Question: At the end of the movie, it shows Benny managing to steal home, being called safe, the catcher arguing that Benny was out and the umpire saying Benny was safe. In slow motion, it shows the catcher catching the ball and tagging Benny as he slides into home so why wasn't Benny called out?
Answer: The catcher tags Benny on the chest after he touches home plate with his left hand. Safe.
Answer: The film shows Benny beating the tag. Although the ball gets there before Benny, the catcher tags Benny a split second after his hand touches home plate.
Question: Benny gave a hat to Smalls to replace the fish hat. What team and what year was the hat?
Answer: It's a blue hat with a yellow/gold capitol "C" for the logo, which doesn't correspond to any major league teams. It could be a minor league or school team hat. Benny refers to it as his "old" hat, so he may have replaced it with the Dodgers hat he's wearing.
Question: Why do they all refer to Scott by his last name?
Answer: It's pretty common to use someone's last name as a sort of nickname, especially if the last name is fun to say like "Smalls."
Question: Is the dog's owner blind, or does he just have dark glasses? I'm asking because he said that he could have gone out to the yard and gotten the boys' ball if they had asked him, but how could he find it if he was blind?
Answer: Yes he was blind but he probably would have had one of them come with him to find it. He was just a little annoyed that they didn't just come to the front door and ask, they broke into his backyard.
Answer: Mr. Myrtle even explains that during a game a high fastball hit him in the head and he immediately went blind.
Question: Can a lifeguard legally throw a kid out of the pool like Wendy did to Squints after he kissed her?
Answer: Absolutely. In addition to having to administer life-saving measures, the lifeguard on duty at a public pool is also responsible for maintaining order. A kid purposefully diving into the deep end of the pool and pretending to drown just so he could kiss the lifeguard puts himself and others at risk. Anyone who doesn't abide by the pool rules can be kicked out by the lifeguard with no warning needed at all.
Answer: I would add to the other answer that inappropriately touching or kissing another person without their consent is an illegal act, giving the lifeguard the legal right to expel anyone.
I appreciate the answer, but the movie takes place in the 1960s. As much as I agree with you, that sadly wasn't the way things were then.
Even though it was the 1960s, it would still be illegal to touch, grope, or kiss someone without their permission. It would be considered a technical physical assault. Unfortunately, in that era, it was taken less seriously than it is now and the consequences were minor (i.e. a stern warning) to non-existent. The lifeguard was in the position of power at the pool, however, and she had the authority to eject anyone for that type of behavior.
Not in the 1960s. It was just a kiss from a little kid. It was embarrassing, not illegal.
Question: I know the pool was a busy one when filmmakers shot the pool scene, but how were they able to get permission to get in and get all those extras in the film?
Answer: The filmmakers would have rented out the entire pool and closed it off to the public. This movie was filmed in Utah, and many businesses in Utah, at least at the time the film was made, were closed on Sundays, so it's possible they rented out the pool on a day that there was no business being conducted anyway. I believe this was all done in one day, because I attended a panel with Patrick Renna at a convention in 2019, and he mentioned the day they filmed at the pool wasn't particularly warm.
Question: Why did Wendy just wave at Squints instead of getting up and walking over to the fence to talk to him?
Question: Why did Mr Mertle invite them into his house? Given how they just made all that noise and took down his fence.
Chosen answer: Because he was a nice guy. He also maybe wanted to talk more about baseball since he probably has no one else. He even says it "Let's talk about this ball".
Question: At the start Smalls said he was from another state and didn't have a single friend in a thousand miles. Did that mean he never had any friends even before he moved?
Chosen answer: The line implies that Smalls had friends but he lives nowhere near them anymore. If he never had any friends at all before he would have said so.
Question: Why didn't Benny laugh at Smalls at the start like the others right after Smalls said that his life was over? And why did Benny make Smalls come play with them after how he saw he wasn't good at it, even if he did make a whole team when they could get anyone else?
Chosen answer: Benny is more empathetic towards Smalls than the others initially are since, as a game, baseball is meant to be more about having fun than winning or losing. Inviting Smalls to join their ragtag team, even with his poor performance, is Benny's attempt to build Smalls' self-esteem and confidence in himself.
Question: Is it just me or is Philips on the verge of tears after Ham says he plays ball like a girl?
Answer: Yes, he is on the verge of tears. His voice cracks as well. This is a joke, telling a boy they play like a girl is insulting and the film exaggerates this for a good laugh.
Question: Why did Wendy ban all the gang when only Squints pulled the kiss on her, and they didn't know about it?
Answer: As far as Wendy is concerned the whole gang is a bunch of miscreants, since they associate with Squints. She doesn't really care if it's fair to ban them all.
Question: Why did Wendy smile and waved at Squints after she threw him out of the pool?
Answer: Although she was initially offended that Squints grabbed her and kissed her, after she had a moment to think about it she likely found his actions brave and kind of sweet.
Answer: She does like him a little bit. They ended up getting married, after all.
Answer: The umpire got the call wrong in that case. It happens all the time in real life. It wasn't allowed back then, but now Major League Baseball and other sports leagues will use instant replay to make sure they get close calls right.
Phaneron ★