The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

The Bad News Bears
in Breaking Training
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training DVD cover
Directed by Michael Pressman
Produced by Leonard Goldberg
Fred T. Gallo (associate producer)
Written by Paul Brickman
Starring William Devane
Clifton James
Jackie Earle Haley
Music by Craig Safan
Cinematography Fred J. Koenekamp
Edited by John W. Wheeler
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
 July 8, 1977
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training is a 1977 American sports comedy-drama film and a sequel to the feature film The Bad News Bears.[1] Chris Barnes returns to his role as the foul-mouthed Tanner Boyle; also starring is Jimmy Baio as pitcher Carmen Ronzonni.

This film picks up the Bears' career a year after their infamous second-place finish in the North Valley League. However, after winning this year, they are left reeling by the departure of Buttermaker as their coach and an injury to goat-turned-hero Timmy Lupus (Quinn Smith). Faced with a chance to play the Houston Toros for a shot at the Japanese champs, they devise a way to get to Houston to play at the famed Astrodome, between games of a Major League Baseball doubleheader. In the process, Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) reunites with his estranged father (William Devane), who is ultimately recruited to coach them. The Bears, as a whole, are more athletically inclined than in the previous film.

This film is remembered for the scene in which Astros player Bob Watson first says, "Let the kids play." Coach Leak then leads the Astrodome crowd in the chant "Let them play!" when the umpires attempt to call the game prematurely because of time constraints. The crowd at the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game also used this chant when the announcement came that the game would end in a tie at the end of the inning if neither team scored.[2]

Cast

Main Cast

  • William Devane as Mike Leak, Coach of the Bears: Kelly's estranged father, whom he looks up in Houston. He's a good natured, blue-collar working man who agrees to coach the team.
  • Jackie Earle Haley as Kelly Leak, Local troublemaker who has matured since the first film. The Bears' leader (and presumably, the oldest) he drives the van that brings the team to Houston. He plays left field. Wears the number 3.
  • Clifton James as Sy Orlansky, Local businessman and beer company owner who is sponsoring and promoting the game between the Bears and the local favorite, Houston Toros.
  • Chris Barnes as Tanner Boyle, Short-tempered shortstop with a Napoleon complex who continually challenges authority. Refuses to leave the field in Houston after the game was called. Close friends with Timmy Lupus, who could not make the trip. Wears the number 12.
  • Erin Blunt as Ahmad Abdul-Rahim, A Black Muslim who plays center field and adores Hank Aaron. Wears the number 44. Spends most of the movie worrying about whether or not the team is going to go to "The Joint"
  • Jeffrey Louis Starr as Mike Engelberg, An overweight, out-of-shape boy who plays catcher and has developed into a good hitter. He loves chocolate and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Wears the number 15.
  • Jimmy Baio as Carmen Ronzonni, Flashy starting pitcher from back east (presumably New York) who is more talk than action. Brought to the team by friend Kelly Leak in the hopes of revitalizing the team. With the help of Coach Leak, he finds his own style and shows improvement throughout the film. Wears the number 11.
  • Alfred W. Lutter as Alfred Ogilvie, A bookworm who memorizes baseball statistics and acts as the team's scout. He gets information on the team's Houston rival, The Toros, from two girls who know the team. He's mostly a benchwarmer who assists the coach with defensive strategy. A backup outfielder/first baseman. Wears the number 9.
  • David Stambaugh as Toby Whitewood, An unassuming boy who plays first base. Because of this, he is able to pull off the hidden ball trick in the final game. Wears the number 2.
  • Jaime Escobedo as Jose Agilar, Miguel's brother; plays right field. Speaks little English. Wears the number 6.
  • George Gonzales as Miguel Agilar, Jose's brother; plays second base. Nicknamed "Handsome" by Coach Leak. Speaks little English. Wears the number 7.
  • Brett Marx as Jimmy Feldman, Fairly quiet third baseman with curly blond hair. During his at-bat, the catcher says, "You got one of the Marx Brothers up here" (An inside joke, as Brett Marx is a grandson of Milton "Gummo" Marx and a great-nephew to the other Marx Brothers). Wears the number 8.
  • David Pollock as Rudi Stein, Nervous relief pitcher with glasses who always gets hit by a pitch; mostly a benchwarmer, he's also a backup outfielder. Wears the number 10.
  • Quinn Smith as Timmy Lupus, A shy, bedridden outfielder for the team who broke his leg while skateboarding and only appears early on in the film. Thus, he cannot join the team on their trip to Houston. Good friends with Tanner Boyle, who carries the mantra "let's win one for the Looper" during the team's journey.

Supporting cast

Filming locations

The scene where the cops roll by the van driven by Kelly was shot on Balboa Blvd in Granada Hills, California.

When the team arrives in downtown Houston, they book a room at the Concord Hotel. The building is actually the Lancaster Hotel, located off Texas Avenue across from Jones Hall.

The scene where Kelly meets up with his father for the first time was filmed at the Texas Pipe Bending Company, a real business located at 2500 Galveston Road. (The Park Memorial Church can be seen across the street.)

Later in the movie, the Bears stay at the Houston Hilton; the actual hotel is located at 6633 Travis Street in Houston, but the filming location was the Pasadena Hilton in Pasadena, California.

The scene where Coach Leak confronts Sy Orlansky about playing the Bears instead of the team from El Paso was filmed at Bayland Park. The Toros practice scenes were filmed on the Sharpstown Little League fields, with extras including girls from area middle schools.

Cameos

Members of the 1976–1977 Houston Astros make a cameo appearance during the film's climactic scene. They include Bill Virdon, César Cedeño, Enos Cabell, Ken Forsch, Bob Watson and J.R. Richard.

Reception

Unlike its predecessor, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 50% rating based on 8 reviews, with an average score of 6/10.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Canby, Vincent (August 20, 1977). "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) 'Bad News Bears' Make Comeback In an Effort to Go On to Japan". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ Rogers, Phil. "July 9, 2002: All-Star Game ends in 7-7 tie". July 9, 2002. Chicago Tribune.
  3. ↑ "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
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