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5 Things You Didn't Know about Field of Dreams

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FIELD OF DREAMS  airs on Sunday, October 7  @ 8 pm | 7C.
Stay for the enhanced version at 10:15 pm | 9C.

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1) In the source novel, Shoeless Joe, 'Ray Kinsella' kidnaps reclusive author J.D. Salinger. For the movie, Salinger's character was changed out of respect for his privacy.

2) 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson got his nickname in the minor leagues in 1908. A new pair of shoes had given him blisters, but his team was shorthanded, so he had to play barefoot. "That was the only day I ever played in my stockinged feet, but it stuck with me," Jackson said.

3) Shoeless' Joe Jackson, whose last major league game was in 1920, famously holds baseball’s third-highest career batting average to this day – his career average is .356.

4) Author W.P. Kinsella was inspired to write about 'Moonlight' Graham while reading the Baseball Encyclopedia. Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham really did make his lone appearance in the majors on June 29, 1905.

5)The production grew their own corn, then plowed it under to build the baseball field.

For more trivia on Field of Dreams, take the jump.

6) 1988 was a drought year in Iowa, so $25,000 worth of water had to be trucked in to make the corn grow.

7) It took three days, seven semi truckloads of sod, and the combined labor of three high school baseball teams to build the field.

8) Because of the drought, the grass on the new ball field died almost immediately. The solution was to employ a full-time grass painter to spray the field with green paint throughout the shoot.

9) The Field of Dreams still exists outside of Dyersville, Iowa, and is open to the public. According to its owners, over 800,000 people have visited the field since 1989.

10) Because so much of the film takes place during 'magic hour,' each day’s shooting had to be interrupted for a couple of exterior shots just before dusk.

11) Ray Liotta, who had no baseball experience, trained for a month before filming in order to play 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson. He worked so hard that he had blisters on his hands during the shoot.

12) Though Kevin Costner had been the producers' first choice, they didn’t approach him because they assumed he wouldn't want to do another baseball movie right after Bull Durham. Costner actually had to ask them for the role.

13) At Boston's Fenway Park, which seats over 36,000, the filmmakers had to make the stadium look full with only 500 extras. Then-unknown local boys Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were among them.

BASEBALL TRIVIA:

The Legend of 'Shoeless' Jackson

'Shoeless' Joe Jackson Vs. Ty Cobb

The Fictional Afterlife Of ‘Moonlight’ Graham

Posted by AMCtv.com
October 6, 2007 12:00am


Comments

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By sherry prefontaine on October 8, 2007 12:18 AM

I enjoy the film , but NOT the information bar at the bottom of the screen. I want to watch the WHOLE movie and not be distracted by the comments at the bottom of the screen.

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By dave on October 8, 2007 12:23 AM

A great movie that reminded me of times with my dad watching baseball at Forbes field in Pittsburgh and the great memories of the joy and fun. It also reminds me of what we all wish for sometimes - a second chance to play catch with our deceased fathers...``

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By Roy Scxhauffele on October 8, 2007 12:27 AM

Field of Dreams is the best "man flick" of the last 30 years.

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By Dennis Nall on October 8, 2007 12:34 AM

The game of baseball is full of great excitement. Home Runs, "No-hitters" etc. But it is not those grandious things that make baseball great. It is the little things that fullfill the "dream" of the sport. The philosophy battles between managers, the moving of players into or out of a lineup. The positioning of players in the field. How the pitcher delivers to a batter, and how that batter adjusts to the pitch. Baseball is a game of inches, played by individuals as a team. This movie touched on the "behind the scenes" inches of the game and found the soul healthy and alive. Baseball in it's truest sense is a game where both the players and fans can think back to a time of simpler pleasures and provides the memories to heal the heart and soul. Today baseball has become to much of a business and a circus that tends to rob those involved of their youth, and memories of a better time. That is the line I see in the film. Playing the game... for the game... and for those lost memories.

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By Benita Ryan on October 8, 2007 12:42 AM

I am not a great baseball fan BUT ...." A Field of Dreams" is one of my all time favorite movies...I cry evertime I see it and I have seen it many, many times! It's just a wonderful movies...so much love and depth of thought and feelings... Thank you for showing it!

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By cyb on October 8, 2007 12:43 AM

I'm not a baseball fan, but I LOVE this movie! I own it, but I really enjoyed the extra info. I only caught it part way through and, although I was supposed to be working, I found myself watching this even though I was recording it also. This is a film with heart and that's exactly where it hits the viewer...every time!

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By Beachgirl on October 8, 2007 12:59 AM

Even women enjoy this mystical family movie. Some fact with fiction usually is most entertaining. Actually, everytime a scene had a special message, or an "old timer" appeared, I got goosebumps...not once but everytime. Maybe the corfield was a part of heaven on earth. The movie is one to watch again and again. And, I have....right up there with The Natural.

Thank you

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By Scott VandenHeuvel on October 8, 2007 1:03 AM

Field of dreams is one of my favorite movies right up there with brveheart, and the shawshank redemption. I have to admit everytime I see it, I get a little misty.

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By Everette Enno on October 8, 2007 1:36 AM

I love the game of baseball and I used to play every chance I got in my younger years. When I watch Field of Dreams it allows me to go back in time when baseball, love, and life itself was so much simpler. The story and message is so heartwarming I cry every time I see the movie and I have seen it at least 30 times. The sign of an awesome movie is that it never fails to stir up the same emotions no matter how many times you see it.

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By Stacy on October 8, 2007 3:20 AM

The information given during the movie really puts a spin on it...it gives me a new appreciation for all the people behind the scenes.

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By Susan Brown on October 8, 2007 3:39 AM

For most of us, this is a repeat viewing. The added comments are awesome! I always enjoy inside information, behind the scenes tidbits. Maybe sheri can buy the DVD, then she won't have to deal with commercials either.