''A Winner Never Quits'' is a 1986
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
based on the true story of baseball player
Pete Gray
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
* Pete (nickname)
* Pete (surname)
Fictional characters
* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
* Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
, the first one-armed man ever to play
major league baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
, hired in 1943 as a "freak attraction" and wartime morale-booster by the
Memphis Chicks, Class-A minor league ball club.
Though a success, Gray maintains a tough, defensive veneer, which is softened only by the love of his life Annie and the adulation of baseball fan Nelson Gary Jr., who has also lost an arm (and who would, in real life, become a top minor-league ballplayer himself). With the war depleting big-league baseball's manpower in 1945, Pete Gray finally achieves his goal of entering the Majors when he is hired by the
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
.
Plot
Raised in the
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Car ...
mining town of
Nanticoke Nanticoke may refer to:
* Nanticoke people in Delaware, United States
* Nanticoke language, an Algonquian language
* Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey
Place names Canada
* Nanticoke, Ontario
** Nanticoke Generating S ...
, Pete Gray loses his right arm while still a young boy. But through the encouragement of his immigrant parents, Antoinette and Peter Wyshner Sr., and the constant coaching of his older brother Whitey, Gray never gives up on his dream of playing professional baseball. Driven by anger, he finally makes it to the big leagues. But it isn't until he agrees to meet handicapped youngster Nelson Gary Jr., who idolizes him, that Gray finally comes to terms with several life realizations.
Cast
*
Keith Carradine
Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...
as
Pete "Wyshner" Gray
**Steve Rees as Young Pete "Wyshner" Gray
*
Mare Winningham
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...
as Annie
*
G.W. Bailey
George William Bailey (born August 27, 1944) is an American actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in ''M*A*S*H'' (TV series 1979–19 ...
as Tatum
*
Dennis Weaver
William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weave ...
as Peter Wyshner
*
Huckleberry Fox
George Fox (born October 6, 1974), better known as Huckleberry Fox, is an American actor who performed in ''Terms of Endearment'' (1983) Misunderstood (1984) and the Disney film ''The Blue Yonder'' (1985). He played Jamie in ''Tales from the Darksi ...
as Nelson Gary Jr.
*
Jack Kehoe
Jack Kehoe (November 21, 1934 – January 14, 2020) was an American film actor appearing in a wide variety of films, including the crime dramas ''Serpico'' (1973), '' The Pope of Greenwich Village'' (1984) and Brian De Palma's ''The Untouchables' ...
as Bloom
*
Fionnula Flanagan
Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known f ...
as Antoinette Wyshner
*
Ed O'Neill
Edward Leonard O'Neill (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. His roles include Al Bundy on the Fox Network sitcom '' Married... with Children'', for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes, and Jay Pritchett on the a ...
as Joe "Whitey" Gray
**Andrew Lubeskie as Young Joe "Whitey" Gray
*
Dana Delany
Dana Welles Delany (born March 13, 1956) is an American actress. After appearing in small roles early in her career, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama '' China Beach'' (1988–1991), for whic ...
as Nora
*
Charles Hallahan
Charles John Hallahan (July 29, 1943 – November 25, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor known for his performances in ''Going in Style'', '' The Thing'', '' Cast a Deadly Spell'', and ''Dante's Peak''. He was also best know ...
as Nelson Gary Sr.
*
Mary Jo Deschanel
Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir; born November 25, 1945) is an American actress. She is known for roles in the film '' The Right Stuff'' and the television series ''Twin Peaks''.
Life and career
Deschanel was born as Mary Josephine Weir. Her ancest ...
as Mrs. Gary
*
Jeff McCracken
Jeff McCracken (born September 12, 1952) is an American actor, director and producer.
Early life and education
Born in Chicago, McCracken graduated Evanston Township High School in 1970. He served in the United States Air Force during the ...
as Sheldrake
*
Brad Sullivan
Bradford Ernest Sullivan (November 18, 1931 – December 31, 2008) was an American character actor on film, stage and television. He was best known for playing the killer Cole in ''The Sting'', hockey goon Mo Wanchuk in ''Slap Shot'', mobster Geo ...
as Taylor
*
John Hostetter
John Hostetter (October 6, 1946 – September 2, 2016) was an American actor and visual artist. He played John, the stage manager on the fictional FYI newsmagazine, on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' starring Candice Bergen; he appeared in 65 of ...
as Sergeant
*
Ted Henning as Brook
Home media
''A Winner Never Quits'' was released on
VHS on August 18, 1993, by
Columbia Tri-Star.
External links
*
1986 television films
1986 films
1980s biographical drama films
1980s sports films
American baseball films
American biographical drama films
Films about amputees
Sports films based on actual events
Films directed by Mel Damski
Cultural depictions of baseball players
Biographical films about sportspeople
ABC Motion Pictures films
Films set in 1943
Films set in 1945
St. Louis Browns
Columbia Pictures films
1980s American films
{{sport-film-stub