The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
In the world of 1930s Negro League baseball, a spirited team of renegade players travels around the Midwest looking for that one big score. Richard Pryor, Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones star as three barnstorming ballplayers who take on prejudice and their own League's unfair rules while stealing cars, food and home base - anything to prove that they're the best team around. It's a showdown of brains over booby traps and sportsmanship over racial segregation as Bingo Long's All-Stars swing their way to a winning season.
Member Reviews
Underrated and lots of Fun - Film_Prophet1
Watching this film makes it clear that it deserves to be more well known than it is. Bingo Long is a fun expose on a group of baseball players in the negro league who get fed up with their corrupt bosses and decide to form the title team. It is a good time in a rough period and it should be in the same category as "Field of Dreams".
The world these players live in is not a very nice one. The ones who run the Negro League are very crooked. They take money from the players and when the guys make their own team, goons are sent to break their bones and spirits so they will return and be exploited. And then there is the racism of the time. The white racists throw food at them and spew insults at them.
Despite their troubles, the Bingo Long group survive through it through their humor and their love for baseball. This is where the film finds it strength and the film becomes just plain fun. When the players parade across the streets, you just want to join in. They .stick together through bad and worse.
The actors also have alot of fun with their roles. James Earl Jones and Billie Dee Williams(Who would appear again in the Star Wars Movies) let themselves go as the leaders of the Bingo Long who are determined to steal home, stick it to the bosses and prank each other. Richard Pryor is especially good as the player determined to break the colour barrier in the white league(of course, it is actually Jackie Robinson who does that in case you don't know any baseball history).Underrated baseball movie - MikeM
That this is the first review for this movie is evidence of how underrated it really is. I'm a lover of sports movies but only saw this one recently. Despite being listed as a drama here, the interplay between the players (especially any scene with Richard Pryor) provided lots of laughs. It did a great job of portraying the life of a barnstorming team. There is also the sad reminder of a whole race of players that were shut out of major league baseball for until almost the second half of the 20th century.
Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, and Richard Pryor all give good performances.
I recommend this movie to any baseball lover, especially those with an interest in the history of the game.
Member Reviews
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Underrated and lots of Fun - Film_Prophet1
Watching this film makes it clear that it deserves to be more well known than it is. Bingo Long is a fun expose on a group of baseball players in the negro league who get fed up with their corrupt bosses and decide to form the title team. It is a good time ...Underrated baseball movie - MikeM
That this is the first review for this movie is evidence of how underrated it really is. I'm a lover of sports movies but only saw this one recently. Despite being listed as a drama here, the interplay between the players (especially any scene with Richard ...