- The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
Infobox_Film
name = The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
imdb_id = 0074207
writer =Hal Barwood
Matthew RobbinsWilliam Brashler
producer =Berry Gordy Rob Cohen
starring =Billy Dee Williams James Earl Jones Richard Pryor
director =John Badham
movie_music =William Goldstein
distributor =Universal Pictures
released =November 17 ,1976
runtime = 110 min
language = English
music =William Goldstein
awards =
budget ="The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings" (
1976 ) is an affectionately comedicsports film about a team of enterprising ex-Negro League baseball players in the era ofracial segregation . It starredBilly Dee Williams ,James Earl Jones andRichard Pryor . Directed byJohn Badham , the movie was produced byBerry Gordy forMotown Productions andRob Cohen forUniversal Pictures , and released by Universal onNovember 17 ,1976 .Plot summary
Tired of being treated like a slave by team owner Sallison Potter (
Ted Ross ), charismatic star pitcher Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams) steals a bunch of Negro League players away from their teams, including catcher/slugger Leon Carter (James Earl Jones) and Charlie Snow (Richard Pryor), a player forever scheming to break into the segregatedMajor League Baseball of the 1930s by masquerading as first a Cuban ("Carlos Nevada"), then a Native American ("Chief Takahoma"). They take to the road, barnstorming through small Midwestern towns, playing the local teams to make ends meet. One of the opposing players, 'Esquire' Joe Callaway (Stan Shaw ), is so good that they recruit him.Bingo's team becomes so outlandishly entertaining and successful, it begins to cut into the attendance of the established Negro League teams. Finally, Bingo's nemesis Potter is forced to propose a winner-take-all game: if Bingo's team can beat a bunch of all-stars, it can join the league, but if it loses, the players will return to their old teams. Potter has two of his goons kidnap Leon prior to the game as insurance, but he escapes and keys his side's victory.
Ironically, there is a major league scout in the audience. After the game, he offers Esquire Joe the chance to break the color barrier; with Bingo's permission, he accepts. Leon glumly foresees the decline of the Negro League as more players follow Esquire Joe's lead, but Bingo, ever the optimist, cheers him up by describing the wild promotional stunts he intends to stage to bring in the paying customers.
Cast
*
Billy Dee Williams as Bingo Long
*James Earl Jones as Leon Carter
*Richard Pryor as Charlie Snow, "Carlos Nevada" and "Chief Takahoma"
*Stan Shaw as 'Esquire' Joe Callaway
*Tony Burton as Issac, one of Bingo's players
*Rico Dawson as Willie Lee Shavely, an All-Star
*Sam Brison as Louis Keystone, another All-Star
*Jophery C. Brown as Emory Chambers, an All-Star
*Leon Wagner as Fat Sam Popper, an All-Star
*DeWayne Jessie as Rainbow, the All-Stars' batboy. He later played singer Otis Day in "Animal House ".
*Ted Ross as Sallison Potter, Bingo's nemesis and owner of the Ebony Aces
*Mabel King as Bertha Dewitt, another Negro League team owner
*Ken Foree as Honey, one of Potter's henchmen
*Carl Gordon as Mack, Potter's other goonNegro League tie-ins
Bingo Long is based on
Satchel Paige . Early in his career, Paige called in his outfielders while leading in the ninth inning of a 1-0 game and pitched his way out of a jam. Bingo replicated the stunt in this movie. Leon Carter is aJosh Gibson -like power hitter, even playing the same position (catcher). Most obviously, 'Esquire' Joe Callaway is a thinly-veiledJackie Robinson , the first African-American to break Major League baseball's color barrier.The Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings were loosely based on the
Indianapolis Clowns , a barnstorming exhibition baseball team, noted for theirHarlem Globetrotters -like clowning routines, that joined theNegro American League in1943 .The character of Bertha (
Mabel King ), the sole woman team owner, is inspired byEffa Manley .Production
Luther Williams Field inMacon, Georgia was used for filming as the Negro League ballpark. Luther Williams Field is home to theMacon Music , aminor league team in the independentSouth Coast League . Additional ballpark scenes were shot at Morgan Field in Macon, a Pony and Colt League Youth Baseball field,Grayson Stadium inSavannah, Georgia , home of theSavannah Sand Gnats of the Class ASouth Atlantic League . Exterior scenes set in St. Louis residential neighborhoods were also filmed in Savannah. Scenes set in rural communities were filmed inTalbotton, Georgia and various small towns around Macon. Some ballplayers were played by actual ballplayers, including former members of theIndianapolis Clowns , who performed the clowning stunts shown in the film.Steven Spielberg originally wanted to have a hand in producing the movie until the success of his film "Jaws" got his full attention.External links
*imdb title|id=0074207|title=The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
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