The Bad News Bears

[Graham Ritchie]

Well to start with I don't follow baseball, but last night I did watch this movie from 1976 and I must say I really enjoyed it. Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal like the rest of the cast were really brilliant I was thinking afterwards that Janice on the forum who is a great baseball fan might have it on film?

Anyway even though you might not follow baseball, unlike those good folk in the US this 1976 movie does I think, deserve a special mention and well worth looking out for .

I only came across "The Bad News Bears" last week in a second hand shop. The blu-ray is from the Australian company "Imprint". I had never seen this movie before, but certainly made up for it last night.

Has anyone here got it on 16mm? although the blu-ray is good "nothing wrong with it" a nice color 16mm would be even be better, so if anyone has a film print, do hang onto it.

I could be wrong, but I have the feeling this 1976 release came out on Super 8 somewhere. mmmmm anyone out there like to add to that thought?

PS the ending was brilliant, link to the you-tube below

[Janice Glesser]

Graham... I love the 1976 Bad News Bears movie. As much as I would love to have this movie on 16mm... I sadly do not. Although I do have it on digital, but I haven't watched it in a while. I'm due ⚾ thanks for the reminder.

[Brian Fretwell]

The trailer was released on Super 8 and I know that in the UK TV showings originally had some of the children's insults to each other altered.

[Mike Newell]

The trailer was released on Super 8 and I know that in the UK TV showings originally had some of the children's insults to each other altered.

I remember watching it years ago and I remember it was as being quite profane in parts. It is rarely seen now and has now been lobotomised for television. Two sequels and tv series. Says it all.

[Graham Ritchie]

I think the film works on many different levels, anyway I just came across the Official Paramount trailer on you-tube. Its a movie I want to show the grandkids next holidays and see what they think, especially Connor who plays junior rugby.

[Osi Osgood]

Interestingly, "Bad News Bears in Breaking Training", made it onto super 8, bit only in a minute or so portion, silent, color, in one of those "Pocketflix" children's super 8 toys. As I remember, much of that little "reel" was made up of actual footage from the original film.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Osi its just that I remember seeing The Bad News Bears advertised somewhere on Super 8 in the past. I might be imagining it, but sure it was out there somewhere, the name Bad News Bears rings a bell in my old brain department

[Osi Osgood]

Graham, it is quite possible that there might have been a few super 8 optical sound features floating about of the feature, but, being that in most cases they would use a negative for the edited for TV prints, you wouldn't get much of the " ribald" language of the original theatrical feature.

[Brian Fretwell]

I watched the Super 8 trailer last night and many of the "ribald" bits are there like "How would you like me to shove this bat where the sun don't shone" after the character has been called Englepuke. I wonder if Tatum's line "I know an eleven year old girl who is already on the pill" survived in the TV version edit.

[Graham Ritchie]

Yesterday I went through some of my old "Movie Maker" magazines to see if "Marketing films" ever listed it thinking that Paramount which Marketing had dealt with, might have released it. Not so, I can't find any reference to "The Bad News Bears"

On a side note though, I did discover that Burt Lancaster son had wrote it.

[Osi Osgood]

There is always the off chance that folks in Italy may have released a pirated copy, but the quality would certainly be variable.

[Graham Ritchie]

If only Marketing films in Germany had released it in there usual 3/400ft 50 minute version that would have been great, plus get the same editor who did my favorite Airplane 3/400 footer then we are really talking .

Last night we watched the "Imprint" on the Epson, could not help myself not to take a couple of screen shots going of track a wee bit I always thought Walter Matthau was brilliant in the later film "Dennis The Menace" I have that 35mm trailer on one of my trailer reels . another one of his films I really liked was "Kotch".



Anyway back to 1976, full marks to "Imprint" for this release

[Graham Ritchie]

Well tonight we had a couple of our grandchildren pay us a visit. I asked would you like to see a movie? what is it? they said, can't say I replied. I always like to experiment to see what others like, apart from me.

At the end of the showing using the Panasonic VP they clapped, now that's a good indicator I thought, soon after words they told me, they had really enjoyed it, so there you have it from a younger generation. The film might now be 46 years old, but it still works. To me that's a sign of a good movie

[Graham Ritchie]

Had visitors yesterday, although my daughter children had seen it last years, Steven, Connor, and Zoe had not. After a bit of arm twisting they watched it yesterday afternoon, and this photo says it all, taken just after. I should add they had just returned from a walk up the hills so what better way to chill out before heading home

[Osi Osgood]

I have it on DVD, I should pull it out again.