61* Revisited/Cooperstown Trip
Ironmanfan
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Although this event was a couple weeks ago, I'm just getting around to posting it now. The first weekend of the month there was a Baseball Film Festival in Cooperstown @ the Hall of Fame and kicking it off Friday was a reception in the placque room with Billy Crystal, Bob Costas, Thomas Jane (who played Mantle brilliantly in the movie) and a few other guys followed by a discussion of the making of the movie in their theatre/auditorium...Costas emceed the discussion and it was all very interesting...Before the discussion was over and they screened the movie, the Hall did bring out the actual bat that Roger Maris used to hit his 61st Home Run in 1961 (picture is of Crystal & Jane handling it; Crystal joked that he felt like Al Jolson having to wear the the white gloves) and giving the people in the first few rows a chance to take a close look at it in person....While certainly not a Yankee fan, I have always loved the authenticity of this movie and with what's come out in the past few years I think it makes the film that much more poignant......
IMF
IMF
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Last week I had the pleasure of spending time with Kevin Maris and talking baseball with him. First, I must say what a nice down-to-earth guy he is (his wife is very nice too). Anyway, we discussed all kinds of stuff and time & time again he would reference the movie "61*" and talk about how realistic & accurate it was. He said he & his family felt great that after so many decades finally everyone could see how it really went down.
He talked about how Billy Crystal was a stickler for even the most minor of details. For example, he showed me his hand and on his lower palm above his wrist there was a large callus...he said it was from swinging Fungo bats. Anyway, in the movie he said there was a scene where Roger bent down & picked up the baby out of the crib and you could see a similar callus. Sure enough, I went back & watched the film and just for a second you can see it.
He also confirmed that Roger & Mickey were indeed very close. In fact, he said that when his dad got sick in '83 that Mickey would call at least once a week. Kevin said that his (Kevin's) voice sounded very similar to his dad's and sometimes Mickey would start telling stories thinking it was Roger he was talking to lol.
It was truly a great experience for me to spend so much time talking with him...talked about Halladay's Play Off no-no, the recent 1960 World Series tape find from Bing Crosby's estate and lots more. A memory I'll never forget.
<< <i>Great story & pic, thanks for sharing. Love that movie & time period in Yankee history (as you can probably tell from my name).
Last week I had the pleasure of spending time with Kevin Maris and talking baseball with him. First, I must say what a nice down-to-earth guy he is (his wife is very nice too). Anyway, we discussed all kinds of stuff and time & time again he would reference the movie "61*" and talk about how realistic & accurate it was. He said he & his family felt great that after so many decades finally everyone could see how it really went down.
He talked about how Billy Crystal was a stickler for even the most minor of details. For example, he showed me his hand and on his lower palm above his wrist there was a large callus...he said it was from swinging Fungo bats. Anyway, in the movie he said there was a scene where Roger bent down & picked up the baby out of the crib and you could see a similar callus. Sure enough, I went back & watched the film and just for a second you can see it.
He also confirmed that Roger & Mickey were indeed very close. In fact, he said that when his dad got sick in '83 that Mickey would call at least once a week. Kevin said that his (Kevin's) voice sounded very similar to his dad's and sometimes Mickey would start telling stories thinking it was Roger he was talking to lol.
It was truly a great experience for me to spend so much time talking with him...talked about Halladay's Play Off no-no, the recent 1960 World Series tape find from Bing Crosby's estate and lots more. A memory I'll never forget.
Crystal did mention that when he saw actor Barry Pepper in Saving Private Ryan that his initial thought was "Roger Maris still walks the earth!" as the resemblence was so close....He also said that he was very nervous at the private screening that they did for the Maris family as he was really hoping they would approve of the film (which they obviously did).
IMF
Thanks also to MantleMarisFordBerra for giving us some insights from your discussion with Kevin Maris. That must have been a great experience for you.
61* is definitely a very interesting movie to watch. Billy Crystal did a fantastic job directing it and bringing the story of Maris and Mantle to life. Billy was a close friend of Mickey and the Mantle family, so that is why they gave him permission to honestly show the "seedier" side of the Mick's life. Besides directing the movie, Billy also appears in the film as a fan in the stands in the scene where Mickey gets a standing ovation as he starts batting practice on Opening Day. You can see him in the upper deck crowd in the front, wearing a navy blue shirt.
An added feature for me is that a friend of mine from high school played the Yankee trainer in the movie. It gave me one more reason to enjoy the film so much.
- John Wooden
Here's Part One