Signs of the Time is a 60-minute
documentary on the origin of hand signals in
baseball. There are several myths in regards to how
signals were started, and the film helps to address some of the
mysteries that led to umpires giving hand-signals to call plays in
the field, base coaches to relay hand signals to players on the
field, and catchers to relay hand signals to pitchers.
Plot
Baseball of the 19th century was America's most popular spectator
sport. Professional teams like the 1889
Brooklyn Bridegrooms drew nearly a half
a million fans per season. In watching some of the earliest known
games, there was presence of thousands of fans, but no benefit of
the signals on the diamond to allow the spectators to know what was
happening on the field. There were no signals for strike, safe, out
or foul and no announcer to interpret the game. Prior to the
invention of baseball signs, the only signal was the umpire's
voice, consumed by the roar of thousands of excited fans. Signs of
the Time explores the origins of this pivotal innovation and the
baseball pioneers that changed the course of the game and
history.
Several have laid claim to the signs and signals that have so
profoundly influenced America's game but only two deserve
consideration.
The first is William
Klem, the most significant umpire of the
last century and the first to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame
. He spent nearly forty years in professional
baseball from 1905 to 1942, influencing many of the greatest
legends of the game. He was well known for his authoritative style
behind the plate and his boastful demeanor in public.
The second man was
William "Dummy" Hoy,
who since the age of two, was profoundly
deaf
and unable to speak. Hoy was drafted by the professional
Oshkosh Baseball Club in 1886. Through
his career from 1886-1903, Hoy was admired by his teammates,
revered by the fans, and became the most celebrated deaf player in
the history of big-league baseball.
Both of these unique men made significant contributions to the game
and each has laid claim to the signs of baseball. But like the
origins of the game itself, the genesis of baseball's greatest
innovation is steeped in legend and fraught with polarizing
opinions.
Signs of the Time is a dynamic story of triumph
over adversity that exposes the myths and mysteries of the game
with fascinating anecdotes of the past, historically accurate
depictions of early baseball and interviews with the most
influential names of the game. The signs of baseball today
influence the way we view America's game, and also how we view our
culture.
Cast & Crew
Cast/Crew |
Role |
Don Casper |
Director |
Ray Manard |
Exec. Producer, Cinematographer, Editor |
Caroline Manard |
Exec. Producer, Computer Graphic Artist, Animator |
Jim Hughes |
Producer, Screenwriter |
Richard Dreyfuss |
Narrator |
Bob Feller |
himself (former Cleveland Indians player) |
Brooks Robinson |
himself (former Baltimore Orioles player) |
Earl Weaver |
himself (former Baltimore Orioles manager) |
Larry Barnett |
himself (umpire) |
Jim Evans |
himself (umpire) |
Danny Litwhiler |
himself (former MLB player and developer of diamond grit and
the JUGS radar gun) |
Bobby Bragan |
himself (former MLB player and Texas League president) |
Fred Lynn |
himself (former Boston Red Sox player) |
Ken Singleton |
himself (former MLB player) |
Bill Werber |
himself (former MLB player) |
Greg Short |
Visual Effects Supervisor |
Rob LaVaque |
Composer & Sound Designer |
Eric McMaster |
Director of Photography |
Crystal Pix |
Production Company |
Release Date & Location
A private
cast, crew and media screening will be held August 23, 2008 at the
George Eastman
House
in Rochester, New York.[690100]
Public film release is expected Fall of 2008.
External links
References
- Champagne, Denise M. "Fairport company hopes to hit a homer with
film", Fairport-ER Post, August
25, 2008.
- Mandelaro, Jim. "Fairport-produced film probes local connection to
baseball's hand signals", Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle, August 13, 2008.
- Massing, Dana. "Field of scenes: Crew uses Erie park, residents to
film baseball documentary", Erie Times-News, August 27, 2007.
- Pitoniak, Scott. "Local Filmmakers explore origin of umpires' hand
signals", Rochester Democrat and Chronical, October 24, 2006.