James Earl Jones passed away today. The gentleman was an icon and will be missed. Back in 2020 I did a post centered around Mr. Jones. In honor of his passing, I'd like to just copy it again here:
Baseball Movies
Featuring Darth Vader
Happy Star Wars Day! ("May the 4th Be With You" - Still an all time great play on words!)
Although I am a Star Wars fan, I'm not nearly as much anymore as my reputation among family and friends lends itself to be. I'm a big fan of the original trilogy, the prequels were so-so, the sequels better than the prequels, and I enjoyed The Mandolorian a lot. I haven't watched any of the Clone Wars cartoons, although I'm secretly hoping the 80's Droids and Ewoks series make their was to Disney +.
Anyway, I figured I should whip up something for today in celebration. Being primarily a baseball themed blog, I tried to do a tie-in somehow and discovered the great James Earl Jones officially has credits in 5 baseball themed movies!
Although I am a Star Wars fan, I'm not nearly as much anymore as my reputation among family and friends lends itself to be. I'm a big fan of the original trilogy, the prequels were so-so, the sequels better than the prequels, and I enjoyed The Mandolorian a lot. I haven't watched any of the Clone Wars cartoons, although I'm secretly hoping the 80's Droids and Ewoks series make their was to Disney +.
Anyway, I figured I should whip up something for today in celebration. Being primarily a baseball themed blog, I tried to do a tie-in somehow and discovered the great James Earl Jones officially has credits in 5 baseball themed movies!
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| 2015 Panini Americana #61 James Earl Jones |
I only found one other instance of a prominent Star Wars actor (at least from the classic trilogy) that appeared in a baseball movie, but Mr. Jones seems to make his mark everywhere! Here are his 5 baseball movies in chronological order.
Not only does this underappreciated classic star Darth Vader, but Lando Calrissian as well. Throw in the comedy of Richard Pryor and you have one great baseball comedy!
The baseball roll James Earl Jones is best known for. His speech on baseball marking the time will echo throughout history. One of the baseball tragedies of this Covid-19 pandemic is the loss of the first official MLB game to be played in the Field of Dreams location. I was looking forward to that, even though the Yankees were one of the teams.
Another well-known baseball role for Jones, as the blind dog-owning former ballplayer Mr. Mertle.
I'll be honest, I didn't even know they made sequel.
Ironically, James Earl Jones isn't "technically" in this movie. But he officially has a vocal credit as....Darth Vader! I'll admit, I liked this movie. It's one of those "turn off your brain" and laugh at the stupidity that an Adam Sandler production is known for.
Since I just did a post dedicated to James Earl Jones, I'll leave you with one of my all time favorite TV moments:
RIP, Mr. Jones, and thank you...
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
Not only does this underappreciated classic star Darth Vader, but Lando Calrissian as well. Throw in the comedy of Richard Pryor and you have one great baseball comedy!
Field Of Dreams (1989)
The baseball roll James Earl Jones is best known for. His speech on baseball marking the time will echo throughout history. One of the baseball tragedies of this Covid-19 pandemic is the loss of the first official MLB game to be played in the Field of Dreams location. I was looking forward to that, even though the Yankees were one of the teams.
The Sandlot (1993)
Another well-known baseball role for Jones, as the blind dog-owning former ballplayer Mr. Mertle.
The Sandlot 2 (2005)
I'll be honest, I didn't even know they made sequel.
The Benchwarmers (2006)
Ironically, James Earl Jones isn't "technically" in this movie. But he officially has a vocal credit as....Darth Vader! I'll admit, I liked this movie. It's one of those "turn off your brain" and laugh at the stupidity that an Adam Sandler production is known for.
Since I just did a post dedicated to James Earl Jones, I'll leave you with one of my all time favorite TV moments:
RIP, Mr. Jones, and thank you...
Pretty sure the first time I came across James Earl Jones was watching Sesame Street, which would've been before Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace. I enjoyed those movies about as much as any others.
ReplyDeleteRIP James Earl Jones. Last year we took the kids to Disney World. We were on line for some food and a guy saw my son's Star Wars shirt and said his cousin was Darth Vader (i.e. his cousin was Jones). Probably wasn't though the guy did have the big booming voice, and had a nice friendly chat with my kid.
ReplyDeleteEwoks & Droids are on Disney Plus now, so are the Ewok movies.
Kind of tempting to start looking for baseball connections with the Star Wars movies, though most of the cast outside the main characters were British.
Rest in peace Mr. Jones.
ReplyDeleteTotally forgot about The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. Might have to see if I can find that movie on DVD. I watched it a lot as a kid, but probably haven't seen it since the 80's.
I watched that movie as a kid dozens of times...on VHS. I've tried to find the streaming option but have not been able to find it yet.
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