Safe at Home!

"Miami" Joe Morrison was Miami's number 1 leading man during the 1960s. Sadly, "Miami" Joe starred in one stinker after another. Amazingly this film, which I only rate a 5, was Joe's best. Of course, he had an uncredited role as Hank, so maybe that's why this film was his best.

The movie really is a stinker, but it is kind of neat to see a legend like Micky Mantell. The movie is just a mindless and enjoyable trip down memory lane, capturing a more innocent time for the sport of baseball as well as the local Miami, Florida landscape.

Safe at home is a safe bet for some minor entertainment and a chance to see "Miami" Joe Morrison in his best movie.

If a viewer can't have a little fun watching this movie, the viewer misses the point.

When I was 10 years old, the same age in real life as Bryan Russell(Hutch), my father took my brother and I on a field trip. We lived in Miami and we headed north on a sunny morning. Dad did not tell us where we were going. We ended up at a baseball stadium. When we walked in and got to where we could see the field, there on the pitcher's mound stood 3 men in baseball uniforms. Immediately I recognized the one portly figure from episodes of 'I Love Lucy', none other than Fred Mertz. That is William Frawley, and he is standing with two younger men. I then realize the other men are Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris! As I look around the field I see people milling about. I see big lights and reflectors, movie cameras, and other movie making equipment. My dad brought us to watch a movie being made. That was the most incredible feeling ever! We sit in the stands, about 2 rows up from the bottom. The stands were not crowded at all, maybe a hundred people or so. I watched in pure amazement, even though there was not a lot of action going on. For anyone who has visited a movie set, you know there are hours of setting up and tedium, followed by a few moments of action and filming.

Before the day was over, the director called out to all of the kids in the park. He needed our help in this next scene. Would we all gather over at the spot in the bleachers just above the dugout? My brother and I took off like a flash! There were probably about 25-30 kids total that convened at that spot. Wow! What were we going to be doing? The director started talking and we all were giving him our full attention. He said that for this shot, Mickey and Roger would come out of the dugout and all of us were to start shouting "Mickey, Roger, Mickey, Roger" - trying to get their attention. Well, next thing I heard was "Action!" and out come Mickey and Roger just a dugout width away. We all started into a shouting chorus of "Mickey, Roger, Mickey, Roger". It was music to my young ears. Sure enough, our heroes heard us and turned our way. They waved and smiled for what felt like an eternity. I then heard a voice yell "Cut!". Wow! We are all actors, or extras, or whatever. We may be in a movie! I am sure my feet were not touching the ground as we walked out to the car, headed back home late that afternoon.

As a child, I never got to see that movie. Never saw it advertised or listed. In those days, of course, we didn't have the internet or the other entertainment resources.

Fast forward 43 years. I am an adult, 2 children of my own. I am thinking about this movie, as I often have over the years. So I decide to try to find some information about it online. Much to my surprise, I find a source for a VHS copy, so I order and purchase it. When the movie arrived, as I opened that package, I swear I could visualize my Keds sneakers and ratty jeans on me. I had just traveled back in time. With a whole lot of anticipation and joy, I sat there and watched this movie with my own children. I had told them the full story. And now, they were going to actually see a poignant memory of their father's past.

As it turned out, my brother and I were not in the movie. The scene with the hollering kids behind the dugout was there, for a brief moment. But we were just outside of the final shot. Just one kid too far away. Oh well, who cares? The bottom line and the moral of the story? Yes, this movie was innocent, naive, simple and pure. Like what I seem to remember most of my childhood. And, I was able to share that innocence in a tangible way with my children. That...makes me feel safe, at home.

Nice little nostalgia/baseball film that has to do with owning up to one's tall tales and later being greatly rewarded for doing just that. Little Hutch Lawton, Bryan Russell, feeling that his widowed and hard pressed, for cash to pay his bills, dad Dan Lawton,Don Collier, is being put down by the team and school bully Henry, Flip Mark, makes up a story that his dad as well as himself are very close, in fact the best of, friends of New York Yankee superstars Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

It doesn't take long for a depressed Henry, feeling he's been shown up, to challenge Hutch to put his money, or his friends Mantle & Maris, where his mouth is and produce the two superstars to show that he's not making that far flung and incredible story up. Hutch realizing that he put his foot in his mouth and is facing the outrage and disdain of his fellow classmates and Little League ball players if he can't produce Mantle & Maris, like Henry demanded him to, hitches a ride to Ft. Lauderdale where the Yankee spring training camp is. Hutch is determined to not only meet his heroes but get them to come back to his home the coastal and fishing town of Palms and show Henry & Co. that he's not lying about his, and his dad's, friendship with them.

Smelling like he just got off from work at the Fulton Fish Market, the ride that Hutch hitched was on the back of his friends dad fish truck, Hutch attracts this cute tabby who follows him throughout the movie thinking that he's a Frisky's seafood treat. Hutch at first gets to meet old and grumpy Yankee trainer, the guy who taught both Mantle and Maris how to hit, Bill Turner, William Frawly, in the Yankee clubhouse that Hutch snuck into as he smelled up, from the fish that he was with on the truck, the whole place.

Finding out from an unusually kind and attentive, he didn't at first look or act the part, Bill Turner that his heroes are staying at the local Yankee Clipper Hotel Hutch again sneaks into their hotel room and later, by again Turner smelling him out, is discovered by the two ballplayers and their trainer hiding under one of the beds in the room.

Surprisingly to Hutch the Yankee players, besides Mantle and Maris, were very considerate and understanding towards him and the mess he got himself into but decided not to go along with him back home in pulling his chestnuts out of the fire. Mickey and Roger tell the star-struck little boy that he has to face his friends back in Palm and tell them the truth about his fibbing, lying in adult talk, to them about being a friend, which in fact Hutch now is, of the two Yankee ballplayers in order to square things with them.

Touching but really not that much of a surprise ending with both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris coming through in the clutch and hitting a grand slam home run for Hutch in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs with him behind by three runs. Hutch learned a big lesson in life in that telling the truth is far better them making things up by trying to impress both your friends like Mike, Scott Lane, as well as enemies like Henry. It's a lesson that sadly today most of our elected leaders and aspiring politicians have yet to have mastered.

P.S There's also Yankee southpaw and the teams top pitching ace Whitey Ford, known a the Chairman of the Board, in the movie in a more or less cameo role as well as Yankee manager Captain, or is it Major, Ralph Houk. Houk in fact is so good and convincing at saying his lines in the film that for a moment I didn't think that it was him at all but some actor playing the Yankee manager. There's also Mickey Mantle's real life seven year old son David in the movie playing one of Hutch's fellow little league teammates.

Safe at Home! (1962)

** (out of 4)

A young boy (Bryan Russell) moves to a new town where he doesn't have many friends so to try and fit in he makes the claim that he knows Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. When no one will believe him, the young boy heads off to the Yankees spring training camp to try and meet the legends. This film works best as a curio if you want to see the two legends trying to act. It was fun seeing these two men back in their prime and it was also funny that Mantle got top billing even though Maris had just broken Babe Ruth's home run record. There are a few good parts here and there but overall the film is pretty lame. The young Russell gives a good performance and his relationship with his single father are nice but the film is too uneven to hammer home any of the side subjects brought up in the screenplay. Whitey Ford also has a small part.