Charlie Sheen (TV series "Two and half men") , Michael Rooker ("Cliffhanger") . Eight Men Out is sympathetic to the ballplayers without ever excusing them for their betrayal of trust. A labor union organizer comes to an embattled mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company. The Indians are now a World Series contender. "'Some of them chewed tobacco at first, but,' noted Bill Irwin, 'Even the guys who were really into it started to chew apricots after a while. Much of the movie was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.[3]. At the end the reader gets a great tale, but also a reminder that, it is not always the talent you have that matters, but the money!!!! But last year's hunger is now replaced with complacency, and bad decisions by the new owner threaten to tear the team apart. It's quite long movie (almost 2 hours) , yet never a moment is wasted . Just enough so he knows he's hungry." But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her. '"[6], Reports from the set location at Bush Stadium indicated that cast members were letting off steam between scenes. They are found innocent by the jury but baseball commissioner Landis has other plans. Cincinnati wins the Series (5 games to 3). The Sox actually almost come back from a 3-1 deficit. Title: The eight men are acquitted of any wrongdoing. There is A LOT more to the story in the book than there was in the movie. "[5], When cloud cover would suddenly change the light during the shooting of a particular baseball scene, Sayles showed "inspirational decisiveness", according to Elle, by changing the scripted game they would be shooting—switching from Game Two of the series to Game Four, for example. 1988 Pacific Trading Cards Eight Men Out NM/MINT Check out my pick 5 CDs under $10 14.99+Shipping item # 114195714960 YOU MAY REQUEST COMBINED SHIPPING ON 5 OR MORE ORDERS IN 24 HRS But Buck Weaver and the great Shoeless Joe Jackson turn back at the last minute and try to play their best. For period films, I am always looking for the little details that truly represent the times. Gleason intends to bench Cicotte from his next start, but Cicotte, feeling guilty over throwing his previous games, begs for another chance. Gamblers tempt members of the Chicago White Sox to throw the World Series. Cicotte was nearing the milestone when Comiskey ordered team manager Kid Gleason to bench him for 2 weeks (missing 5 starts) with the excuse that the 35-year-old veteran's arm needed a rest before the series. Cicotte was motivated because Comiskey refused him a promised $10,000 should he win 30 games for the season. The manager reluctantly agrees and is given an easy Game 7 win. It should definitely be a part of any true baseball fan’s home library. The team is bitter at their penny pincher owner, Charles Comiskey, and at their own teammates. Read More. Check out this great listen on Audible.com. But if we learned anything tonight, it's that we're an eight man team. 4 of 4 people found this review helpful. Here are the buzz-worthy titles you're going to want to mark on your calendar. With the championship now in jeopardy, the Sox manage to win Game 6 in extra innings. The Most Exciting Real Life Sport Stories. It was written and directed by John Sayles. Other teammates such as catcher Ray Schalk continue to play hard, while Weaver and Jackson show no visible signs of taking a dive with Weaver continuing to deny participation in the fix. "Eight Men Out" is a period piece about the infamous fixing of the 1919 World Series by eight Chicago White Sox players, who did it with varying degrees of enthusiasm and reluctance, in cooperation with big-time gamblers who had approached them. Eight Men Out is a 1988 American sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. Looking at him we thought, 'Well, if he's not cold, then we certainly shouldn't be. When asked point-blank if the player is indeed Jackson, Weaver denies it, protecting his former teammate. Set in 1919, EIGHT MEN OUT follows the scandal surrounding the heavily-favored Chicago White Sox. The Eight Men Out (Film) Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Eight Men Out is a 1988 sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series.It was written and directed by John Sayles.The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I guess. '"[5] Sheen made his reasons for taking the role clear. But Buck Weaver and the great Shoeless Joe Jackson turn back at the last minute and try to play their best. Cicotte then pitches poorly and gives up 5 runs in four innings—four of them in the 4th, highlighted by a triple from Reds pitcher Walter "Dutch" Ruether. Overview; Synopsis; Credits; Photos & Videos; Film Details; Articles & Reviews; Notes; Brief Synopsis. A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship. Williams also pitched poorly in Game 2, while Gandil, Risberg and Hap Felsch made glaring mistakes on the field. