Skokie Theatre to Screen ‘Jews and Baseball’

Peter Miller’s 2010 documentary, Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, is many things at once: a championing of traditions, a subversion of stereotypes, a chronicle of immigration and assimilation, and a greatest hits reel of America’s most beloved sport.

Skokie moviegoers will have at least one opportunity to view the picture when it premieres this weekend at the Skokie Theatre.

Even the most hardcore baseball fans may be surprised to learn from Miller’s film that roughly 160 players in the major leagues were Jewish and they included some of the most spectacular talents in sports history. During the film’s brisk 90-minute run time, Miller highlights key players over the last century. He delves into their psyches through the use of archival footage and candid interviews.

After making the festival rounds, the film has found new life on DVD courtesy of Seventh Art Releasing, but now Skokie Theatre manager Al Curtis is offering the opportunity for sports buffs of all ages to view the priceless footage on the big screen.

“The film is well done. It’s a great piece of business,” said Curtis. “You have so many icons in this film. I may have made a mistake scheduling it for Father’s Day, and I’ll probably end up showing the film again because I think there’s an audience for it in the North Shore. I think it will show [local audiences] the value of documentaries.”

Miller’s film may be an independent production, but it’s practically bursting with prestige. The script was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Ira Berkow and the narration was delivered by Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman. Among the baseball fans on hand to recount their memories are familiar faces such as TV legend Larry King, The Boys of Summer author Roger Khan and actor-director Ron Howard, who recalls his astonishment upon discovering that his salary on The Andy Griffith Show was higher than that of master pitcher Sandy Koufax during his prime.

Koufax himself sits down for a rare interview where he discusses his extraordinary “economy of motion,” as well as his decision not to play on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. This decision was shared by his predecessor, Detroit Tigers’ first baseman Hank Greenberg, one of many landmark players who drowned out catcalls of anti-Semitism by inspiring the crowd to roar in elation.

Al Rosen, Yogi Berra, Elliott Maddox, Ron Blomberg and Skokie resident Marv Rotblatt are among the dozens of people who share memorable insights.

Glen Roter, a financial adviser at the Edward Jones office in Skokie, first discovered the film after viewing it at his synagogue in Northbrook, and brought it to the attention of Curtis.

“I just thought it was something unique,” Roter said. “It has a lot of history in it and I thought it was something that might work at the Skokie Theatre.”

After the Cavalcade of Music Foundation transformed the vintage venue from a one-screen movie house into a concert hall in the spring of 2005, Curtis has aimed to book all sorts of events, from film screenings to educational camps to civil unions. The screen has even enhanced musical acts by projecting images that correlate with the onstage performances, such as Elvis Presley footage designed to accompany an impersonator.

“I believe [the theater] has to have an eclectic mix of programming,” said Curtis. “I also believe that ticket prices have to be kept down. I’m not a big believer in ticket prices over $25.

"During my 45 years in the business, I’ve seen Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante and Tony Bennett in nightclub acts where they were performing right on top of the audience. I personally don’t like paying to see one guy perform in a 20,000-seat theater," he said. "So I ask my performers to work on visuals as well. If audiences have something to watch in addition to your singing, it makes for a marvelous show.”

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story will screen at 2 p.m.  June 19 at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, call the theater at 847-677-7761 or send an e-mail to info@skokietheatre.com.