Clubhouse At The Movies - The Bad News Bears

Clubhouse At The Movies - Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain is a Clubhouse At The Movies In Motion Series by 4Kids Entertainment, Jim Henson Productions, Deluxe Digital Studios, Viz Video, Macrovision, and WGBH Boston. This DVD uses the same movie arrangments are released on DVD.
== Plot ==
Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau), a former minor-league baseball player and an alcoholic who cleans swimming pools, is recruited by a city councilman and attorney who filed a lawsuit against a competitive Southern California Little League, which excluded the least athletically skilled children (including his son) from playing. To settle the lawsuit, the league agrees to add an additional team—the Bears—which is composed of the worst players.
Buttermaker becomes coach of the unlikely team. It includes (among others) a near-sighted pitcher, an overweight catcher, a foul-mouthed shortstop with a Napoleon complex, an outfielder who dreams of emulating his idol Hank Aaron, two non-English-speaking Mexican immigrants, a withdrawn (and bullied) boy named Timmy Lupus, and a motley collection of other "talent". Shunned by the more competitive teams (and competitive parents), the Bears are outsiders, sponsored by Chico's Bail Bonds. In their opening game, they do not even record an out, giving up 26 runs before Buttermaker forfeits the game.
Realizing the team is nearly hopeless, he recruits a couple of unlikely prospects: First up is sharp-tongued Amanda Whurlizer (Tatum O'Neal), a skilled pitcher (trained by Buttermaker when she was younger) who is the 11-year-old daughter of one of Buttermaker's ex-girlfriends. She now peddles maps to movie-star homes. Amanda tries to convince Buttermaker that she has given up baseball, but then she reveals that she had been practicing "on the sly". Amanda makes a number of outlandish demands (such as imported jeans, modeling school, ballet lessons, etc.) as conditions for joining the team. Buttermaker asks, "Who do you think you are, Catfish Hunter?" Amanda responds, "Who's he?"
Rounding out the team, Buttermaker recruits the "best athlete in the area", who also happens to be a cigarette-smoking, loan-sharking, Harley-Davidson-riding troublemaker, Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley). No one else on the team is pleased at first with the new additions, but with Whurlizer and Leak on board, the Bears gain confidence and begin winning.
They make it to the league's championship game opposite the top-notch Yankees, who are coached by aggressive, competitive Roy Turner (Vic Morrow). As the game progresses, tensions are ratcheted up as Buttermaker and Turner engage in shouting matches, directing their players to become increasingly more ruthless and competitive, going as far as fighting, spiking on a slide, or making a batter get hit by a pitched ball on purpose. Buttermaker forces Amanda to keep pitching, even though her arm hurts.
The turnaround point of the game comes after a heated exchange between Turner's son (and Yankees pitcher) Joey (Brandon Cruz) and the Bears' catcher Engelberg (Gary Lee Cavagnaro), who is at-bat. Turner orders his son to walk Engelberg, the only Bears hitter he hasn't been able to overcome. Engleberg gloats, so Joey intentionally throws a wild beanball, nearly striking Engelberg in the head. A horrified Turner goes to the mound and slaps his son. On the next pitch, Engelberg hits a routine ground ball back to Joey, who exacts revenge against his father by holding the ball until Engelberg circles the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Joey then drops the ball at his father's feet and leaves the game with his mother.
Buttermaker suddenly realizes that he has become as competitive as Turner, a man he can't stand. He relents and lets Amanda come out of the game and puts benchwarmers on the field, thus giving every kid a chance to play. The substitute Bears make errors and the team falls far behind on the scoreboard. In spite of this, the Bears rally in their final inning, loading the bases with smart tactics (two walks and a bunt). It brings Kelly Leak to bat with a chance to be a hero.
Turner decides not to let Kelly hit the ball. He orders another intentional walk, even though it will cost the Yankees a run. Buttermaker mocks the opposing manager, who just smirks. So, against all logic, Buttermaker gives a sign to Kelly to swing away. Kelly lunges at a far-outside pitch and belts the ball to the wall. Three runners score ahead of Kelly, who races toward home plate with the game-tying run, only to be called out by the umpire on a very close play. The game is over.
Having narrowly lost 7 to 6, Buttermaker treats his underage players to free rein of his beer cooler. Although they did not win the championship, they have the satisfaction of having come a long way.
The condescending Yankees congratulate the Bears telling them that although they are still not that good, they have "guts." Tanner, the shortstop, replies by telling the Yankees where they can put their trophy. The Bears cheer and Timmy Lupus overcomes his chronic shyness enough to yell "Wait 'til next year!", after which the Bears spray beers all over each other. The celebration makes it look as if they won the game.
== Contents ==
* FBI Warning
* 4Kids Entertainment, Jim Hensons Productions, Deluxe Digital Studios, Viz Video, & Macrovision logos
* DVD Menu
* WGBH Boston TV Logo
*Clubhouse At The Movies Opening Logo (Just For Kids Video Version)
*Clubhouse At The Movies Intro (Don't Forget To Watch The Movies {1996 Sesame Street policy trailer})
* The Bad News Bears (1976)
* End Credits
* Deluxe Digital Studios DVD logo
* Macrovision logo 1990s (DVD version) HQ/HD
Category:Clubhouse At The Movies DVD
Category:F.Y.E.
Category:4Kids Entertainment, Jim Henson Productions, Deluxe Digital Studios, Viz Video, Macrovision & WGBH Boston
Category:DeviantART