Bleacher Bums (the WTTW rebroadcast from 1984)

In honor of opening day, FuzzyMemories.tv has posted up the WTTW broadcast of the classic play Bleacher Bums. It is in 9 parts (plus the intorduction) on their site. For those who do not know about Fuzzy Memories....It is an online museum of Chicago Television history. It is a great site to relive your childhood at.

about 1 year ago kaseyi 15 comments 6 recs |

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thanks

that’s great. I remember seeing the play and loved it!

by cubswin on Apr 1, 2011 7:34 AM CDT reply actions

Thanks for the tip

I remember this fondly from when I was a kid and am really looking forward to watching it again.

One minor correction: if this is the one I’m thinking of (with the original cast), it would’ve been originally shot and broadcast in 1979.

by bluekoolaide on Apr 1, 2011 1:46 PM CDT reply actions

It was originally broadcast in 79 but

This was from the 84 rebroadcast.

See the Cubs 2011 schedule at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/sched2011.html
Also see what old Cubs Scorecards looked like at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/scorecards.html

by kaseyi on Apr 1, 2011 6:23 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

oh DUDE .. this is better than opening day

I am there downloading as fast as I can

Blue mountains high .. Blue valleys low
I don't know which way we shall go ..
One summer dream .. one summer dream ..

coda

ELO, 1975

by cubnational on Apr 1, 2011 3:28 PM CDT reply actions

I had never seen the original.

That was awesome. Thanks for posting this.

Mantegna is great.

by bluemagic9 on Apr 2, 2011 7:30 AM CDT reply actions

But Dennis Franz steals the show.

"I'd rather hit home runs you don't have to run as hard." -- Dave Kingman

by BucknerKongCardenal on Apr 3, 2011 8:00 PM CDT up reply actions

No doubt.

by bluemagic9 on Apr 4, 2011 7:22 PM CDT up reply actions

If the program includes Mike Murphy you can...

…count me out. ANNOYING!!!!

by troutfishin on Apr 3, 2011 8:37 AM CDT reply actions

It is the play...

not a documentary, so no…no Mike Murphy

(but then again, I liked the Murph on the radio and I don’t think I have listened 5 minutes to the score since he left)

See the Cubs 2011 schedule at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/sched2011.html
Also see what old Cubs Scorecards looked like at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/scorecards.html

by kaseyi on Apr 3, 2011 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions

Oh I'm sorry...

…I thought it was the documentary(at least I think there is one) about the bleacher bums, Murphy was one of the originals. I don’t think Murphy is a bad guy or anything, I just didn’t care for his hokey schtick.

by troutfishin on Apr 4, 2011 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions

Keith Szarabajka

The guy who jumps off the wall onto the field.

I went to high school with him. (Different class, though, he graduated before me.)

by MN exile on Apr 3, 2011 11:26 AM CDT reply actions

I remember liking the play when I saw it live when it was first produced but...

The years have not been kind to this. It’s like Montegna is in an actual play and everyone surrounding him is in a beginners’ sketch show. I could excuse it if were all being improvised on the spot but by the time they shot this it had had a long run at the Organic.

Franz, who ended up being a good actor leaves not an inch of scenery un-chewed in his way way way over-the-top performance. I like the final message but this is barely a play.

by the nth on Apr 4, 2011 7:52 AM CDT up reply actions

It's worth remembering:

This was a rebroadcast of a show done in 1979. That was 32 years ago.

Are you not better at what you do now than you were 32 years ago?

It’s also worth noting that the stage and television are very different. TV gets you far closer to the action, with closeups and edits, than the stage does. (The term “playing to the third balcony” was born because that’s where actors need to direct a good portion of their energies.)

What works on the stage often has to be scaled down drastically for TV. This is/was no real exception. And the director of the program and the director of the show, if they were not the same person, probably ought to have conferred and done a bit more to get the actors to scale things down some. If the same person directed both, well, that’s something of a fail.

by MN exile on Apr 4, 2011 9:52 AM CDT reply actions

Reply fail.

Meant to be responding to “the nth” above.

by MN exile on Apr 4, 2011 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions

I understand all of that and agree. This is probably the first time many of the actors

ever performed in front of a camera. In 1979 there couldn’t have been many directors in Chicago who had shot anything like this. I don’t know if the PBS version of True West about five years later with Malkovich and Sinise was shot at WTTW but as I recall it was a much better production than Bleacher Bums. But of course, it’s also a way better play and Malkovich is always entertaining. Although Mantegna’s Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen on stage.

And I was much better at basketball 32 years ago than I am now :)

by the nth on Apr 5, 2011 12:42 PM CDT reply actions