Chicago on DVD: Play Ball!
By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 12, 2005 12:36PM
When Chicagoans of various stripes argue which baseball team is better, the notion of who has the better ballpark is often used to 
tip the scales. Though The Cell (née Comiskey Park) has better food, the scenery at Wrigley is hard to beat. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. Old Comiskey felt like a classic stadium—even if you couldn’t always see around the pole in front of you. But which field has seen more Hollywood screen time? Chicagoist stages its own version of Comiskey vs. Wrigley in this month’s Chicago on DVD feature.
Comiskey Park: First Blood
Only The Lonely* (1991) – Filmed just three days before demolition was to begin on the old park, John Candy’s character treats Ally Sheedy to a nighttime picnic on the field complete with fireworks. Consider it a cinematic toast to a Chicago legend.
And...that’s about it. With the exception of a scene here or there (Red Heat, Pastime) old Comiskey Park hasn’t seen much onscreen action. The one movie you’d expect to be filmed here, Eight Men Out, wasn’t. Then again, it would be hard to expect anyone in the Sox organization to put out the welcome mat for anyone looking to revisit one of Chicago baseball’s most shameful moments. Instead, filmmakers shot scenes for the film at Bush Stadium in Indianapolis.
Comiskey Park Part II
Major League II and Little Big League (1994) – It’s bad enough that these filmmakers came to Comiskey intending to show the Sox lose. It’s downright insulting when it’s to the Indians and the Twins. Whether it’s worse to lose to a team featuring Corbin Bernsen or a little kid is debatable.
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) – Guess those skyboxes were a good idea after all. Julia Roberts proves there’s nothing sexier than a woman who loves baseball, brings you beer and slings double entendres at you in front of your family just days before you’re to be married. Nothing except Cameron Diaz, of course. Better luck next time, Julia.
The Ladies Man (2000) – Though not really known as a pickup joint, Leon Phelps carted his bottle of Courvoisier down to the South Side in search of love. Perhaps he should try Puffer’s next time.
Wrigley Field
Many early films that needed some baseball flavor (Meet Danny Wilson, Easy Living, Angels In The Outfield) were filmed at Wrigley Field’s doppelganger in Los Angeles, also conveniently named Wrigley Field. But these are all homegrown:
The Blues Brothers (1980) – Though no part of the movie was filmed inside Wrigley, the exterior provides a payoff for one of the film’s running jokes as Elwood and Jake are able to evade the police (and some Illinois Nazis) by giving the DMV a faux address: 1060 W. Addison.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) - Like any future day trader, Ferris spends an afternoon playing hooky at Wrigley Field with his friends, though not in the bleachers. The marquee is enlisted in the campaign to “Save Ferris.”
A League of Their Own (1992) – A scene early in the film shows the women of the Girls Professional Baseball League during tryouts. The Budweiser sign in the background is conspicuously absent.
The Babe* (1992) – Whether Ruth actually pointed at the fences before hitting what was then the longest home run ever hit at Wrigley remains up for debate. What is not up for debate is that John Goodman had to actually lose weight to play the Sultan of Swat.
In addition, scenes from About Last Night..., While You Were Sleeping, and Mr. 3000 also offer brief glimpses of Wrigley.
Only one fictional film features both Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field: Rookie of the Year, a 1993 film that suggests all the Cubs need to win is one really good pitcher. But then we can see how that’s turned out.
Final score: A tie, with both stadiums scoring eight runs on the silver screen.
* As of this writing, these films aren’t out on DVD yet. But we’re eternal optimists. Just like Cub fans.