"Alcoa Premiere"-Flashing Spikes (1962) (TV)

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  • FLASHING SPIKES


    DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD
    PRODUCED BY FRANK BAUR
    AVASTA PRODUCIONS
    ABC TELEVISION



    Information from IMDb


    Plot Summary
    An old ballplayer, thrown out of baseball due to a bribery scandal,
    becomes friends with a young phenom.
    The younger player is at first tainted by his association with the oldtimer,
    but eventually the truth about the scandal is revealed.
    Summary written by Jim Beaver


    Episode Cast
    John Wayne .... Sergeant-Umpire in Korea
    James Stewart .... Slim Conway
    Patrick Wayne .... Bill Riley
    Tige Andrews .... Gabby Lasalle
    Larry J. Blake .... 1st Reporter
    Willis Bouchey .... Mayor
    Edgar Buchanan .... Crab Holman
    Whitey Campbell .... Player
    Harry Carey Jr. .... Player in Dugout
    Don Drysdale .... Gomer
    Earl Gilpin .... Player
    Bud Harden .... Player
    William Henry .... Commissioner's Assistant
    Stephanie Hill .... Mary Riley
    Sally Hughes .... Nurse
    Cy Malis .... Bit Man
    Charles Morton .... Umpire
    Art Passarella .... Umpire
    Walter Reed .... 2nd Reporter
    Bing Russell .... Hogan
    Vin Scully .... Announcer
    Charles Seel .... Judge
    Vern Stephens .... Player
    Ralph Volkie .... Player
    Jack Warden .... Commissioner
    Carleton Young .... Rex Short


    Writing Credits
    Jameson Brewer adaptation
    Frank O'Rourke novel


    Original Music
    John Williams (as Johnny T. Williams)


    Cinematography
    William H. Clothier


    Filming Location
    Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA


    Watch this Clip


    [extendedmedia]

    [/extendedmedia]

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 13 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Flashing Spikes is a 1962 teleplay directed by John Ford
    and starring James Stewart, with a lengthy surprise appearance by John Wayne,
    billed in the credits as "Michael Morris" (apparently based on Wayne's birth name "Marion Michael Morrison").
    The hour-long drama revolving around a disgraced ex-baseball player (Stewart)
    was broadcast as an episode of the anthology series Alcoa Premiere hosted by Fred Astaire.



    The script was based upon a novel by Frank O'Rourke
    and the supporting cast includes Jack Warden, Tige Andrews,
    Patrick Wayne, Don Drysdale, Vin Scully,
    Harry Carey, Jr., and Edgar Buchanan.
    The Director of Photography was William H. Clothier.



    This show's director John Ford, actors James Stewart and John Wayne,
    and cinematographer William H. Clothier
    also filmed The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance together the same year.


    Ford had also directed a half-hour baseball television drama shown on
    Screen Director's Playhouse in 1955 with an extremely similar theme,
    Rookie of the Year, also with Patrick Wayne
    as the phenomenal young player but with his father John Wayne,
    Vera Miles, and Ward Bond in the leads, all of whom Ford
    would direct in The Searchers the following year.

    Flashing Spikes remains available for public viewing at the
    Paley Center for Media in New York City and Los Angeles.


    I do not have a copy of this, and there is very,
    little information, in any reference books.
    If you have seen or have a copy of this screening,
    please let us know,
    thanks.


    User Review

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 3 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • We do own this movie, as well as Rookie of the Year.


    Having discussed them in a much earlier thread, I'll just give the link so you can read all the thread has to offer (the LINK will be directly to my post in the thread, as it is relavent to the topic at hand).


    Make sure to go to page 2 of the thread, where we tell about receiving the tape, and how it was :D .


    HERE'S another link, for an additional thread with comments about the show Flashing Spikes.


    Here's one more post with mention of Flashing Spikes.


    It's been at least a couple of years since we watched either film, so I don't have a particular memory of them except that we enjoyed them. I wanted to pull them out last year, around the time of the World Series, but never got around to it.


    As with some other more obsure Duke offerings, we think these are worth obtaining and watching, and are a reasonable (and enjoyable) part of any John Wayne collection.


    Chester :newyear:


  • Thanks Jim, and Mrs. Chester,


    And here is your thread,in its full glory, thanks for the link,
    and once again, it's good to get all these discussions, under one roof,
    I'll post this in ROOKIE OF THE YEAR,as well,
    being that it's relevant to both!