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Patrick Lynn . I … "Eight men out" is a story about corruption. Recommended for sports fans. Eight Men Out is a 1988 sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent. Actors trade jokes, smokes and candy" in the dugout. The Sox actually almost come back from a 3-1 deficit. They are found innocent by the jury but baseball commissioner Landis has other plans. Eight Men Out soundtrack from 1988, composed by Various Artists, Mason Daring. In 1919, the Chicago White Sox are considered among the greatest baseball teams ever assembled; however, the team's stingy owner, Charles Comiskey, gives little inclination to reward his players for a spectacular season. Not any form of copy. Terkel also "reprised his role" by reading Hugh Fullerton's columns during the section on the Black Sox. In 1919, American headlines proclaimed the fix and cover-up of the World Series as "the most gigantic sporting swindle in the history of America." Eight Men Out: Official Clip - Banned From Baseball 1 minute 8 seconds Added: Jun 2, 2020 "[7], Lardner also witnessed how the production crew had to make "a few hundred extras look like a World Series crowd of thousands", which were hampered by the production's inability to entice a substantial number of Indianapolis residents to come to the stadium to act as film extras. But the audience, Lardner wrote, "won't have the satisfaction of knowing exactly why everything worked out the way it did. Sayles and Terkel were interviewed on the 1919 World Series. The great Chicago White Sox team of 1919 is the saddest team to ever win a pennant. Eight Men Out doesn't offer the feel-good experience of Field of Dreams (though they do share one character, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson) or Bull Durham, but its honesty and faithfulness to the complexities of history ultimately make it a more valuable player in the history of sports films. However, newly appointed commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans the eight men for life because they either intentionally lost games or (as Weaver did) knew about the fix and didn't report it to team officials. Check out our February TV calendar for the biggest TV premieres this month, including "Clarice," "Superman & Lois," and "Strip Down, Rise Up.". In spite of the advice of his children, he takes a trip to visit his former students who now work in impoverished villages... See full summary ». So we're an eight man team. Buck Weaver, meanwhile, insists that he is a winner and wants nothing to do with the fix. It is interesting how gambling really controlled baseball back in the beginning of the sports. Eight Men Out. Eight Men Out John Cusack Clifton James Michael Lerner (1988) Disgruntled Chicago White Sox stand trial for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series for mobster Arnold Rothstein (Michael Lerner). When the best-of-nine series begins, Cicotte (pitching in Game 1) deliberately hits Reds leadoff hitter Morrie Rath in the back with his second pitch in a prearranged signal to gangster Arnold Rothstein that the fix was on. The movie never takes any side , it allows us to choose our own interpretation of whole story. [8], The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 86%, based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. It was written and directed by John Sayles. [10], Film critic Roger Ebert was underwhelmed, writing, "Eight Men Out is an oddly unfocused movie made of earth tones, sidelong glances and eliptic[sic] conversations. The story's delightfully colorful villains are played by Christopher Lloyd and Richard Edson (as the halfway-comic duo who make the first assault on the players), Michael Mantell as the chief gangster's extremely undependable right-hand man, and Kevin Tighe as the Bostonian smoothie who coolly declares: "You know what you feed a dray horse in the morning if you want a day's work out of him? The young, idealistic White Sox players who, despite being pennant winners, are treated with disdain by their penny-pinching owner/manager. Eight Men Out is one of the more underrated sports movies ever made. With those eight guys, Illinois went up 67-38. Until I've seen "Field of dreams" and this one. "I'm not in this for cash or my career or my performance", Sheen said. He is then relieved by Gleason, though the Sox lose the first game, 9–1. Cusack, Lloyd, and Sweeney did voice-overs, recording reminiscences of various personalities connected with the game. Several of the players become upset, however, when the various gamblers involved fail to pay their promised money up front. This review is from Eight Men Out [Blu-ray] [1988] I would recommend this to … An investigation begins into the possible fixing of the Series. Two years later, the truth breaks out and the Sox are sued on multiple counts. People have been trying to make it for years.'" The great Chicago White Sox team of 1919 is the saddest team to ever win a pennant. Eight Men Out is based on the true story of one of baseball’s biggest gambling scandals: the 1919 World Series that that eight White Sox players gambled on and subsequently threw. (1988). Unpaid by the gamblers, Williams also intends to win, but when his wife's life is threatened, he purposely pitches so badly that he is quickly relieved by "Big" Bill James in the 1st inning. "We could have done it from the right side, then run to third and switched the negative, like they did in The Pride of the Yankees, but we didn't really have enough money for that", Sweeney said. Humberto Fuentes