The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

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The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.jpg
DVD cover
Directed by Aviva Kempner
Written byAviva Kempner
Produced byAviva Kempner
Production
company
The Ciesla Foundation
Distributed by Cowboy Pictures
Release date
  • 1998 (1998)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Hank Greenberg Hank Greenberg 1946.jpg

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a 1998 documentary film written, directed, and produced by Aviva Kempner about Hank Greenberg, first baseman of the Detroit Tigers, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A Jewish player who chose not to play on Yom Kippur in 1934 during a heated pennant race, Greenberg had to face a great deal of antisemitism. In 1938 he nearly broke Babe Ruth's 60 home run record by hitting 58 home runs.

Contents

Like many players of the era, Greenberg had his career interrupted by military service during World War II. Initially, Greenberg was classified as unfit for service due to flat feet. However, upon re-examination, he was cleared. Before Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Congress had released men over age 28. After the attack, Greenberg immediately reenlisted in the United States Army Air Forces.

In 1947, Greenberg, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and playing his final season, was one of the few ballplayers to give a warm welcome to Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson, the majors' first black player in many years. Robinson later said, "Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg". [1]

Production

Kempner states that the film took 13 years to make. "It was all about raising money for the rights to the archival and feature footage. That was so expensive that I had to stop and start about 20 times." [2] After its theatrical run, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg was acquired by Cinemax for its Reel Life series. [3]

Film credits

Produced by

Directed by

Written by

Cast overview

Awards

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregate score of 97% based on sixty-three positive and two negative critical reviews. The website’s consensus reads: "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is an affectionate, often very funny portrait of a baseball pioneer." [4]

See also

Further reading

Books

Sources

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References

  1. Steverson, Bryan (2018). Baseball's Brotherhood Team. WestBow Press. ISBN   978-1-97361-688-7.
  2. "Aviva Kempner "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg"". 2014-01-02. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  3. Lyons, Charles (2001-01-17). "'Greenberg' lands in Cinemax ballpark". Variety. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  4. "The Life and Time of Hank Greenberg". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 2, 2022.