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Baseball: The Movie
Baseball: The Movie

Baseball: The Movie

By Noah Gittell, Foreword by John Sayles

PERFORMING ARTS

304 Pages, 6 x 9

Formats: Cloth, PDF, EPUB

Cloth, $30.00 (US $30.00) (CA $40.00)

ISBN 9781637272640

Rights: WOR

Triumph Books (May 2024)

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Overview

“Finally, someone takes baseball movies seriously! Baseball: The Movie blends the passion of a fan with the rigorous analysis of a film critic to create a persuasive argument that the baseball movie matters—to baseball, to Hollywood, even to America.” 
​—Ben Mankiewicz, host, Turner Classic Movies 

Featuring Field of DreamsThe Bad News BearsA League of Their Own, and more: a probing and entertaining work at the intersection of pop culture and sports

Baseball has always been a symbol as much as a sport. With a blend of individual confrontation and team play, a luxurious pace, and an immaculate urban parkland setting, it offers a sunny rendering of the American Dream, both the hard work that underpins it and the rewards it promises. 

Film, America's other national pastime, which magnifies and mythologizes all it touches, has long been the ideal medium to canonize this aspirational idea. 

Baseball: The Movie is the first definitive history of this film genre that was born in 1915 and remains artistically and culturally vital more than a century later. Writer and critic Noah Gittell sheds light on well-known classics and overlooked gems, exploring how baseball cinema creates a stage upon which the American ideal is born, performed, and repeatedly redefined.

Traversing history and mythmaking, cynicism and nostalgia, this thoroughly researched book takes readers on a multifaceted tour of baseball on film.

Reviews

“Finally, someone takes baseball movies seriously! Baseball: The Movie blends the passion of a fan with the rigorous analysis of a film critic to create a persuasive argument that the baseball movie matters—to baseball, to Hollywood, even to America.” 

Ben Mankiewicz, host, Turner Classic Movies 



“Like a wise catcher who sees the whole field, Noah Gittell brings a keen eye and sharp perspective to two national pastimes that work as perfect companions: baseball and the movies. The summer game and the silver screen have evolved together through the decades, and Gittell traces their twin histories in rich detail, with riveting behind-the-scenes stories that make you appreciate the ballpark and the box office like never before.” 

—Tyler Kepner, author of K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitchers and The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series



“Absolutely fantastic. Baseball: The Movie is much, much more than a list, a ranking, or a mere remembrance of some beloved baseball movies. It's a truly great work of cultural history.” 

–Craig Calcaterra, author of Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game 



“There's analysis and there's storytelling. In my professional life, I practice them in the booth all season long. Noah Gittell not only masters each skill in Baseball: The Movie, but intertwines them seamlessly with humor, depth, and a personal perspective that makes it a must read for any movie lover, baseball fan, or curious observer of American culture.” 

—Ron Darling, author, baseball analyst, and former MLB pitcher 



“Despite scant mention of the absolutely atrocious Grover Cleveland Alexander drama The Winning Team, Noah does a wonderful job of celebrating baseball and the movies and, mostly, baseball at the movies. Now if you will excuse me, I must go watch A League of Their Own for the 293rd time.” 

 —Joe Posnanski, author of The Baseball 100 and Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments 



“For most of my life, I've been waiting for a great book about baseball movies, because for nearly all my life I've been obsessed with both baseball and movies. Thanks to Noah Gittell, it's been worth the wait. Gittell doesn't just write brilliantly about baseball movies; he also places them in the context of American culture and society over the better part of a century. This book is a bravura, Oscar-worthy achievement.” 

—Rob Neyer, author of Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Game



“Noah Gittell has written an insightful book that falls right smack into this baseball and movie fan's sweet spot. He examines how baseball and movies about the game have reflected the culture of America through the years. What does the Lou Gehrig story, “Pride of the Yankees,” say about our need for heroes during and after World War II? What does “The Jackie Robinson Story” say about America’s attitude toward race? What does “Bull Durham” say about women and sexual mores? Which actors who played baseball players knew how to hit the ball and which stars had to be replaced by stunt doubles in action scenes? Through fascinating interviews with filmmakers and careful study of a full slate of films, Gittell gives readers a true treat—a unique look at the favorite pastimes of millions around the world. Trust me: if you love baseball and movies about it, you’ll treasure this book.” 

