The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)

Directed by

Aviva Kempner

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rating

6.2 of 10 from 10 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary tells the story of Hank Greenberg, a Jewish baseball star for the Detroit Tigers who faced antisemitism and served in World War II. It shows how he balanced his faith and career, and how he supported Jackie Robinson in breaking baseball's color barrier.

informativeaffectionatenostalgicupliftingrespectfulpersonalinspiringbittersweet

What happens

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a 1998 documentary film written, directed, and produced by Aviva Kempner about Hank Greenberg, first baseman of the Detroit Tigers, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A Jewish player who chose not to play on Yom Kippur in 1934 during a heated pennant race, Greenberg had to face a great deal of antisemitism. In 1938 he nearly broke Babe Ruth's 60 home run record by hitting 58 home runs. Like many players of the era, Greenberg had his career interrupted by military service during World War II. Initially, Greenberg was classified as unfit for service due to flat feet. However, upon re-examination, he was cleared. Before Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Congress had released men over age 28. After the attack, Greenberg immediately reenlisted in the United States Army Air Forces. In 1947, Greenberg, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and playing his final season, was one of the few ballplayers to give a warm welcome to Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson, the majors' first black player in many years. Robinson later said, "Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg". (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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