The Kid from Left Field (1979 film)
| The Kid from Left Field | |
|---|---|
 Cover of VHS release of movie | |
| Written by |
Katharyn Powers Jack Sher |
| Directed by | Adell Aldrich |
| Starring |
Gary Coleman Robert Guillaume Gary Collins Ed McMahon |
| Music by | David Michael Frank |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Deena Silver-Kramer |
| Producer(s) | David Vreeland |
| Cinematography | Frank Thackery |
| Editor(s) |
Robert Hernandez Peter Kirby |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Gary Coleman Productions Zephyr Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 30, 1979 |
The Kid from Left Field is a 1979 American made-for-television baseball comedy film starring Gary Coleman and Robert Guillaume. Coleman's first film, it is a remake of the 1953 film of the same name.
Plot
Jackie Robinson "J.R." Cooper is a kid who loves baseball, and also the son of a former major leaguer now down on his luck (and now a vendor working the stands at games). J.R. parlays his baseball knowledge into becoming manager of the San Diego Padres and leading them to the World Series.[1]
Primary Cast
- Gary Coleman - Jackie Robinson "J.R." Cooper
- Robert Guillaume- Larry Cooper
- Gary Collins- Pete Sloane
- Ed McMahon- Fred Walker
- Tricia O'Neil - Marion Fowler
- Tab Hunter- Bill Lorant
Reception
A vehicle for NBC to try to enhance Coleman's growing stardom from the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the television movie first aired on Sunday, September 30, 1979. It was the 15th highest-rated prime time show of the week, with a Nielsen rating of 21.4.[2] Critics, however, did not love the film, which was plainly directed at younger viewers. Tom Shales of the Washington Post wrote "there is no point in listing the credits ... because no credit is due."[3][4] After Coleman died in 2010 and Jeff Pearlman wrote a tribute to the film in Sports Illustrated, director Adell Aldrich commented "we weren't trying to win awards, but we did want to make something people would enjoy."[3] Vince Edwards had originally been picked to direct, but quit after two days because he didn't want to work with children.[3][5]
NBC held a special preview of the film after a San Diego Padres game on September 21, 1979.[6] Oddly enough, the day after the film first aired on television, the Padres hired their announcer Jerry Coleman (who also appeared in the film as the team's announcer) as their new manager.[7] This led to some jokes that the team had meant to hire Gary Coleman.[8][9]
Home media
The film was released on VHS by Vestron Video in 1984. It has not been released on DVD.
References
- ↑ (1 October 1979). Picks and Pans Review: The Kid from Left Field, People
- ↑ Brown, Les. (3 October 1979). NBC a Close 2d to ABC in TV Ratings, The New York Times
- 1 2 3 Pearlman, Jeff (11 June 2010). Remembering Gary Coleman as The Kid From Left Field, Sports Illustrated
- ↑ Shales, Tom (29 September 1979). James Earl Jones, Sizzling in 'Paris', The Washington Post
- ↑ Erickson, Hal. The Baseball Filmography, 1915 through 2001, 2d ed., pp. 257-59 (2010)
- ↑ (20 September 1979). Crowd at Ball Game to See Preview of a TV Movie, The New York Times
- ↑ (2 October 1979). Jerry Coleman to Manage Padres, Lewiston Sun (Associated Press)
- ↑ Kenney, Kirk & Randy Jones. 100 Things Padres Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, p. 295 (2016)
- ↑ Strasberg, Andy. San Diego Baseball Fantography, p. 48 (2014)