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Angels in the Outfield (franchise)

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Angels in the Outfield
Official franchise logo, as released in 1996.
Based onOriginal story by
David Mickey Evans
Richard Conlin
StarringVarious
(See list below)
Distributed by
Release date
1951–2000
CountryUnited States
Budget$32,081,000 (2 films)
Box office$19,821,831 (2 films)[a]

The Angels in the Outfield franchise consists of American comedy-sports films, centered around the premise and original story written by Richard Conlin. The series of films include the 1951 original film, a 1994 remake and its two made-for-television sequels which were subsequently released straight-to-home video. Each installment depicts the fictional events of struggling sports teams, who receive help from heavenly messengers, and ultimately overcome their pitfalls. The sporting events depicted in the films, include Major League Baseball and High School Football. The plot depicts the development of character and spiritual growth, that comes with the help of angels.

The critical response for the original film, and its remake received mixed-to-positive and a less-than-positive response from critics, respectively. The latter's following two sequels, were met with poor critical reception. Despite this, the 1951 release is regarded as a classic film,[1][2] while Angels in the Outfield (1994) has subsequently gained a cult childhood classic status,[3] and is ranked No. 9 on The Wrap's list of the twenty highest-grossing movies based on baseball.[4]

Films

[edit]
Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Angels in the Outfield October 19, 1951 (1951-10-19) Clarence Brown Dorothy Kingsley & George Wells Richard Conlin Clarence Brown
Angels in the Outfield July 15, 1994 (1994-07-15) William Dear Holly Goldberg Sloan Irby Smith, Joe Roth and Roger Birnbaum
Angels in the Endzone November 9, 1997 (1997-11-09) Gary Nadeau Alan Eisenstock & Larry Mintz Richard L. O'Connor
Angels in the Infield April 9, 2000 (2000-04-09) Robert King Robert King & Garrett K. Shiff Holly Goldberg Sloan & Robert King Fitch Cady

Angels in the Outfield (1951)

[edit]

A newspaper reporter name Jennifer Paige investigates the MLB Pittsburgh Pirates' losing streak. The progress of the team is at a stand still, led by field manager "Guffy" McGovern, whose swearing and fighting further hinder their potential. An orphan named Bridget White has been praying for the team in the meantime. Her pleas are answered, when the voice of an angel urges McGovern to be kinder. In doing so, the angelic voice promises to help the Pirates finally win. During the playoffs the manager's temper is further tested, but McGovern seeks to help his team by keeping his promise with the heavenly messenger.

Angels in the Outfield (1994)

[edit]

A foster-kid Roger Bomman loves the MLB California Angels, though they continue to be the worst team in the league. His estranged birth-father flippantly promises to reunite the family if the Angels make it to the World Series, with no intention of doing so. Roger resolves to ask God for some divine help, and prays that the team can turn things around. Soon thereafter, an angel from heaven named Al descends in response to the boy's plea and agrees to help the team so that the Roger can regain a family. California's hopeless coach, George Knox, is surprised when he sees he's team on achieve victory. Knox is not amused when Roger tells him the truth, that messengers from heaven are assist the team. When the team miraculously reaches the finals of the World Series, Knox begins to believe in the heavenly aid. Roger's father never returns to retrieve him. With Knox's job on the line, the urgency of the matter intensifies when the team struggles in the early innings of the final game. Together they learn that the spirits cannot and will not help the team in the last game of the Series, and hope for the team to rise above its follies.

Angels in the Endzone (1997)

[edit]

The Westfield High School Angels football team have yet to win a game, in the last decade. Jesse Harper the team's halfback is a rising star, and gives the team hope in the upcoming season. This changes when after a severe rainstorm, Jesse's father dies in a motor vehicle accident. Saddened by these events, Jesse quits the team. Realizing that football gave Jesse purpose and motivation, his younger brother Kevin prays for help. Al the Angel returns to again to help the family with their loss, specifically focusing on Jesse. The angel assists the team in ending their losing streak, and seeks to change the lives of these brothers who suffer and struggle at the loss of their father.

Angels in the Infield (2000)

[edit]

A past their prime MLB Anaheim Angels Pitcher named Eddie "Steady" Everett, makes a mistake when pitching to Randy Fleck in the crucial game of a series against the Boston Red Sox. Following these events, he threw away both his career and his personal life. In the process, he loses his family. Though his wife divorces him, his young daughter named Laurel still believes in him. After asking in prayer that God's help find her father, her personal guardian angel named Bob descends from heaven to help the family. Bob "Bungler" Bugler, a former MLB Pitcher himself, seeks to restore the confidence in Everett, help him recover from his career slump, assist the Anaheim Angels in regaining their winnings, and solve Laurel's struggles in ballet. After helping Eddie retain his position right as he was about to be cut from the roster, the team proceeds to attain an incredible winning streak. As the season ends, the Anaheim Angels are forced to play a single-elimination tournament in a postseason game against their rivals: the Arizona Crimson Devils. Though the heavenly messengers cannot and will not help the baseball team win the final game, the devil strikes a deal with the Crimson Devil's rising star, Randy Fleck. When the game is delayed due to rain Everett, who has come to value his relationship with his family, leaves to attend Laurel's ballet performance. Upon returning to the game, Everett finds that his team is losing 2–0. Knowing that the angelic team won't be assisting Anaheim's ball game, Everett feels lost and asks God what is to be done. On the Pitcher's mound, Bob whispers into his ear that Everett's angel is with him just as his ex-wife arrives to the game to support him. He realizes his family is most important, and finds strength within to continue the game.