—Jane Heller, New York Times Bestselling Author 



“There are baseball fans, baseball aficionados, baseball fanatics – and then there is Noah Gittell.  Baseball: The Movie is at once literate, scholarly,  and passionate. Most of all, it understands that the sport's depiction in the movies is as revealing a narrative history of America as it is of our ‘national pastime.’  Imagine reading Franklin Foer’s classic How Soccer Explains The World in one hand while clutching a hot dog and a beer in the other.  Move over, Bart Giamatti and Bill James, here's a new one to add to the canon.” 

—Edward Zwick, director of Glory and Courage Under Fire, Cubs fan 

Author Biography

Noah Gittell is a culture critic who has written for publications including The Atlantic, The Ringer, GQEsquireThe Guardian, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. He is a regular film critic for the Washington City Paper and a frequent contributor to BBC. He is also a mainstay at Smithsonian Associates, where he lectures several times a year on various film topics.

Book Signings

Past Events


Jun
29
Baseball: The Movie ›
Woodbury, CT
2:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Woodbury Public Library in Woodbury, CT.

https://buff.ly/4aScxOa
Jun
22
Baseball: The Movie ›
Seattle, WA
2:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Barnes & Noble Northgate in Seattle, WA.

https://buff.ly/49gay4P

Jun
21
Baseball: The Movie ›
Tigard, OR
12:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Barnes & Noble Portland/Bridgeport in Tigard, OR.

https://buff.ly/3JpxyDO
Jun
20
Baseball: The Movie ›
Portland, OR
7:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Cinemagic in Portland, OR. A Q&A will follow a screening of Moneyball.

https://www.thecinemagictheater.com/baseball-the-movie


Jun
18
Baseball: The Movie ›
Napa, CA
6:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Napa Book Mine in Napa, CA.

https://buff.ly/4dOxKdS
Jun
17
Baseball: The Movie ›
West Hollywood, CA
7:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Booksoup in West Hollywood, CA.

https://buff.ly/3Kbzal1
Jun
10
Baseball: The Movie ›
Des Moines, IA
6:30pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, IA.

https://buff.ly/3UUpuS8


Jun
07
Baseball: The Movie ›
St. Louis , MO
7:30pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Arkadin Cinema in St. Louis, MO. The signing will follow a screening of The Bad News Bears.

https://buff.ly/3KhY42h

Jun
06
Baseball: The Movie ›
Chicago, IL
5:30pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Three Avenues Bookshop in Chicago, IL.

https://buff.ly/4e072za


Jun
02
Baseball: The Movie ›
Washington Depot, CT
2:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot, CT.

https://buff.ly/3WlhFpT
May
28
Baseball: The Movie ›
Pleasentville , NY
7:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Jacob Burnes Film Center in Pleasentville, NY. The signing and discussion will follow a screening of Field of Dreams.

https://buff.ly/3WTIzWb


May
23
Baseball: The Movie ›
Brooklyn, NY
7:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at WORD Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY.

https://buff.ly/3JLFijU
May
21
Baseball: The Movie ›
Somerville , MA
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA.
May
18
Baseball: The Movie ›
Houston, TX
3:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Barnes & Noble River Oaks Shopping Center in Houston, TX.

https://buff.ly/44CCTla
May
16
Baseball: The Movie ›
Dallas, TX
6:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing and discussion of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Interabang Books in Dallas, TX.

https://buff.ly/49yDCVP
May
14
Baseball: The Movie ›
New York, NY
7:00pm
Join author Noah Gittell for a signing of his new book, 'Baseball: The Movie', at Barnes & Noble 82rd and Broadway in New York, NY.

https://buff.ly/3Usm4WA