Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams took on The Natural in the final round of the tournament, and much like Roy Hobbs did in the movie, it knocked the stuffing out of the ball. The final vote tally was 504 – 425.
Either movie could have won and I’m sure few would have been disappointed. However, the timeless appeal and the spirit of family that is embraced by Field of Dreams clearly sets it apart as the one true baseball movie classics for both young and old.
Here is some interesting trivia I found on IMDB:
The studio built the baseball diamond on an actual farm in Dyersville, Iowa. After the filming was completed, the family owning the farm kept the field, and added a small hut where you could buy inexpensive souvenirs. As of 1990, visitors were free to come to the field and play baseball as they please.
Then unknown, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are among the thousands of extras in the Fenway Park scene, and are uncredited. Over a decade later, when Phil Alden Robinson welcomed Affleck to the set of The Sum of All Fears (2002), Affleck said, “Nice working with you again.” Robinson asked, “What do you mean ‘again’?” and Affleck explained the connection.
After the movie was completed test audiences didn’t like the name “Shoeless” Joe Jackson because they said it sounded like a movie about a bum or hobo. Universal called director-screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson to tell him that “Shoeless Joe” didn’t work, and the studio changed the title of the film to “Field of Dreams”. When Robinson heard the news of the change, he called W.P. Kinsella, the author of the book, and told him the “bad” news, but apparently he didn’t care, saying that “Shoeless Joe” was the title the publishing company gave the book. Kinsella’s original title was Field of Dreams (1989).
Tom Hanks was originally offered the role of Ray Kinsella but turned it down.
Archibald “Moonlight” Wright Graham was a real baseball player. On 29 June 1905, with the New York Giants, he played one Major League Baseball game. Five days later, he quit his dream of being a pro ball player to become a doctor.
Burt Lancaster starred in three made-for-TV films after this movie, but this was his final role in a motion picture released theatrically.
The shot of the line-drive knocking over the bag of baseballs next to Kevin Costner was sheer luck off the bat of Ray Liotta.
The line, “Hey, Dad, you wanna have a catch,” originally didn’t include “Dad”. Audiences were disappointed in the lack of acknowledgment of father and son, and the word “Dad” was looped in during post-production.
The movie’s line “If you build it, he will come.” was voted as the #39 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).
Ranked #6 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 10 greatest films in the genre “Fantasy” in June 2008.
According to an AFI top 100 quotes list, ‘The Voice’ is that of Ray Liotta.
The owners of the site of the baseball field in Iowa canceled their 20th anniversary event due to the economic turn down and donated the money raised for it to a local food bank (2009).
Thanks to everyone who participated and helped to make the tournament such a big hit.
