The Harlem Globetrotters

For any basketball fan this movie is worth the enjoyment of seeing the original Globetrotters in action. The movie itself is pretty weak but I guess that Scotty Pippen commercial of a few years back where he is slamming against those old guys doing set shots was not far off from the way it was.

The story constructed around the basketball play of the legendary Globetrotters is pretty simple, but they sure are fun to watch. Just seeing them standing around in a circle and throw the ball around with their assortment of trick passes, Sweet Georgia Brown playing in the background, was very entertaining (and man, I love that tune). It's a nice snapshot of the 1951 team, led by Marques Haynes and his silky slick handle, as well as big man Goose Tatum, who clowns around and palms the ball without even using all of his fingers. When a white reporter holds his hand up for comparison, it looks like a child's. The Globetrotters had lots of antics up their sleeves, but also a ton of skill - in 1948 and in 1949, they beat the Minneapolis Lakers, a powerhouse, champion team in the leagues that preceded the NBA (the NBL and BAA) - and this is essentially the team that did that.

The love interest (Dorothy Dandridge) is unfortunately not well developed, and if you're watching for Dandridge you'll be disappointed, because her role is so small. The subplots involving gamblers and the star young player considering other options are also pretty weak. The real interest, not surprisingly, is in seeing these players on the court. Even if the game footage is often not all that mind-blowing, it does show just how much the game has changed in 70 years, and we get the playful clowning around.

The Globetrotters play against all-white teams and in front of an all-white audience, so there is undeniably a racial element here, especially when you consider that the first black man to break the color barrier in the NBA did so only a year earlier (Earl Lloyd, 1950, soon followed by others, including several Globetrotters). The film doesn't broach the taboo subjects of the racism they encountered which is unfortunate, but I loved how the players are treated as real people. They have families, don't speak in stereotypical dialect, and their new star player (Billy Brown) was an honors student in college, having made a measured financial decision to play basketball. What a dramatic and welcome change from the depiction of African-Americans in films in the preceding decades.

This Dorothy pays a visit to the Globetrotters' version of OZ. I remember seeing Goose Tatum and Marcus Haynes in action: I don't think too many of today's NBA player could dribble like Marcus could, and I think it was Goose that KICKED the ball (all net!) through the basket from mid-court in their football routine! This film is a bit on the dated side, but one has to be reminded that the Globetrotters used to play NBA teams from time to time, coming out on top most of the time. Solid 7, tho its historic value is much greater.

All-American college player Billy Richards (Billy Brown) gives up on a potential academic career to play with the famous 'barnstorming' basketball team but egos and injuries complicate things. The film was made as the Globetrotters were shifting to being more of an entertainment franchise than a sports team, with much of the comedy provide by Reece 'Goose' Tatum (a talented hoopster and a great physical comedian). The story is slight, with conflicted Richards sneaking off to get married, which costs the Trotters a key game against the New York Celtics and maybe Richards his future career in sports. As natural entertainers, the Globetrotters playing themselves are fine (both on- and off-court). Brown, who was not an actor, is surprisingly good in the central role, as are Dorothy Dandridge, who plays his wife and character actor Thomas Gomez as the team's long-time manager Abe Saperstein. Race issues play a relatively minor role in the story beyond references to what would be now called 'Black colleges' (such as the fictional Baltimore State that is trying to lure Richards into its chemistry program) and the concept that the Globetrotters, a highly successful professional team, is a symbol and source of pride for other African-Americans (something that the self-centered Richards doesn't seem to 'get'). The game has changed a lot since the film was made, so there are no flamboyant dunks (a staple of the entertainment side of the modern game) but the Trotter's warm up, the famous 'magic circle', is fun to watch and the game scenes, though dated, are entertaining in a 'news-reel' sort of way.

Think of a mediocre late 50s or early 60s tv show...like say "Donna Reed" or "Texas John Slaughter"...and then think of a poor episode on that show and you'll have some idea of what the first half hour of this movie is like. Didn't stick around for the rest. Give it a D.