Ball Four is an American sitcom that aired on CBS in 1976. The series is inspired by the 1970 book of the same name by Jim Bouton. Bouton co-created the show with humorist and television critic Marvin Kitman and sportswriter Vic Ziegel. Bouton also starred in the series.[1]
| Ball Four | |
|---|---|
 Jim Bouton (left) as Jim Barton and Ben Davidson as 'Rhino' Rhinelander in the pilot episode | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Based on | Ball Four by Jim Bouton |
| Developed by | Jim Bouton Marvin Kitman Vic Ziegel |
| Starring | Jim Bouton Ben Davidson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Time-Life Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 22 – October 27, 1976 |
Ball Four followed the Washington Americans, a fictitious minor league baseball team, dealing with the fallout from a series of Sports Illustrated articles written by Americans player Jim Barton (Bouton).[2] Like the book, the series covered controversial subjects including womanizing players, drug use, homosexuality in sports, and religion.[3] The series included a gay rookie ballplayer, one of the earliest regular gay characters on television.[4] The trio began developing the series in 1975, looking to other series like M*A*S*H and All in the Family as models. CBS expressed interest and the creative team developed a script. CBS shot the pilot episode and ultimately bought the series.[2]
Ball Four aired at 8:30 PM Eastern time, which was during the Family Viewing Hour, an FCC-mandated hour of early evening "family-friendly" broadcasting. Consequently, the writers had some trouble with the network's Standards and Practices in their attempt to portray realistic locker room scenes, especially the language used by the players. Pseudo-profanity such as "bullpimp" was disallowed, while "horse-crock" and "bullhorse" were approved.[2]
Ball Four debuted on September 22. While Bouton and other members of the cast received praise for their performances, critics found the series uneven in quality.[1][2] CBS canceled the show after only five episodes.
Cast
edit- Jim Bouton as Jim Barton
- Jack Somack as 'Cap' Capogrosso
- David James Carroll as Bill Westlake
- Ben Davidson as 'Rhino' Rhinelander
- Bill McCutcheon as Coach Pinky Pinkney
- Lenny Schultz as Lenny 'Birdman' Siegel
- Marco St. John as Rayford Plunkett
- Jaime Tirelli as Orlando Lopez
- Samuel E. Wright as C. B. Travis
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Work in Progress" | Jay Sandrich | Greg Antonacci and Marvin Kitman | September 22, 1976 |
| 2 | "The Unpractical Joke" | Unknown | Unknown | September 29, 1976 |
| 3 | "High-Flying Rookie" | Unknown | Unknown | October 13, 1976 |
| 4 | "A Quiet Day at the Iroquois Hotel" | Unknown | Unknown | October 20, 1976 |
| 5 | "What's a Nice Watch Like You Doing in a Place Like This?" | Unknown | Unknown | October 27, 1976 |
| 6 | "Rookie in Love" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED |
| 7 | "Closet-Phobia" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED |
Notes
edit- ^ a b Sharbutt, Jay (September 22, 1976). "Ball Four Falls Off Mound". Sarasota Journal. Associated Press. p. 16C. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Ludtke, Melissa (September 27, 1976). "Two Strikes On 'Ball Four'". Sports Illustrated. p. 38. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ "Bouton Stars In Series Created From His Book". Sarasota Journal. July 12, 1976. p. 5D. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ Frutkin, Alan; Gerry Kroll (August 20, 1996). "Gays on the tube". The Advocate. p. 12. Retrieved September 4, 2010.