is a wealthy doctor whose wife has recently died. Eight Men Out (the movie) was one of my favorite baseball movies, so I thought I'd listen to the audio book. It tells the story of how the stars of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team took payoffs from gamblers to throw the World Series, but if you are not already familiar with that story you're unlikely to understand it after seeing this film. The eight players are suspended for life, and Buck Weaver, for the rest of his life, tries to clear his name. In an overall positive review, critic Janet Maslin spoke well of the actors, writing, Notable in the large and excellent cast of Eight Men Out are D. B. Sweeney, who gives Shoeless Joe Jackson the slow, voluptuous Southern naivete of the young Elvis; Michael Lerner, who plays the formidable gangster Arnold Rothstein with the quietest aplomb; Gordon Clapp as the team's firecracker of a catcher; John Mahoney as the worried manager who senses much more about his players' plans than he would like to, and Michael Rooker as the quintessential bad apple. "[11] Ebert's colleague Gene Siskel, on the other hand, said, "Eight Men Out is fascinating if you are a baseball nut ... the portrayal of the recruiting of the ball players and the tight fisted rule of Comiskey is fascinating ... thumbs up."[12]. The young actor said Sayles appeared to be focused on an "agenda, and that's all he cared about. (Most of the players didn't get as much as promised.) Gamblers take advantage of this opportunity to offer some players money to throw the series. Use the HTML below. All Movie Guide - … Add the first question. Jackson hits a home run off Reds pitcher Hod Eller in the 3rd inning, but the team still lose the final game. "[4], During the late summer and early fall of 1987, news media in Indianapolis reported sightings of the film's actors, including Sheen and Cusack. “Eight Men Out” is an oddly unfocused movie made of earth tones, sidelong glances and eliptic conversations. In a 2013 interview, Sayles told MLB Network's Bob Costas, "People said, 'Oh, you’ll never get this made. "It got down to 30, 40 degrees, but John [Sayles] would stand there in running shorts, tank tops, sneakers—sometimes without socks—and never look cold." The atmosphere of the post - I world war America is top notch , especially the music .A good movie worth a chance . Released by Varese Sarabande in 1988 (VCD 70460) containing music from Eight Men Out (1988). With John Cusack, Clifton James, Jace Alexander, Gordon Clapp. 2h 1988. [6], Ring Lardner, Jr., Oscar-winning screenwriter of such films as Woman of the Year and M*A*S*H, came to Bush Stadium to visit the set. Lardner's article in American Film reported that Sayles' script depicted much of the story accurately, based on what he knew from his father. Directed by John Sayles. An intersecting tale with a multitude of characters living lives which, in one way or another, revolve around an old apartment block scheduled to be demolished. The site's critical consensus reads, "Perhaps less than absorbing for non-baseball fans, but nevertheless underpinned by strong performances from the cast and John Sayles' solid direction."[9]. It seems that everyone here has some sins – the players , the club owners, the journalists and frauds. Among those eight who will be missing, the Yankees lost 179 home runs. The tone of Eight Men Out is reminiscent of the droll irony of John Huston's considerations of the vanity of human wishes and the corrupting power of money. [citation needed] Brendan Boyd's novel Blue Ruin: A Novel of the 1919 World Series offers a first-person narrative of the event from the perspective of Sport Sullivan, a … A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series. A third pitcher not in on the scam, rookie Dickie Kerr, wins Game 3 for the Sox, making both gamblers and teammates uncomfortable. Despite the team's talent, Sox-owner Charles Commisky abuses and underpays his players. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. This movie is … "The second assistant director knew nothing about baseball", Sayles said, "and she had to keep track of who was on base. For Mr. Sayles, whose idealism has never been more affecting or apparent than it is in this story of boyish enthusiasm gone bad in an all too grown-up world, Eight Men Out represents a home run.[13]. Two years later, the truth breaks out and the Sox are sued on multiple counts. Gripping account of the 1919 "Black Sox" baseball scandal, when eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of "fixing" the World Series. Eight men out, and who's in to replace them? The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: Eight Men Out was released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment (successor-in-interest to Orion Pictures) in two editions; a standard one on April 1, 2003, and a special edition on May 7, 2013. Eight Men Out (DVD) : Film about the infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal. Lardner stated, "The producers offer free entertainment, Bingo with cash prizes, and as much of a stipend ($20 a day) as the budget permits..."[7], Several people involved in the film would go on to work on Ken Burns' 1994 miniseries Baseball. Eight Men Out