14th Annual Film Festival
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will recognize the twin traditions of baseball and film when, for the 14th consecutive year, it hosts the Baseball Film Festival in Cooperstown, Sept. 20-21.
Tickets for each screening are free but must be reserved. Participants in the Museum’s Membership Program can reserve tickets starting Sept. 9 by calling 607-547-0397. Any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public starting Sept. 16.
Films will be shown during several blocks throughout the weekend in the Museum’s Bullpen Theater. A complete list of the films to be screened during the weekend will be listed below once we have made our selections.
Friday, September 20
Feature Film - SOLD OUT
6:30 p.m., Grandstand Theater
A League of Their Own (2 hrs, 8 mins)
Join us as we kick off the 14th Annual Film Festival and for what is likely to be the last full scale national reunion for the players of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
The weekend reunion will include a rare interview with three members of the league, which operated from 1943 to 1954. Maybelle Blair, Shirley Burkovich, and Mary Moore will take part in an exclusive interview prior to the screening of the film, A League of Their Own.
All three of these retired players appeared in the film, directed by the late Penny Marshall. Some scenes from the critically acclaimed movie were filmed in Cooperstown, including locations at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and historic Doubleday Field.
Interview will begin at 6:30pm, screening will take place at 7pm.
Saturday, September 21
Session 1 - LIMITED AVAILABILITY
9:15 a.m., Bullpen Theater
St. Louis Browns: Fans Remember (58 mins)
“A Baseball Legacy — Fans Remember the St. Louis Browns,” is a follow up to 2018’s well-received and acclaimed presentation, ”The St. Louis Browns - The Team that Baseball Forgot”, that was shown on the PBS network and chronicled the club’s history and corresponding American way of life. This sequel concentrates on the team’s fans and specifically the team’s stronger-than-ever 700 member group that keeps this team’s memories alive, the St. Louis Browns Historical Society & Fan Club. Through personal stories; fans and former players relive special tales of the Browns legacy that includes their progressive stance on baseball’s integration, signing a one-armed outfielder, their doomed rivalry with the Cardinals which includes the 1944 Streetcar World Series, and finally the wackiness of Bill Veeck’s ownership. Even though it has been sixty-six seasons since the Browns last played in St. Louis, baseball’s love affair with these loveable losers remains as strong as ever.
Session 2 - SOLD OUT
10:45 a.m., Bullpen Theater
Baseball Infinity: The Longest Game Ever (5 mins)
On April 18th, 1981 two minor league teams, the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, played the longest game in professional baseball history. Beyond historical, this game was almost biblical as it spanned 3 days and lasted 33 innings. The game had it all: two future hall of famers, Cal Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs, an abundance of historic game records, many of which are still unbroken to this day, and a boxscore that resembles a piece of art more than anything else. This game was baseball's attempt at infinity, it is the longest game ever.
Ron Rapoport: Remembering Ernie Banks (8 mins)
Writer Ron Rapoport sheds light on the man behind the myth, Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. Ron is the author of the 2019 biography, "Let's Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks.”
Bat Boy: My First Day as a Yankee (11 mins)
Bat boy Matthew McGough shares stories of his adventurous first day working with the New York Yankees in the Don Mattingly era.
Perry Barber: The Lady is an Ump! (18 mins)
Meet Perry Barber: Jeopardy champion, a singer-songwriter who opened for Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, and a pioneering umpire who's been calling 'em as she sees 'em since 1981.
Session 3 - SOLD OUT
12:30 p.m., Bullpen Theater
Zack Hample vs. The World (90 mins)
Zack Hample isn’t a professional baseball player, but for decades he’s been racking up stats as if he was. The legendary “ballhawk” has attended thousands of Major League Baseball games across every ballpark in the country – and found himself at the center of some of the game’s biggest moment – on his journey to snag his 10,000th lifetime ball from the stands. But along the way he’s also earned the reputation of baseball’s most infamous fan.
Session 4 - LIMITED AVAILABILITY
2:30 p.m., Bullpen Theater
50 Summers (93 mins)
Follow the evolution of minor league baseball over the last half century through the ups and downs of the Omaha franchise as they kick-off their historic 50th season as the affiliate of the KC Royals -the longest in Triple A baseball.
Session 5 - SOLD OUT
4:30 p.m., Bullpen Theater
Brothers All Are We (33 mins)
In the summer of 1934, amidst the Great Depression and Jim Crow, the lives of fifteen young men are profoundly changed for playing a game of baseball with their teammate and friend Ernest "Bunny" Taliaferro.
The Other Boys of Summer (40 mins)
“The Other Boys of Summer" explores civil rights in America through the lives of the Negro League baseball players. The film is narrated by Cicely Tyson and features never-before-seen interviews with the trailblazers who played alongside of Jackie Robinson and changed baseball AND America forever. Through the lens of America’s pastime “The Other Boys of Summer” draws from our past to shine the spotlight on issues that dominate today’s headlines.
Session 6 - SOLD OUT
7:00 p.m., Bullpen Theater
The Silent Natural (140 mins)
The Silent Natural is a true story about the life of William ‘Dummy’ Hoy, the first Deaf Major League Baseball Star who overcame many obstacles to become one of the greatest players in his time. He proved anyone can make their dream come true when they put their mind to it! Hoy introduced hand signs for strike and ball that are still used in the game today!