The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)

Director:

Aviva Kempner

Writer:

Aviva Kempner (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

Tagline:

When America Needed Heroes, A Jewish Slugger Stepped To The Plate.

Plot:

The life and career of Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star in the Major Leagues.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | 1930s | Jewish Community | Jew | Jewish Culture

Awards:

12 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rabbi Reeve Brenner	...	Himself - interviewee
Hank Greenberg	...	Himself (archive footage)
Walter Matthau	...	Himself - interviewee
Alan M. Dershowitz	...	Himself - interviewee (as Alan Dershowitz)
Carl Levin	...	Himself - interviewee (as Senator Carl Levin)
Stephen Greenberg	...	Himself - interviewee
Joseph Greenberg	...	Himself - interviewee (as Joe Greenberg)
Rabbi Max Ticktin	...	Himself - interviewee
Bill Mead	...	Himself - interviewee
Lou Gehrig	...	Himself (archive footage)
Basil 'Mickey' Briggs	...	Himself - interviewee
Don Shapiro	...	Himself - interviewee
Bert Gordon	...	Himself - interviewee
Joe Falls	...	Himself - interviewee
Henry Ford	...	Himself (archive footage)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White (archive footage) | Colour

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Ciesla Foundation

Movie Connections:

Features The Stratton Story (1949)

Soundtrack:

Air Mail Special

Very good...and you get Charlie Gehringer, too.

As a bigtime baseball fan, I was very happy to find this. Hank Greenberg was one of the best players the game has ever had, he was jewish in a time of rampent anti-Semitism(well, in places at least as the documentary shows), who both served as a role model and example of class in the face of all that.

He was also: in WWII for 4.5 years, made a run at Ruth's Record of 60 in '38(finished with 58), on a team that got into 4 Series and won 2 of them, a prosperous business man and baseball GM in the 50s and 60s. He was a hero for many a Jewish baseball fan back when, and was shown giving Jackie Robinson a helping hand when things were going badly for Robbie in '47...Robinson was quite thankful for the big man's kind words, according to this.

Plus face it-you get some priceless interviews with his teammates-Billy Rogell, Charlie Gehringer, Hal Newhouser, etc. I loved all this, And the footage of the '34-5, '40 and '45 WS he was involved in-can't beat it.

Not fast paced, not meant for the MTV audience, but as a time capsule and fond memorial to a good man-it does its job very well.

***1/2 outta ****