The Natural (1984). First Time Watching reaction

Barbara Hershey scares me. / youtalkingtome

[@manueldeabreu1980]

Fun facts: Robert Redford and Wilfred Brimley ARE the same age. Robert Redford really was hitting those balls. He had played college baseball and was a decent athlete. The announcer didn't show up for the voice work and the director stepped in to do the part.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Thanks for that! Yeah, Mr. Brimley always looked 55.

[@vincentsaia6545]

Wilfred Brimley was three years older.

[@Frank_E_Scialdone]

Absolutely not true

[@toastnjam7384]

Enjoyed your reaction. The 1952 novel this film was based on was inspired by a true incident. In 1949, 19-year-old Ruth Steinhagen’s became obsessed with Philadelphia Phillies player Eddie Waitkus. She had a shrine to him in her bedroom and demanded that her mother to always set a place at the table for him. She lured him to a hotel room where she shot him. He survived and she didn't commit suicide. That incident was of the first stalker shootings. Another baseball movie you should react to is the original The Bad News Bears. (1976)

[@vincentsaia6545]

In the novel Roy Hobbs's box number is 45 but Robert Redford asked to wear number 9 because it was Ted Williams's number who was Redford's childhood hero.

[@erwinquiachon8054]

Barry Levinson directed The Natural. The best film Redford directed was "A River Runs Through It" (1992).

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

I need to look into some of Redford's directorial work.

[@wrauck]

@@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6 Legend of Bagger Vance is another excellent sports movie directed by Redford.

[@marksterner7532]

Bagger Vance is a very good film. "The Horse Whisperer", "The Last Castle", "All is Lost" are good. But "A River Runs Through It", "Quiz Show" and, especially, "Ordinary People" are true masterpieces!!!!

[@knightni73]

Barbara Hershey's character jumps out of the window and dies in other edits.

[@tooluser]

One of my favorite films. Wrote a 10 page paper on it in a film class in college (84') centered around the lighting. . . I could have written 20 easy.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

We were absolutely blown away by the lighting.

[@harrydoupe9315]

Good one again, gents. Shot at the old Buffalo War Memorial Stadium (affectionately known ass The Rockpile). As for players going through outfield fences, maybe the most recalled is Rodney McCray of the Triple A Vancouver Canadians going through the right field wall in Portland. There's a bunch of footage of it on KZbin. Makes an ungodly, booming sound.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

That's the one I remember as a kid. Fortunately the wall panel gave out and he was okay.

[@garymussell6543]

In the book this is based on, Hobbs strikes out. The lesson is he relied on his " natural ability" but never developed it further and it cost him.

[@cliffendicott7832]

I haven't read Malamud's book in decades, but didn't Hobbs DELIBERATELY strike out, taking the payout from the judge and throwing the game? I seem to recall a kid saying on the courthouse steps to him, "Say it ain't so Roy" about this (stealing the line from the Black Sox scandal and 'Say it ain't so Joe'). I can't say for 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure that's how the book ended.

[@dannyheel1]

Yeah, he threw the game.

[@marieantoinette1360]

Yoooo you gotta see Jeramiah Johnson, I don't even know where to begin how much I love that movie, I'm probably biased cause I watched it with my dad a lot, but it's just an absolute winner.

[@vincentsaia6545]

The movie is a compilation of occurrences that happened to different ballplayers: -In an exhibition game in Chattanooga, TN in 1931 a 17-year-old GIRL named Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on six pitches. -"Shoeless" Joe Jackson named his bats. -Ted Williams said that all he ever wanted was to walk down the street and hear people say, "There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived." -Yogi Berra said, "You can't spell it but it eats pretty good." -1950s Phillies star first baseman Eddie Waitkus was shot in a hotel room by a crazed female fan and survived. -1940s star Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder 'Pistol" Pete Reiser seriously impaired his health and career with his habit of crashing into outfield walls, although didn't die from it. -In a Braves/Dodgers game in 1946 Braves outfielder Bama Rowell shattered the Bolova clock on the Ebbits Field scoreboard for a home run. Bulova offered a free watch to any player who shattered the clock, but Rowell didn't get his watch until 1987! -In the 1971 All-Star game Reggie Jackson hit a home run that hit the top of the the lights (but didn't shatter them.) -Hobbs home run in the end is evocative of Bobby Thompson's walk-off home run in the 1951 Dodgers/Giants playoff game dubbed, "The shot heard round the world."

