Plot: Hank Greenberg was baseball’s first Jewish star, a Hall of Famer who chased down and very nearly broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1938.
But as he became an American icon and a beacon for the country’s Jewish population, Greenberg faced anti-Semitism and religious prejudice on and off the field.
What the critics said: “This unabashed valentine by Aviva Kempner to baseball’s Hall of Fame slugger demonstrates how little mankind and some of its sports figures have advanced since the 1930′s and 40′s and reminds us how the persistence of bigotry stains a nation founded on ideals like religious tolerance.” (Lawrence van Gelder, New York Times)
Random YouTube comment: “There should be and we need more Hank Greenbergs.” (BobbyDelRiv)
Sports Film of the Week: The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg
Title: The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg
Released: 1998
Director: Aviva Kempner
Plot: Hank Greenberg was baseball’s first Jewish star, a Hall of Famer who chased down and very nearly broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1938.
But as he became an American icon and a beacon for the country’s Jewish population, Greenberg faced anti-Semitism and religious prejudice on and off the field.
What the critics said: “This unabashed valentine by Aviva Kempner to baseball’s Hall of Fame slugger demonstrates how little mankind and some of its sports figures have advanced since the 1930′s and 40′s and reminds us how the persistence of bigotry stains a nation founded on ideals like religious tolerance.” (Lawrence van Gelder, New York Times)
Random YouTube comment: “There should be and we need more Hank Greenbergs.” (BobbyDelRiv)
See more of our Sports Film of the Week series here >
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Baseball Hank Greenberg Reel stories Sports Documentary Sports Film of the Week