I saw Jackie in person at Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds

Rating: 7/10 (19 April 2013)

Nobody's ever been a more devout Brooklyn fan than yours truly. I used to cut school, hop a bus to the Port Authority and then a subway to Ebbets Field. And when my "Bums" used to visit the hated NY Giants' Polo Grounds, I'd be out there wearing my blue Dodger cap while looking for a black eye. Yes indeed, Jackie was a terrific player and the REAL beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, years before Rosa Parks ever sat on that bus.
Before I critique "42," I must say that Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey does an astounding job, steals the movie and will be a nominee for the Best Actor Oscar come Jan.'14. No kidding--he is something else.
I rated this movie as a 7, even if I was gung-ho Brooklyn. It contains too many errors to my liking. For example, the re-creation of Ebbets Field was not spot on and where was the Abe Stark "hit the sign and win a free suit" sign? However the recreation of the Reds' Crosley Field indeed was spot on. The recreation of the Polo Grounds was BAAAAAD except for the Chesterfield sign in deep center. What I saw was Ebbets posing as the Polo except for the sign. How about Jackie getting beaned by Fritz Ostermueller of the Pirates? Jackie rubbed his head and got back in the batter's box. Totally absurd. That ball came in at 98 mph and had it hit Jack, it would have ended his career because plastic helmets were yet to be used. However the guy who portrayed Fritz looked exactly like the Pitt. pitcher. And what's with the Pirate uniforms? They never had a cursive P on their caps nor did their home uniforms sport a cursive "Pirates." The Pirate uniform then as now presented block lettering. The depiction of Forbes Field was the same as Ebbets and the Polo Grounds and I failed to see "Greenberg Gardens" behind the scoreboard. I don't think I'm being picky either. "42" had a big opening and I expected to see baseball facts, not fiction.
The fellow playing Phillies' manager Ben Chapman was perfect to hate.And the truth is that he certainly was a stinking racist. The same for the Dodgers' Dixie Walker who was a Brooklyn premier player, hated people of color, made it tough for Jackie and Branch Rickey told him to shut up or be traded. In '48 Dixie became a Pirate while in '47, Jackie became MVP and took the Dodgers to the World Series against the Yankees who won. (The Yankees always won).
Branch Rickey was determined to bring a Negro into Major League baseball and as the picture describes, a lot of his determination was based on money. He saw the financial potential of drawing more and more black fans into Ebbets because of Jackie and by God, it worked. However Branch's humanitarianism was very visible. He refused to let Jackie quit amid the ugly catcalls and other demeaning occurrences. Branch was a visionary who knew if Jackie stayed, in would come the great Roy Camanella (my favorite Dodger) as well as hurler Don Newcombe who became the backbone of the staff. Good Lord, when I think back to those days of the perfect blend of white and black Dodgers and how they dominated the NL from 1947-1956, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling despite a guy named Bobby Thomson.
I miss Jackie. Man did he have guts and you'll see his indomnible spirit in the film. God rest his soul. "None of youse guys know nuthin' 'bout baseball if you didn't root for "Dem Bums." Back in those days, the Yankees bought everybody who gave them trouble and the NY Giants were stuffy except for one black player who was the best player I ever saw. Willie Mays. Thanks to Jackie, we all thrilled to Willie. After Mo Rivera retires, no player in the Major Leagues will ever wear #42 again. It's the least baseball can do to honor the legend of Brooklyn Dodger #42. That man was pure class!