[@twittertwice]

Why is it so many people who like to hear themselves talk decide to react to films by only talking about themselves. Odd!

[@jethro1963]

"Pick me out a winner Bobby" Oh yeah, that wasn't shown.

[@Frank_E_Scialdone]

OK, so this film was shot in Buffalo New York. At the Buffalo War Memorial Stadium. I'm from Rochester New York. Only about an hour or so away from Buffalo. Many of my friends who went to Buffalo State were extras in this film. After seeing this film, I fell in love with it. I then was able to go to that stadium, about a year after it was done filming. The scene when he meets Glenn Close at the candy shop as an actual candy shop in Buffalo, New York. Or at least at the time it was. They made it look like Chicago by putting up the rails for a subway. The stadium itself is just like in the film. It's like a great dinosaur. Unfortunately it has been torn down. Reading about this film they searched all over for a stadium that would fit the time and period. Period. They did originally look in Rochester, New York at the Rochester Stadium. Called Silver Stadium. But it just wasn't old enough.

[@jilinil]

Baseball managers still wear uniforms because they are the only managers/coaches allowed on the playing field in major sports without a penalty or foul.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

That makes sense. Tradition and all.

[@danielberg7644]

Great Redford movies i really like:: The Last Castle, The Electric Horseman, All is Lost, A Walk in the Woods, Jeremiah Johnson, and the Horse Whisperer.

[@SpontaneousAndStructured]

This and Sneakers are my favorite of his movies, but also really enjoyed The Candidate, Spy Game and the Great Gatsby. Most people wouldvv probably tell you to see All the President’s Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as well.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Neither of us have seen Spy Game, and will definitely be checking it out in the near future.

[@WVUFootballGoinDeep]

I'd put Three Days of the Condor over all of those but Sneakers.

[@jadejewel6586]

The Horse Whisperer

[@vincentsaia6545]

If I'm not mistaken, the movie actually had a moderate budget. Many of the actors did not have high salaries. Darren McGavin did it for union scale after offering to work for nothing because he loved the script so much.

[@dreambrother82]

Darren McGavin will always be Kolchak from The Night Stalker TV Series to me and not the dad from A Christmas Story 🙃 …different generations 🫠

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

I have never seen that show, but I adore McGavin!

[@johnv61]

Great movie! I’ve always loved this one. If you like underdog sports movies, you should check out “Seabiscuit” from 2003. An underdog horse racing movie based on a true story set in the depression era. Very well done with many sub plots, not just a horse racing movie. A real feel good film nominated for several academy awards including best picture

[@monkeyjack6]

If you love underdog sports stories watch "Breaking Away" great cast, won an Oscar for best original screenplay and is in SI's Top Ten Best Sports movies of all time.

[@zenarcher9633]

"Brubaker" (1980) is classic Redford, and you also get the great Yaphet Kotto and a very young Morgan Freeman. Yes, he was young once! Also The Outfit (1973) has Robert Duvall and Joe Don Baker teaming up again, in a great 70's style crime drama. It has a great cast of character actors, including Jane Greer who was the femme fatale in the classic Robert Mitchum noir "Out of the Past" (1947)

[@cwdkidman2266]

Great Americana score from Randy Newman. Even better musically than his Good Old Boys album from 74.

[@cwdkidman2266]

Wilford Brimley was MVP of every movie he was in. Sorta like Walter Brennan in every Howard Hawks film that HE was in. And Roy Hobbs was sorta kinda Ted Williams, last four hundred hitter.

[@LeighMet]

You are not far off with your she is Barbara Hershey line. Her name Memo is taken from Memory.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Wow! We completely missed that connection.

[@LeighMet]

@@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6 Also Managers wear uniforms because the rule is you have to be in uniform to be on the field. Even for Mound visits.

[@anrun]

Add Downhill Racer to your future Redford movies. Very good and one of the few times Redford allowed himself to play a jerk. Mitchell!!!