    Best Wishes,

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • FLASHING SPIKES


    Flashing Spikes
    by Quentin Turnour


    Quentin Turnour is a Melbourne-based freelance writer, researcher, curator and occasional lecturer in Cinema, with a special interest in Australian Cinema. He is also co-curator of the Melbourne Cinémathèque.

    Quote

    Things turn ugly in a small town when one of a barnstorming team of veteran baseballers is recognised as Slim Conway (Jimmy Stewart), a notorious, now banned star once at the centre of a Major League bribery scandal. Riley, the star of the local high school team (Pat Wayne again) is at first spiteful, inflicting Conway with baseball's ultimate insult (a favourite of Ty Cobb's) – “spiking” him with upturned baseball cleats. Yet they develop a friendship beyond the game. Conway mentors, Riley rises to brilliance and, quickly, he's playing in the World Series. Then celebrity sports columnist Rex Short (Carleton Young) spies the two together in a stadium car-park and accuses Riley of taking a bribe from Conway. “Once a crook, always a crook…” observes one of the trilby-topped gentlemen of the sports-press, as so often in Ford loitering about the hearing in a bilious chorus. But there is redemption. The “bribe” is revealed to be a map to Conway's Florida fishing spot, Rex Short is discredited and Conway vindicated in a lasting sense, as it is revealed that his banning was the result of perjured testimony.


    Quote

    Author;-Tony,sandiegofamilyr: from San Diego, California.From IMdb
    This is such a great piece of television history that has all but been forgotten. It is the only thing that John Ford ever directed for television! It is 50 minutes of fun starring Jimmy Stewart, Tige Andrews, Jack Warden and a whole list of others including a cameo by John Wayne. Fred Astaire was in it too and narrated it. Baseball legends Don Drysdale, Vin Scully and Harry Carry Jr. were also in it.


    It is a fun tangential story about the famous incident in baseball history that "almost destroyed the game of baseball." One of the players who was accused of throwing a world series (Jimmy Stewart, playing Slim Conway) is banned from all baseball stadiums in America! He still loves baseball and played on a team called the wanderers who went around playing other minor league teams. He meets and befriends Bill Riley (Patrick Wayne). He likes his potential and tells the famous Gabby La Salle (Tige Andrews) to give him a chance in spring training.


    Gabby is the flamboyant, once player now manager who is characterized after a famous Giants manager. The season is interrupted by the war, and gets back on track after. Find out what really happenned with one of baseball's biggest controversies as this tangential story enfolds. A great, great show


    Here's at least 2 reviews, about the film.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • Mike,


    My link, in the post just previous to yours, is still good . . . it is ONLY on VHS, as near as I can tell, but I must say that we really enjoyed both movies that are on the cassette. I think the price is quite reasonable, and the shows are worthy of being in a John Wayne collection.


    As near as I can tell, neither title is available commercially on DVD.


    Chester :newyear:

  • Hi

    i don't know if its available in the States but I have a DVD copy of Rookie of the Year and Flashing Spike. I got it from the Film Society and its a Sherwood Video Release.
    Thinking about it I think this must be The John Wayne Film Society own company although I could be wrong.

    The reasons for this are the Societies headquarters are in Sutton in Asfield which is by Mansfield and Nottingham which is also around Sherwood Forest - hence a Sherwood release. perhaps Kieth has more information on this.

    Regards

    Arthur

    Walk Tall - Talk Low

  • Many thanks for putting these two films on the site, I was completely ignorant of John Wayne's involvement in either of them. I will be looking forward to finding copies and viewing the films. Thanks again.

    Roger.

  • I am completely unfamiliar with this program. Could anyone tell me what this TV show was about. I have found no information on this at all. I'm not particularly interested in Duke's role on this but the overall concept of the show.

    Cheers :cool: Hondo



    Quote

    "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"

    - John Wayne quote

  • I am completely unfamiliar with this program. Could anyone tell me what this TV show was about. I have found no information on this at all. I'm not particularly interested in Duke's role on this but the overall concept of the show.

    Cheers :cool: Hondo


    Mike,
    As I mentioned in the opening post,
    it's very difficult to find anything about this one.
    I only found the picture last month,
    considering how long ago I made the thread!!

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().