The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

The Bad News Bears
in Breaking Training

The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training DVD cover
Directed by Michael Pressman
Produced by Leonard Goldberg
Fred T. Gallo (associate producer)
Written by Paul Brickman
Starring William Devane
Quinn Smith
Chris Barnes
Jackie Earle Haley
Jimmy Baio
Music by Craig Safan
Cinematography Fred J. Koenekamp
Edited by John W. Wheeler
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
 July 8, 1977
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training is a Sport-Drama film & 1977 sequel to the feature film The Bad News Bears.[1] Chris Barnes returns to his role as the foul-mouthed Tanner Boyle; also starring is Jimmy Baio as pitcher Carmen Ronzonni.

This film picks up the Bears' career a year after their infamous second-place finish in the North Valley League. However, after winning this year, they are left reeling by the departure of Buttermaker as their coach and an injury to goat-turned-hero Timmy Lupus (Quinn Smith). Faced with a chance to play the Houston Toros for a shot at the Japanese champs, they devise a way to get to Houston to play at the famed Astrodome, between games of a Major League Baseball doubleheader. In the process, Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) reunites with his estranged father (William Devane), who is ultimately recruited to coach them.

This film is remembered for the scene in which Coach Leak leads the Astrodome crowd in the chant "Let them play!" when the umpires attempt to call the game prematurely because of time constraints. The crowd at the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game also used this chant when the announcement came that the game would end in a tie at the end of the inning if neither team scored.

Cast

Character Actor
Adults
Mike Leak William Devane Coach of the Bears: Kelly's estranged father, whom he looks up in Houston. He's a good natured, blue-collar working man who agrees to coach the team.
Sy Orlansky Clifton James Local businessman and beer company owner who is sponsoring and promoting the game between the Bears and the local favorite, Houston Toros.
Kids
Ahmad Abdul-Rahim* Erin Blunt** A Black Muslim who plays center field and adores Hank Aaron. Wears the number 44.
Jose Agilar* Jaime Escobedo** Miguel's brother; plays right field. Speaks little English. Wears the number 6.
Miguel Agilar* George Gonzales** Jose's brother; plays second base. Nicknamed "Handsome" by Coach Leak. Speaks little English. Wears the number 7.
Tanner Boyle* Chris Barnes** Short-tempered shortstop with a Napoleon complex who continually challenges authority. Refuses to leave the field in Houston after the game was called. Close friends with Timmy Lupus, who could not make the trip. Wears the number 12.
Mike Engelberg* Jeffrey Louis Starr An overweight, out-of-shape boy who plays catcher and loves chocolate and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Wears the number 15.
Jimmy Feldman* Brett Marx** Fairly quiet third baseman with curly blond hair. During his at-bat, the catcher says, "You got one of the Marx Brothers up here" (An inside joke, as Brett Marx is a grandson of Milton "Gummo" Marx and a great-nephew to the other Marx Brothers). Wears the number 8.
Kelly Leak* Jackie Earle Haley** Local troublemaker who has matured since the first film. The Bears' leader (and presumably, the oldest) he drives the van that brings the team to Houston. He plays left field. Wears the number 3.
Timmy Lupus* Quinn Smith** A shy, bedridden infielder for the team who broke his leg while skateboarding and only appears early on in the film. Thus, he cannot join the team on their trip to Houston. Good friends with Tanner Boyle, who carries the mantra "let's win one for the Looper" during the team's journey.
Alfred Ogilvie* Alfred W. Lutter** A bookworm who memorizes baseball statistics and acts as the team's scout. He gets information on the team's Houston rival, The Toros, from two girls who know the team. He's mostly a benchwarmer who assists the coach with defensive strategy. A backup outfielder/first baseman. Wears the number 9.
Carmen Ronzonni Jimmy Baio Flashy starting pitcher from back east (presumably New York) who is more talk than action. Brought to the team by friend Kelly Leak in the hopes of revitalizing the team. With the help of Coach Leak, he finds his own style and shows improvement throughout the film. Wears the number 11.
Rudi Stein* David Pollock** Nervous relief pitcher with glasses who always gets hit by a pitch; mostly a benchwarmer, he's also a backup outfielder. Wears the number 10.
Toby Whitewood* David Stambaugh** An unassuming boy who plays first base. Because of this, he is able to pull off the hidden ball trick in the final game. Wears the number 2.
*Recurring character from The Bad News Bears
**Recurring actor from The Bad News Bears

Filming locations

When the team arrives in downtown Houston, they book a room at the Concord Hotel. The building is actually the Lancaster Hotel, located off Texas Avenue across from Jones Hall.

The scene where Kelly meets up with his father for the first time was filmed at Texas Pipe Bending company which is actually in business and located at 2500 Galveston Rd.

Later in the movie, after Coach Leak reappears, the Bears stayed at the Houston Hilton rooms 324 and 325 among others. The actual hotel is located at 6633 Travis Street in Houston, but the filming location was the Pasadena Hilton in Pasadena, California.

Coach Leak confronting Sy Orlansky about playing the Bears instead of the team from El Paso was filmed at Bayland Park. The Toros practice scenes were also filmed on the Sharpstown Little League Major field M2 and extras included local girls from area Middle Schools (Leigh Manley).

Cameos

Members of the 1976–1977 Houston Astros make a cameo appearance during the film's climactic scene. They include César Cedeño, Enos Cabell, Ken Forsch, Bob Watson and J.R. Richard.

Reception

Unlike its predecessor, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 50% rating based on 8 reviews, with an average score of 6/10 .[2]

References

  1. ↑ Canby, Vincent (August 20, 1977). "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) 'Bad News Bears' Make Comeback In an Effort to Go On to Japan". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)". Flixster Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
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