Johnny Bench Movies

The game frequently cited as one of the most dramatic and exciting bouts in the history of Major League Baseball comes out of the archives and into the hands of fans everywhere as A&E Home Video and MLB team to bring home the very best of America's favorite pastime. With stellar performances by such MVP greats as Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster, and Joe Morgan, this is one game worth taking a second look at. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

On a baseball team not often cited for its great players, Ron Santo was a hero and a legend. As a third baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Santo played 14 seasons (1960 through 1974), made the All-Star team nine times, earned five Gold Gloves, and in 1965 became the team's youngest ever captain. While Santo was establishing himself as one of the Cub's greatest players, he was also hiding a secret -- in 1958, the same year Ron signed with the Cubs organization, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but refused to tell his fellow players or the team's physicians for fear of being bumped from the team. In 1971, as the Cubs celebrated Ron Santo Day at Wrigley Field, the baseball great finally went public with his condition, becoming a leading Midwest spokesman and fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In 1990, Santo renewed his association with the Chicago Cubs as a commentator for the team's home games on radio station WGN, and in 2003, he became one of only three Cubs players to have their number officially retired. This Old Cub is a documentary about Ron Santo's remarkable life and career, not only examining his years as a player and broadcaster, but his longtime struggle with the disease that has cost him a leg but has failed to break his spirit, and the crusade by fans and admirers to see Santo inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Noted Cubs enthusiasts Bill Murray, Dennis Franz, and Gary Sinese, and baseball legends Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Willie Mays, and Tommy Lasorda are interviewed onscreen; actor Joe Mantegna narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This program is part of a series that features the lives and careers of some of the greatest figures in sports history. This episode, hosted by Johnny Bench, presents stories of some of the 20th century's superstars from a variety of sports fields. The subjects range from baseball's Cy Young and Babe Ruth, to football's Johnny Unitas and Walter Payton. The feats of forgotten heroes, such as "Little Mo" and Patty Berg, share the stage with well-known stars, such as Arnold Palmer and Hank Aaron. Archival film clips, photographs, and interviews with fellow players, coaches, fans, friends, and family are used to relive the achievements of the past century's greatest sports legends. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

A seemingly benign nuclear arms treaty threatens to explode into another Cuban Missile Crisis. The IMF is assigned to squelch the treaty before any damage can be done. Their plan requires Paris to pose as both a fugitive and the fugitive's father--a tour de force that won an Emmy Award for makeup artist Bob Dawn. Familiar Mission:Impossible villains John Vernon and Will Kuluva make return appearances, while Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench makes his acting debut as a military guard. Written by Paul Playdon, "The Catafalque" was originally broadcast on February 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi