Bang the Drum Slowly **** (1973, Michael Moriarty, Robert De Niro, Vincent Gardenia) – Classic Movie Review 9548

Director John D Hancock’s 1973 sports drama Bang the Drum Slowly stars young Robert De Niro giving a moving performance as mentally simple Bruce the catcher, a New York baseball player dying of Hodgkin’s disease, who wants to enjoy his play for one last season.

Michael Moriarty also impresses as his team chum Henry Wiggen (Author to his friends), in Hancock’s poignant, amusing and highly emotionally charged film of the novel by Mark Harris, who writes his own screenplay. Canny star pitcher Author is the only man on the team who knows of Bruce’s illness, and Author intends to look after Bruce for his final season.

Vincent Gardenia was Oscar nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film’s third notable performance as their manager, Dutch.

Also in the cast are Phil Foster as Joe, Ann Wedgeworth as Bruce’s opportunistic girlfriend Katie, Danny Aiello as Horse, Nicolas Surovy, Patrick McVey as Bruce’s Father, Barbara Babcock as Team Owner, Maurice Rosenfield as Team Owner, Heather MacRae as Holly, Selma Diamond as Tootsie, Barton Heyman, Hector Elias as Diego, Andy Jarrell, Marshall Efron, Donny Burks and Tom Ligon as Piney.

Bang the Drum Slowly is directed by John Hancock, runs 97 minutes, is made by ANJS, Dibs Partnership and Paramount Pictures, is released by Paramount, is written by Mark Harris, is shot by Richard Shore, is produced by Maurice Rosenfield and Lois Rosenfield, and is scored by Stephen Lawrence, with Production Design by Robert Gundlach.

Veteran actor Danny Aiello died on 12 December 2019. The Moonstruck and Do the Right Thing star was 86. Robert De Niro mourned the death of his former co-star Danny Aiello: ‘See You in Heaven’.

The title is not about Ringo Starr when he’s 64 but in fact is a reference to the song ‘Streets of Laredo’, in which a dying cowboy sings: ‘Oh, beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly, And play the dead march as you carry me along.’

‘Streets of Laredo (The Cowboy’s Lament)’ is performed by Tom Ligon. ‘Bang the Drum Slowly’ has music by Stephen Lawrence and lyrics by Bruce Hart.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9548

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