Customer Reviews

Boys of Summer [VHS]

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If you were ever a Brooklyn Dodgers fan or a current Dodgers fan who would like to trace the ancestry of the Dodgers, you must see this video. Arguably the greatest Dodger teams in history and perhaps the greatest teams of all time, the Dodgers of the late 40's through mid 1950's are shown in all their glory in victory and defeat. The Brooklyn Dodgers were unique and this film captures that quality.

"The Boys of Summer" is a poem by Dylan Thomas, but the phrase is far more famous as the moniker of the "Jackie Robinson Dodgers," that iteration of the Brooklyn Dodgers who played in Ebbets Field from 1947 to 1956. Prior to 1947, the Dodgers were an unexceptional team. Shortly after 1956, they slipped into legend, when owner Walter O'Malley moved the team to Los Angeles for the 1958 season, ending an era in Brooklyn.

During the Robinson Era, the team remained surprisingly stable, and extraordinarily competitive, but, as this film shows, what happened on the field was only a fraction of what made the team special.

A film adaptation of The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn, this documentary, hosted by comedian Sid Caesar, a Brooklyn boy and lifelong Brooklyn Dodgers fan, dates from 1983. While it discusses the exploits of the team in their grandest era, THE BOYS OF SUMMER focuses more importantly on the team members' lives since the end of The Era.

Time has not been kind to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Of all the men profiled in the film, only pitchers Preacher Roe and Carl Erskine and Center Fielder Duke Snider are still with us as of 2008. Destiny treated them more evenhandedly. Some struggled after their Major League careers, but most lived lives of quiet contentment, and appear to have been men of surprising depth and thoughtfulness.

This film is an absolute necessity for any Brooklyn Dodger fan. Unfortunately, it is not available on DVD and is only to be purchased through limited outlets> It is a joy to watch.

When I was young I was a great fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. This video portrays each player at their best. What a team. I was truly sorry when they left New York. The team is no where near the Great Brooklyn Team.

The VHS Tape was very good. What was advertised WAS DELIVERED.
To the tape itself, if you are a baseball fan, especially an
"old" Brooklyn Dodger fan you will love this tape.
It is a video documentary based on the book of the same name
by the well known sportswriter, Roger Kahn. Interviews with
the actual players,with inserts of the actual action of the 1950s.
Well done.
John Mesko
Yorba Linda, Ca.

Narrated by Sid Caesar (famous comedian but a Brooklyn Dodger fan himself) and featuring the actual players, this documentary starts in the early East Coast only baseball nation.
This takes you through the remarkable move to the West for the "Trolley Dodgers" and convincing the Giants to become their neighbors to the north. New York lost 2 pro baseball teams a once, history that will never be seen again.
IF you are a Dodger Fan, you must see this. If you are not, you just might be after watching this.