The Comrades of Summer
Encyclopedia
The Comrades of Summer is a made-for-TV movie from 1992 featuring Joe Mantegna
. It was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
, written by Robert Rodat
and aired on HBO.
manager Sparky Smith is fired from his job with the Seattle Mariners
. His attitude has gotten him into trouble with George, the owner of the Mariners, and no other teams seem to want any part of him.
The Olympic Games are coming up, however, and a spirit of glasnost
exists in the new Russia
, which is trying to field its first Olympic baseball team. Sparky reluctantly accepts an offer to move to Moscow to coach the players, many of whom don't even know the game's basic fundamentals. The players are predictably inept at first, but Sparky begins to learn the real joy in baseball is in the effort and the camaraderie.
An exhibition game ultimately is arranged in which Sparky and his young, eager Russians get to play against his old team, the Mariners.
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
. It was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
Tommy Lee Wallace
Tommy Lee Wallace is an American film producer, director and screenwriter.He is best known for directing Halloween III: Season of the Witch and It.-Early life:...
, written by Robert Rodat
Robert Rodat
Robert Rodat Robert Rodat Robert Rodat (born Keene, New Hampshire, 1953 is an American screenwriter. Best known for Saving Private Ryan (1998), Rodat also wrote The Comrades of Summer (1992), Tall Tale (1995), Fly Away Home with Vince McKewin (1996), and The Patriot (2000). He recently worked on...
and aired on HBO.
Plot
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
manager Sparky Smith is fired from his job with the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. His attitude has gotten him into trouble with George, the owner of the Mariners, and no other teams seem to want any part of him.
The Olympic Games are coming up, however, and a spirit of glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
exists in the new Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which is trying to field its first Olympic baseball team. Sparky reluctantly accepts an offer to move to Moscow to coach the players, many of whom don't even know the game's basic fundamentals. The players are predictably inept at first, but Sparky begins to learn the real joy in baseball is in the effort and the camaraderie.
An exhibition game ultimately is arranged in which Sparky and his young, eager Russians get to play against his old team, the Mariners.
Cast
- Joe MantegnaJoe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
as Sparky - Natalya NegodaNatalya NegodaNatalya Negoda is a Soviet and Russian actress probably best known for her portrayal of Vera in the film Malenkaya Vera .-Selected filmography:* Tomorrow Was the War * Little Vera...
as Tanya - Michael LernerMichael LernerMichael Lerner may refer to:*Michael Lerner *Michael Lerner , inventor of the Baby on Board signs*Michael Lerner *Michael Lerner , social activist...
as George - Mark RolstonMark Rolston-Career:Rolston played PFC M. Drake in Aliens , Hans in Lethal Weapon 2 , Stef in RoboCop 2 , Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption , J. Scar in Eraser , Chief Dennis Wilson in Daylight , Wayne Bryce in Hard Rain and Special Agent in Charge Warren Russ in Rush Hour...
as Voronov