| Bleacher Bums | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Roberta Custer Richard Fire Dennis Franz Stuart Gordon Joe Mantegna Josephine Paoletti Dennis Paoli Carolyn Purdy-Gordon Michael Saad Ian Patrick Williams Keith Szarabajka |
| Date premiered | 1977 |
| Place premiered | Organic Theater Company,Chicago, Illinois |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Wrigley Field |
Bleacher Bums is a 1977play written collaboratively by members ofChicago'sOrganic Theater Company, from an idea by actorJoe Mantegna. Its original Chicago production was directed byStuart Gordon. A 1979 performance of the play was taped forPBS television, and in 2002 a made-for-TV movie adaptation was produced.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
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 Bleacher Bums (Part 1, 1984),WTTW - Channel 11, Play withDennis Franz andJoe Mantegna[1] |
Bleacher Bums takes place in thebleachers of Chicago'sWrigley Field. The characters are a bunch ofChicago Cubs fans, watching a game in progress on a summer afternoon. Most of them have been gathering here for some time and know each other; even if they might not necessarily like or tolerate each other. Beer is being drunk, hot dogs are being eaten, and friendly wagers start to take on increasing importance.
Bleacher Bums was put on in different cities across the United States. In 1981, longtime Cubs fanJerry Pritikin, the Bleacher Preacher, was hired as a paid consultant for a production in San Francisco, instructing the cast there on Chicago fan vernacular, and proper fan behavior.[2]
Joe Mantegna andDennis Franz starred in the original production, a performance of which was filmed forPBS broadcast in 1979, directed byStuart Gordon. Other cast members over the years have includedDennis Farina,Gary Sandy,Gary Houston andGeorge Wendt.
A 2001 TV movie version for cable television was directed bySaul Rubinek and starredBrad Garrett,Wayne Knight,Matt Craven,Peter Riegert andHal Sparks. Due to licensing issues withMajor League Baseball, the name of the team was changed from theChicago Cubs to the Chicago Bruins, theSt. Louis Cardinals became the St. Louis Eagles, andWrigley Field was renamed, but references to former Cubs players (Cap Anson,Mordecai Brown,Joe Tinker,Johnny Evers, andFrank Chance) and to the Cubs' World series record remain.
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