Bang the Drum Slowly

Director: John D. Hancock, John Hancock John D. Hancock

Overview

A guaranteed tear-jerker, Bang the Drum Slowly centers on professional baseball player Bruce Pearson (Robert DeNiro) and his team mate Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty), who supported Bruce to the bitter end after learning that the young catcher was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and would soon die. When hayseed Pearson first joined the team, he and Wiggen, the team's red-hot pitcher were oil and water. The other team members were none to thrilled to have Pearson on their team. Wiggen changes his attitude when he learns of Pearson's illness, and when the other team members find out, they too become more helpful until the inevitably teary ending. Look for popular character actor Danny Aiello in his feature film debut. The story is based on a novel by screenwriter Mark Harris and was first filmed for television.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/2020
UPC:	0032429336729
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	PG
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Language:	English
Time:	1:37:00
Sales rank:	45,715

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Moriarty	Henry Wiggen
Robert De Niro	Bruce Pearson
Vincent Gardenia	Dutch Schnell
Phil Foster	Joe Jaros
Heather MacRae	Holly Wiggen
Ann Wedgeworth	Katie
Danny Aiello	Horse
Andrew Jarrell	Ugly
Tom Ligon	Piney Woods
Marshall Efron	Bradley Lord
Barbara Babcock	Team Owner
Tom Signorelli	Goose
Selma Diamond	Tootsie
Pat McVey	Pearson's Father,Pearson's Father
Maurice Rosenfield	Team Owner
Barton Heyman	Red Traphagen
Donny Burks	Perry
Hector Elias	Diego
Jim Donohue	Canada Smith
Nicolas Surovy	Aleck Olson
Hector Troy	George
Tony Major	Jonah,Baseball Player
Alan Manaon	Dr. Loftus
Ernesto Gonzales	Dr. Chambers
Jack Hollander	Tegwar Player
Lou Girolami	Tegwar Player
Arnold Kapnick	Detective
Jean David	Dutch's Wife
Bea Blau	Joe's Wife
Herb Henry	Keith Crane
Dorothy Nuebert	Bruce's Mother
Pierrino Mascarino	Sid Goldman
Kaydette Grant	Gem
Dell Bethel	Third Base Coach
Forrest Wynn	Bat Boy
Vince Camuto	Baseball Player
Jeff Sartorius	Baseball Player
Willie Lemmey	Baseball Player
Ernesto Gonzalez	Dr. Chambers
Alan Manson	Doc Loftus
Heather McRae	Actor
Stephen Lawrence	Composer

Technical Credits

Mark Harris

John D. Hancock	Director
Mark Harris	Screenwriter
Lois Rosenfield	Producer,Producer
John Hancock	Director
Bill Badalato	Producer
John Bolz	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Masterfully acted and mercifully restrained, the screen version of Mark Harris's novel Bang the Drum Slowly is a genuinely moving account of an unusual friendship between two baseball players. Though a story about mortally ill mediocre New York catcher Bruce Pearson and his bond with his star pitcher roommate Henry Wiggen has the potential for bathos, director John Hancock and writer Harris eschew lingering tearful farewells and prolonged death scenes. Along with stylized game sequences (shot on-location at Shea and Yankee Stadiums), Hancock mines emotion from Wiggen's laconically fierce protectiveness and Pearson's barely articulate yet palpable appreciation for his friendship, and the team ensemble provides moments of gentle comic relief. Michael Moriarity shines as Wiggen, while Robert De Niro's simple Southern boy Pearson was light years away from his hopped up performance as Mean Streets' volatile Johnny Boy. Greeted with rave reviews for its heart and delicacy, Bang the Drum Slowly helped make De Niro a star and earned him a New York Critics' Circle prize. Vincent Gardenia, though, got the Oscar nomination for his humorously suspicious manager Dutch Schnell.

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola