Bang the Drum Slowly is the second in a series of four novels written by Mark Harris that chronicles the career of baseball player Henry W. Wiggen. This series is among the finest novels ever written to use baseball as a theme. Published in 1956, the book is a simple, moving testament to the immutable power of friendship. The title page in the novel reads; "by Henry W. Wiggen / Certain of His Enthusiasms Restrained by Mark Harris", the author's personal touch that tells us (the reader) that we are about to enter a genial, conversational first-person story.
Wiggen is a gifted pitcher in the major leagues, playing for a team that includes a mediocre catcher named Bruce Pearson--a slow-talking Georgia boy who tries the patience of the team. Pearson has a secret; he has been diagnosed with Hodgkins' disease which threatens not only his life but also the baseball career that he so desperately wants. When Wiggen learns of Pearson's illness, their casual acquaintanceship deepens into a profound friendship. Wiggen fights heroically to keep Pearson on the team, saving his friend from being sent down to the minors, and he also rallies other teammates to help his friend. The miracle is that Pearson is transformed into a better ballplayer... but the miracle is brief for the man's time has already run out.
In lesser hands, this story could be cloying or overly sentimental, but Harris writes with a gentle, unassuming dignity. Wiggen is an engaging character and his observations are lucid and refreshing. It may be that what makes Bang the Drum Slowly a great novel is that it is not entirely a sports novel but also a warm human comedy set in the familiar, magical world of American baseball.Bang the Drum Slowly is #14 on the Sports Illustrated Greatest 100 Sports books.
Release Date: August 26, 1973
Release Time: 96 minutes
Cast:
Michael Moriarty as Henry Wiggen
Robert De Niro as Bruce Pearson
Vincent Gardenia as Dutch Schnell
Phil Foster as Joe
Heather MacRae as Holly
Ann Wedgeworth as Katie
Tom Ligon as Piney Woods
Danny Aiello as Horse
Selma Diamond as Tootsie
Barbara Babcock as Team Owner
Patrick McVey as Bruce's Father
Awards:
1973 Academy Awards
Best Supporting Actor - Vincent Gardenia - Nominated
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Mark Harris (1922) wrote novels for more than fifty years. He is best known for four novels about the life of major-league baseball player Henry W. Wiggen, including The Southpaw (1953) and Bang the Drum Slowly(1956) He also wrote the screenplay for the film version of Bang the Drum Slowly.
In 1946, Harris made a splash with his first novel, Trumpet to the World, a book about a young black soldier who married a white woman. Many of Harris's other novels have dealt with academic life, and yet more of his novels are highly informed by autobiographical experience. Harris has also published a collection of his articles entitled Short Work of It, as well as the play Friedman and Son and a unique biography of Saul Bellow.
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