Editorial Content for The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bill Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings and a Hit
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
My two passions are baseball (duh) and movies (really?). So when I learn about a book that combines the two, it jumps to the top of my “to read” list.
Let’s back up just a step.
A couple of times a year, I do a search to see what baseball releases are coming down the pike, so I’ve been looking forward to THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL since last winter. And who better to present this cinematic sports memoir than the writer and director of Bull Durham, Ron Shelton? (Another aside: Several years ago, I covered a session of Yankees fantasy camp for my newspaper. When I found out that the manager of my team was Ron Shelton, I couldn’t have been more pleased. But that surprise turned to disappointment --- with all due respect --- when it turned out to be a minor leaguer in the Baltimore Orioles system in the late ’60s/early ’70s with the same moniker.)
"The more pages I dog-ear, the more compelling I found the book. By that standard, THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL has to be one of the best to combine my two favorite pastimes."
There are those who don’t want to know “how the sausage is made,” preferring their own conceptions about the movie/TV show/song/etc. without the technicalities. Not me. I love hearing about the creative process, and Shelton --- who also had a minor-league career around the same time as my Yankees fantasy skipper --- does not disappoint. The fact that he did play gives him extra cred when it comes to his choices, in both the story and the cast members.
The bulk of THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL deals with writing the script and the decisions involved in creating the characters, most notably Annie Savoy, the ostensible narrator; Crash Davis, the grizzled catcher who made it to “The Show” only briefly, despite being a prodigious power hitter; and Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh, the rookie pitcher with a million-dollar arm and 10-cent head. The rest of the book looks at the nuts and bolts of actually getting Bull Durham made: pre-production, production and post-production, each with its own set of challenges, drama and angst, especially with the schedule ticking away and the studio executives trying to micromanage.
For example, knowing that the leading roles were played so expertly by Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins, it’s hard to believe they were not the studio’s preferred actors. It’s a constant battle between the director’s vision and the bottom line. (At least there was no conflict between the writer and director over artistic control since Shelton multitasked.)
“Decisions” is a watchword throughout the book. They are a part of every stage: the writing, the casting, the shooting, the editing, the finances. Another appropriate word has to be “compromise” when it comes to Shelton picking and choosing his battles with the check-writers and pencil-pushers.
More than a behind-the-scenes look at one of the best baseball movies of all time (faint praise since a large number of critics consider the genre “box office poison”), the book is a filmmaking primer in which Shelton never presupposes the reader comes with the knowledge of what a “grip” or a “second unit” does.
Usually, as I read a book on a topic in which I’m particularly interested (or well-versed), I will make notes on the pages, rather than in a notepad, questioning why the author included this, excluded that, or chose a distinct word or phrase to make a point. The more pages I dog-ear, the more compelling I found the book. By that standard, THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL has to be one of the best to combine my two favorite pastimes.
Teaser
Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director, and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball --- especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. But something miraculous happened, and THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL attempts to capture why. From organizing a baseball camp for the actors and rewriting key scenes while on set, to dealing with a short production schedule and overcoming the challenge of filming the sport, Shelton brings to life the making of this beloved American movie.
Promo
Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director, and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball --- especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. But something miraculous happened, and THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL attempts to capture why. From organizing a baseball camp for the actors and rewriting key scenes while on set, to dealing with a short production schedule and overcoming the challenge of filming the sport, Shelton brings to life the making of this beloved American movie.
About the Book
From the award-winning screenwriter and director of the cult classic Bull Durham, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking.
“The only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the church of baseball.” —Annie in Bull Durham
Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director, and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball --- especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. There were doubts. But something miraculous happened, and THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL attempts to capture why.
From organizing a baseball camp for the actors and rewriting key scenes while on set, to dealing with a short production schedule and overcoming the challenge of filming the sport, Shelton brings to life the making of this beloved American movie. Shelton explains the rarely revealed ins and outs of moviemaking, from a film’s inception and financing, screenwriting, casting, the nuts and bolts of directing, the postproduction process, and even through its release. But this is also a book about baseball and its singular romance in the world of sports. Shelton spent six years in the minor leagues before making this film, and his experiences resonate throughout this book.
Full of wry humor and insight, THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL tells the remarkable story behind an iconic film.
Audiobook available, read by Ron Shelton