Published: September 25, 2008 01:37 pm         

Movie debuts after 20 years

By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

Twenty years after its debut, “Bull Durham” finally appeared on the silver screen at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

During Friday night’s presentation held in the Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theater, Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said the museum was ``absolutely thrilled’’ to open its annual baseball film festival by honoring one of the all-time classic baseball movies, “Bull Durham.”

However, the feeling was not so welcoming in 2003 when the 15th anniversary celebration of the 1988 film was canceled because of criticism of co-stars Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Dale Petroskey, Hall of Fame president at the time, sent letters to Robbins and his longtime companion Sarandon criticizing their views on the war in Iraq.

Petroskey, a Republican, told Robbins and Sarandon that by criticizing President Bush, they were, in the minds of those at the Hall of Fame, undermining ``the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger.’’

Robbins said he was ``dismayed’’ by the Baseball Hall of Fame’s decision at the time of the cancellation. However, politics was not the topic of discussion this time around. The program was focused on how the movie was made and what went into its production. Movie critic Jeffery Lyons asked the questions while the film’s director-writer, Ron Shelton, and actors Robbins (Nuke LaLoosh), Sarandon (Annie Savoy) and Robert Wuhl (Larry Hockett) answered — often getting laughs from the crowd.

Idelson said there is no baseball film that relates to fans like “Bull Durham.” He said the movie reflects baseball in the minor leagues to perfection.

``It reminds us (that) baseball is an integral part of the fabric that defines American culture and American values,’’ he said. Robbins and Sarandon met while auditioning for the film. Shelton said they were selected to be in the movie because he knew right away that they were the ``right fit.’’

``They had chemistry, and chemistry is everything in a movie,’’ said Shelton. When asked what she first noticed when seeing Robbins, Sarandon said, ``I just remember he was really tall.’’

Sarandon said she was not sure how she would fit in a cast of men, saying she was wary of how she would be treated. She said she told herself she had to at least give it a shot and swallow her pride. Sarandon said she was proven wrong because she was treated with more respect than any other movie she had been in.

Robbins said getting to play a part that allowed him to put on a baseball uniform and play on a baseball field was a dream come true.

He always wanted to be a ballplayer growing up, he said.

It was also the first audition he was able to drink scotch with the director, Robbins added.

Robbins said one of his most vivid memories of making the movie was when he almost got fired. He said first-time director Shelton took a gamble when he stood up for his actor (Robbins) when not having enough energy to perfect a scene. Robbins said Shelton took the producer by the collar and had him up against the wall ready to strangle him.

Character Crash Davis may be fictitious, but not entirely. Shelton said he got the name out of a South Carolina minor league record book assuming the actual person was dead. However, the true Crash Davis gave Shelton a phone call saying he read in the paper that there was a film in the making about him. Shelton said he was, of coarse, not basing the film on him, and asked permission to use his name in the film regardless. Crashes response was, “`Do I get the girl?’’

Wuhl said nobody expected the film to be the hit that it was.

``The best part about it is we are still all here talking to one another,’’ he said. When asked about a sequel, Shelton said at first he didn’t think it would make sense to make one 20 years after the first. He said he’s changed his mind, however, and he finds the idea intriguing.