Peter and Bobby Farrelly were in a bind.
The Red Sox had just beaten the Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park, their second straight extra-inning win -- both courtesy of walk-off David Ortiz hits, The two teams headed back to Yankee Stadium for the sixth contest, and while Boston still trailed the best-of-seven series three games to two, momentum was shifting their way.
Excerpted from "Miracle at Fenway"
Up in Toronto, brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly were thrilled to see Ortiz deliver yet again, but also a bit nervous.
Huge Red Sox fans who grew up in Rhode Island, the Farrellys had risen to fame after moving to Hollywood and writing and directing such blockbuster films as Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary. In the spring of 2004 they had been sent the script for a movie called Fever Pitch, written by Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, about an obsessed Red Sox fan who has to choose between the team and the girl he loves.
"It was the first time I read a script that I felt was perfect, and I didn't want to rewrite," recalls Peter Farrelly, who played high school baseball and was a Carl Yastrzemski fanatic as a kid growing up in the 1960s and '70s. "We lived and died with the Sox, so we knew it was something we had to do."
The cast included Jimmy Fallon as the overzealous Red Sox fan, Lenny Clarke as the beloved uncle who bequeaths him terrific season tickets, and Drew Barrymore as the workaholic, baseball-phobic girlfriend. Although much of the filming took place in Toronto, the directors and their production team -- led by producer Kris "Mudd" Meyer, a former security guard at Fenway -- spent several weeks in Boston shooting in and around Fenway.
It was one of the best times of their lives. Friends and family seemed to come out of the woodwork, stopping by the trailers on a nightly basis to party with the Farrellys, Meyer, and the crew. The Red Sox offered their full cooperation, even allowing the brothers to film with players including Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, and Trot Nixon.
For the scenes when Fallon is seated at the ballpark talking with his fellow fans, they recruited local actors, including Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad -- two East Boston girls who carried 1918 pennies to every game for good luck -- to add to the authenticity. Finet was one of the game's highlights as the wisecracking blonde who gave Drew Barrymore hell for not knowing about the Curse of the Bambino.
"Everybody was great, from Terry Francona to the players to the fans," says Peter Farrelly. "We shot a few times right after games, including the big scene when Drew jumps down from the stands, right beside Johnny Damon, and then runs across the field to Jimmy's seats. We wanted the stands to be full for filming, so I walked out to home plate during the seventh-inning stretch, got on the microphone, and said, 'We're filming a movie for 10 minutes after the game. If you can stay just that long, you'll be in the movie.' Almost everybody stayed."
Now, however, the brothers had a problem.
"When we started filming, the original script was that the Red Sox didn't win but Jimmy gets the girl," explains Peter Farrelly. "They lose to the Yankees, but he's grown as a guy and he's learned to have a relationship with someone other than the Red Sox. His life is better, and so is hers.
"But then when we were shooting in Toronto, things started changing," he continues. "All along, we were thinking, What if they win? Babaloo and Lowell wrote an alternate ending when the Red Sox made the playoffs. But then when we started to come back against the Yankees, that's when we started thinking, we're going to have to get back to Fenway and start reshooting some of this stuff."
The brothers' fears were realized as the Red Sox completed their historic comeback with victories in Games 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium to clinch the pennant. When Boston beat the Cardinals in the first three games of the World Series, the Farrellys knew they had to act.
The morning of Game 4, the Farrellys made a decision. They were already planning to fly back to Boston to film a new ending for their movie if the Red Sox won the World Series, but they knew a perfect ending would include having the stars of the film and team all celebrating at the end. The Farrellys specialized in comedies, but they wanted this to be real.
They chartered a plane for St. Louis, and made sure their production team, film crew, and stars Fallon and Barrymore all got to Busch Stadium. Appealing to Major League Baseball for on-field access, they were given the okay based on their previous access at Fenway -- provided they did not interfere with the player celebration in any way. Their stage was not set for a perfect ending; they just needed the Red Sox to hold up their end.
The Sox did, winning Game 4, 3-0, and touching off a massive party on the field. St. Louis team officials graciously let Boston fans stay behind to cheer while their team's players, coaches, and front office staff soaked up the moment. This was Peter and Bobby's chance.
As the players and their families celebrated all around them, the Farrellys managed to film the final scene to Fever Pitch -- a lover's embrace by Fallon and Barrymore right down on the field amid the festivities. Peter Farrelly also scooped up some dirt to save, and got photos of his son Bob with the World Series trophy set up by the pitcher's mound.
A few hours later, Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad were walking back to where they had parked their car at a downtown St. Louis hotel. On a whim, the two East Boston girls had decided to fly to Chicago, rent a car, and drive to St. Louis for Game 4. They didn't have tickets, but managed to get some in the second-to-last row of the upper deck. They also brought their lucky pennies.
Now, with no extra money left for lodging, they planned to sleep in their rental car before heading back to O'Hare Airport the next morning.
Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind them. "JESSAMY! ERIN! What are YOU doing here?" It was Drew Barrymore, Finet's on-screen nemesis. The girls had no idea that the cast and crew from Fever Pitch had been at the game, and didn't notice them filming the on-field embrace. But it turned out that they had parked their rental car at the same hotel where the filmmakers were staying, and the Farrellys insisted that Finet and Nanstad party with them and spend the night.