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

I read once (I don't know how accurate it is) that Baker was so furious about his treatment by MST3K on Mitchell that he threatened bodily harm against the cast.

[@anrun]

@@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6 I heard the same thing about JDB. I think it was on some MST3K retrospective.

[@vincentsaia6545]

Try THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR.

[@johnmaynardable]

For me Darren McGavin will always be Carl Kolchak from The Nightstalker film and TV series. And then the dad from A Christmas Story. This film is based on a great novel by Bernard Malamud. Well worth reading.

[@asallee2]

They don’t make good movies like this anymore. It’s an absolute shame the way Hollywood has gone.

[@316jd140]

Another great baseball movie, "Bull Durham" with Kevin Costner.

[@twb6yz361]

Had to laugh at Joe and Kevin both going on about white/black and good/bad while they're both wearing black shirts. Disappointed, thought you were both the white shirt/white hat guys! Great recap, guys.

[@carlchiles1047]

Not quite 50’s…when he makes it to New York, it is about 1939..so his childhood..was obviously at least 20 years before that..because they are saying at his age..he should be thinking of retiring…

[@KBH27]

Jeremiah Johnson is must see!

[@aljoseph7304]

The Tarantino movie "Once Apon A Time In Hollywood" There's a seen from a TV show called Lancer The actor DiCaprio is portraying in that seen is a very young Joe Don Baker not really an over the hill actor. The seen is from S. 1 E.1. Lancer, Movie not quite the same as in the TV show

[@MoMoMyPup10]

You guys gotta figure out a way to edit more of the movie in and less of you talking, or the channel will never amount to anything. This is about giving the audience what they want, just like making a movie.

[@movieman1556]

Guys...less yakking and more film. We barely see anything!!

[@jethro1963]

Totally agree, first time here and probably last. Where the f is the movie?

[@albertoparcivalli5545]

Maybe the best baseball movie ever.

[@Lepidopray]

This doesn't predate anti-heros. Anti-heros were big in the late 60s and 70s. Maybe it's just a pendulum swing back to wholesomeness. Just like plot twists can be overdone now, it might be time for more direct story telling for a while, where things are just what they appear to be

[@asallee2]

In the novel Roy strikes out in the end.

[@carlchiles1047]

When he faces Babe Ruth…The Whammer..on the train..that.has to be mid 20’s because 1927 was Ruth and Gehrig’s big year..so even 1947 is not out of the question..but I look at the hats they were wearing..when he hits the clock..straw hats..

[@Frank_E_Scialdone]

I just came across your channel. I was searching for first time watching "The Natural" it's a toss up between this film and the field of dreams for my best baseball movie. I will have to say this about your style of editing. You talk about things with the camera on you that's happening on the screen, but you don't show it. That's kind of annoying. And I understand that you have to edit these down so you don't get a copyright strike. But there is way too much of you guys. That's just my opinion. I am going to subscribe and hopefully we'll get more content of films

[@KBH27]

Also watch The Paper by Ron Howard with Glen Close

[@porgyt7177]

The World According to Garp , please! G. Close, R. Williams.

[@237hugo]

This is a great movie.

[@natepenyaa9406]

How could you skip over the making of Wonderboy?

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Weird choice, I know. It was an editor, not us.

[@gregstewart6973]

I love hearing two tools talk the whole time.

[@zvimur]

Anti heroes and sports in movies... The Raging Bull?

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Oh yeah. He has to be right up there.

[@zvimur]

@@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6 you have noticed lack of reaction videos to that classic, right?

[@WVUFootballGoinDeep]

In the book, Hobbs was a jerk and idiot, completely unlikeable.

[@operating]

I wanted to watch a reaction from this movie, but it’s way too annoying. The stopping, the starting, the editing, the talking about their specific personalities thoughts which I could care less about. Click Off. React please. No one cares about who you guys are. I mean seriously. You’re just two people no one knows, with horrible editing over the best parts. I’ve seen this so many times before. They are paying way, way too much to the fact that that there’s a camera on them and g t way will be on KZbin than on the subject at hand. I’m just so tired of looking forward to. Reaction video only to have it be a personality video.

[@lawrencesmith6661]

You talk to much