Would You Attend Movie Night at Wrigley Field?
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 9, 2011 9:40PM
What can you do with a ballpark when the team's performance isn't filling it with excitement? Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) introduced an ordinance at City Council yesterday that would extend the number of night games at Wrigley Field to allow for a baseball movie night. There aren't many details available. They predict 3,000 to 4,000 people would attend an event like this, and they'd set up multiple screens on the field. They haven't decided how much to charge, but Tunney did say they plan to make more off of sponsorships and concessions than off entry fees.
Which films should they show? Well, we have some suggestions. There are tons of baseball movies to choose from. "The Man With the Golden Arm" and "It Happens Every Spring" are solid classic choices. And don't forget "The Sandlot," "Angels in the Outfield" and "Bad News Bears" (the original, of course).
Or how about a Kevin Costner triple feature with "Bull Durham," "For Love of the Game" and "Field of Dreams." Charlie Sheen would probably make an appearance a "Major League" triple feature. I mean, what else does he have to do?
Wrigley itself has appeared in plenty of films, including "A League of Their Own," "Bleacher Bums" and "Ferris Bueller." In the movie "Rookie of the Year," the team even fictionally wins the World Series. That's the closest the Cubs would make it this year. Plus, Wrigley Field is the address Joliet Jake has on his driver's license in "Blues Brothers." We'd also enjoy a "Perfect Strangers" marathon. "The Natural" has a more tenuous and sad relationship to the Cubs: The storyline emulates that of Eddie Waitkus, a former Cub who was shot at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in 1949. If they pick this one, it better be the original with that handsome devil Robert Redford.
On the more serious side, we have "One Great Cub," the Ron Santo biopic, or fans could relive October 2003 with "Catching Hell," the Steve Bartman story. Maybe we could invite the South Siders up north and show "Sox Pride: The Story of the World Champion 2005 Chicago White Sox" or "Eight Men Out," which is about the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
Kevin Robinson suggests a different approach. He thinks the Cubs should stick to their tried-and-true form by only showing movies that had a lot of promise and were widely anticipated by fans, only to be major disappointments once they came out. Titles include "The Godfather: Part 3" and all of the "Star Wars" prequels. Perhaps Jar Jar Binks could be the official mascot of Movie Night at Wrigley.