Main cast and characters

[edit]
List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Character Film
Angels in the Outfield
(1951)
Angels in the Outfield
(1994)
Angels in the Endzone Angels in the Infield
Principal cast
Archangel Gabriel James WhitmoreV  
Aloysius X. "Guffy" McGovern
Pitsburg Pirates Manager
Paul Douglas  
Jennifer Paige-McGovern Janet Leigh  
Bridget White-McGovern Donna Corcoran  
Al "The Boss Angel"   Christopher Lloyd  
George Knox
California Angels Manager
  Danny Glover  
Roger Bomman-Knox   Joseph Gordon-Levitt  
J.P. Knox   Milton Davis, Jr.  
Maggie Nelson   Brenda Fricker  
Jesse Harper
Westfield High School Angels Halfback
  Matthew Lawrence  
Kevin Harper   David Gallagher  
Peter Harper   Jack Coleman  
Grace Harper   Lynda Boyd  
Bob "Bungler" Bugler   David Alan Grier
Eddie "Steady" Everett
Anaheim Angels Pitcher
  Patrick Warburton
Laurel Everett   Brittney Irvin
Claire Everett   Rebecca Jenkins
Supporting cast
Mel Clark
California Angels Pitcher
  Tony Danza  
Whitt Bass
California Angels Pitcher
  Neal McDonough  
Frank Gates
California Angels Pitcher
  Robert Clohessy  
Abascal
California Angels First baseman
  Mitchell Page  
José Martínez
California Angels Second baseman
  Israel Juarbe  
Ray Mitchell
California Angels Third baseman
  Stoney Jackson  
Triscuitt Messmer
California Angels Catcher
  Tony Longo  
Pablo García
California Angels Shortstop
  Albert García  
Danny Hemmerling
California Angels Teammate
  Adrien Brody  
Ben Williams
California Angels Center fielder
  Matthew McConaughey  
Randy Fleck
Arizona Crimson Devils Player
  Duane Davis
The Devil   Colin Fox

Additional crew and production details

[edit]
Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer Editor Production
companies
Distributing
companies
Running time
Angels in the Outfield
(1951)
Daniele Amfitheatrof Paul C. Vogel Robert J. Kern Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Loew's Incorporated
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1hr 39mins
Angels in the Outfield
(1994)
Randy Edelman Matthew F. Leonetti Bruce Green Walt Disney Pictures,
Caravan Pictures
Buena Vista Pictures 1hr 42mins
Angels in the Endzone Frédéric Talgorn Ron Orieux Jeff Freeman Walt Disney Television,
Arts & Leisure Corporation,
Endzone Productions
Buena Vista Television,
American Broadcasting Company
1hr 30mins
Angels in the Infield Ira Newborn James Gardner Corky Ehlers Walt Disney Television,
Roger Birnbaum Productions
1hr 29mins

Reception

[edit]

Box office and financial performance

[edit]
Film Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Worldwide
Net income
Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America
All time
worldwide
Angels in the Outfield (1951) information unavailable $1,666,000 information unavailable information unavailable $1,081,000 $585,000 [5][6]
Angels in the Outfield (1994) $50,236,831 $50,236,831 #1,734 #2,755 $31,000,000 $19,236,831 [7][8][9]
Angels in the Endzone information unavailable
Angels in the Infield information unavailable

Critical response

[edit]
Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Angels in the Outfield (1951)
Angels in the Outfield (1994) 33% (21 reviews)[10] 44 (24 reviews)[11]
Angels in the Endzone
Angels in the Infield

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ These figures are based on the available numbers for the theatrical films. Though there are a total four feature-length movies, there is no financial information publicly available for the made-for-television installments.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "'Angels in the Outfield' still resonates as classic baseball movie with dose of religion". cleveland. July 20, 2013.
  2. ^ "Facts about 'Angels in the Outfield': Classic Movie Hub (CMH)". Classic Movie Hub – CMH.
  3. ^ "Top 6 Home Runs From Angels in the Outfield". May 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "The 20 Highest Grossing Baseball Movies (Photos)". March 28, 2019.
  5. ^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study
  6. ^ "Angels in the Outfield". Box Office Mojo.
  7. ^ "Angels in the Outfield". Box Office Mojo.
  8. ^ "Angels in the Outfield (1994) – Financial Information". The Numbers.
  9. ^ "Angels in the Outfield | PowerGrid". July 31, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017.
  10. ^ "Angels in the Outfield (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  11. ^ "Angels in the Outfield". Metacritic.