It sure beat sleeping in the car.
A short while later, the girls were sipping champagne, courtesy of Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick, when Jimmy Fallon called them over. "I know you girls are big fans," he said, and put something from his pocket into their glasses.
It was dirt from the mound. They drank it. It tasted gritty but good.
Now that's a perfect ending.
"It was the first time I read a script that I felt was perfect, and I didn't want to rewrite," recalls Peter Farrelly, who played high school baseball and was a Carl Yastrzemski fanatic as a kid growing up in the 1960s and '70s. "We lived and died with the Sox, so we knew it was something we had to do."
The cast included Jimmy Fallon as the overzealous Red Sox fan, Lenny Clarke as the beloved uncle who bequeaths him terrific season tickets, and Drew Barrymore as the workaholic, baseball-phobic girlfriend. Although much of the filming took place in Toronto, the directors and their production team -- led by producer Kris "Mudd" Meyer, a former security guard at Fenway -- spent several weeks in Boston shooting in and around Fenway.
Jimmy trying to get Drew into the game.
It was one of the best times of their lives. Friends and family seemed to come out of the woodwork, stopping by the trailers on a nightly basis to party with the Farrellys, Meyer, and the crew. The Red Sox offered their full cooperation, even allowing the brothers to film with players including Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, and Trot Nixon.
For the scenes when Fallon is seated at the ballpark talking with his fellow fans, they recruited local actors, including Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad -- two East Boston girls who carried 1918 pennies to every game for good luck -- to add to the authenticity. Finet was one of the game's highlights as the wisecracking blonde who gave Drew Barrymore hell for not knowing about the Curse of the Bambino.
As Drew runs from Damon...
...30,000 extras cheer on.
Now, however, the brothers had a problem.
"When we started filming, the original script was that the Red Sox didn't win but Jimmy gets the girl," explains Peter Farrelly. "They lose to the Yankees, but he's grown as a guy and he's learned to have a relationship with someone other than the Red Sox. His life is better, and so is hers.
"But then when we were shooting in Toronto, things started changing," he continues. "All along, we were thinking, What if they win? Babaloo and Lowell wrote an alternate ending when the Red Sox made the playoffs. But then when we started to come back against the Yankees, that's when we started thinking, we're going to have to get back to Fenway and start reshooting some of this stuff."
The brothers' fears were realized as the Red Sox completed their historic comeback with victories in Games 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium to clinch the pennant. When Boston beat the Cardinals in the first three games of the World Series, the Farrellys knew they had to act.
Decision time.
The morning of Game 4, the Farrellys made a decision. They were already planning to fly back to Boston to film a new ending for their movie if the Red Sox won the World Series, but they knew a perfect ending would include having the stars of the film and team all celebrating at the end. The Farrellys specialized in comedies, but they wanted this to be real.
They chartered a plane for St. Louis, and made sure their production team, film crew, and stars Fallon and Barrymore all got to Busch Stadium. Appealing to Major League Baseball for on-field access, they were given the okay based on their previous access at Fenway -- provided they did not interfere with the player celebration in any way. Their stage was not set for a perfect ending; they just needed the Red Sox to hold up their end.
The Sox did, winning Game 4, 3-0, and touching off a massive party on the field. St. Louis team officials graciously let Boston fans stay behind to cheer while their team's players, coaches, and front office staff soaked up the moment. This was Peter and Bobby's chance.
The moment had come -- to film.
As the players and their families celebrated all around them, the Farrellys managed to film the final scene to Fever Pitch -- a lover's embrace by Fallon and Barrymore right down on the field amid the festivities. Peter Farrelly also scooped up some dirt to save, and got photos of his son Bob with the World Series trophy set up by the pitcher's mound.
A few hours later, Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad were walking back to where they had parked their car at a downtown St. Louis hotel. On a whim, the two East Boston girls had decided to fly to Chicago, rent a car, and drive to St. Louis for Game 4. They didn't have tickets, but managed to get some in the second-to-last row of the upper deck. They also brought their lucky pennies.
Now, with no extra money left for lodging, they planned to sleep in their rental car before heading back to O'Hare Airport the next morning.
Good-luck girls Finet (left) and Nanstad
Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind them. "JESSAMY! ERIN! What are YOU doing here?" It was Drew Barrymore, Finet's on-screen nemesis. The girls had no idea that the cast and crew from Fever Pitch had been at the game, and didn't notice them filming the on-field embrace. But it turned out that they had parked their rental car at the same hotel where the filmmakers were staying, and the Farrellys insisted that Finet and Nanstad party with them and spend the night.
It sure beat sleeping in the car.
A short while later, the girls were sipping champagne, courtesy of Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick, when Jimmy Fallon called them over. "I know you girls are big fans," he said, and put something from his pocket into their glasses.
It was dirt from the mound. They drank it. It tasted gritty but good.
Now that's a perfect ending.
Premiere Night at Fenway, 2005
Baseball season is always just around the corner, so make sure you are there to cheer your team on to victory! Buy your tickets here Red Sox Tickets!
ReplyDeletereally an add
Delete