''Bang the Drum Slowly'' is a novel by
Mark Harris, first published in 1956 by Knopf. The novel is the second in a series of four novels written by Harris that chronicles the career of baseball player
Henry W. Wiggen. ''Bang the Drum Slowly'' was a sequel to ''
The Southpaw
Mark Harris (November 19, 1922 – May 30, 2007) was an American novelist, literary biographer, and educator.
Biography
Early life
Harris was born Mark Harris Finkelstein in Mount Vernon, New York, to Carlyle and Ruth (Klausner) Finkelstein. ...
'' (1953), with ''A Ticket for a Seamstitch'' (1957) and ''It Looked Like For Ever'' (1979), completing the
tetralogy
A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies ...
of baseball novels by Harris.
The novel was made into a 1956 ''
United States Steel Hour
''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...
''
television adaptation starring
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
and a later
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
in 1973, with Harris writing the screenplay.
''Bang the Drum Slowly'' was named one of the top 100 sports books of all time by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' and is the most popular of the four books published in this series, according to the ''Los Angeles Times''.
[ The last line of the novel, "From here on in I rag nobody", was ranked number 95 on '']American Book Review
''American Book Review'' is a literary journal operating out of the University of Houston-Victoria. Their mission statement is to “specialize in reviews of frequently neglected published works of fiction, poetry, and literary and cultural critici ...
''′s "100 Best Last Lines from Novels" in 2008.
Background
Harris played baseball as a boy and often wrote about the game and was known for writing realistically about the sport in his novels. For this novel, Harris chose to write it in the vernacular
A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...
of pitcher Henry Wiggen, who narrates the story in an inimitable fashion. Harris called it "ungrammar" and said that the book was written "out of a rebellion against formal language."
The title of the novel was inspired by lines from the song " Streets of Laredo", which is about a dying cowboy. It is sung by one of the ballplayers, Piney Woods, a back-up catcher, at a team gathering. The version of the song that he sings contains the lyrics, "Oh beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly, and play the dead march as you carry me along..."
Plot summary
Harris's narrator Henry "Author" Wiggen, a star pitcher, tells the story of a baseball season with the New York Mammoths, a fictional team based on the New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, as noted in the author's book ''Diamond: The Baseball Writings of Mark Harris''. In the novel, Wiggen befriends a slow-talking catcher from Georgia named Bruce Pearson who is more ridiculed than respected by his teammates. When Pearson learns he is terminally ill with Hodgkin’s disease
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition w ...
and is to be sent to the minor leagues
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...
, Wiggen rallies his teammates to keep the catcher among them and inspires Pearson to become a better player before his time runs out.[
]
Reception
One of the first reviews about the novel appeared in ''The New York Times'' in April 1956, by book review
__NOTOC__
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit.
A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or scholarly revie ...
er Charles Poore, who wrote that "''Bang the Drum Slowly'' is the finest baseball novel that has appeared since we all began to compare baseball novels with the works of Ring Lardner
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner (March 6, 1885 – September 25, 1933) was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical writings on sports, marriage, and the theatre. His contemporaries Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Wo ...
, Douglass Wallop
John Douglass Wallop III (March 8, 1920 – April 1, 1985) was an American novelist and playwright.
Early life
On March 8, 1920, Wallop was born as John Douglass Wallop III in Washington, D.C. to Marjorie Ellis Wallop and insurance agent Jo ...
and Heywood Broun
Heywood Campbell Broun Jr. (; December 7, 1888 – December 18, 1939) was an American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, later known as The Newspaper ...
. In its elementals, ''Bang the Drum Slowly'' has two familiar themes. One is the story of the way a doomed man may spend his last best year on earth. The other is the story of how a quarrelsome group of raucous individualists is welded into an effective combat outfit." ''New York Times'' sports columnist George Vecsey, wrote about the book; “ thas one of the loveliest last lines in American literature, a regret from Wiggen for the way the players made fun of a slow-witted and now-dead teammate: ‘From here on in, I rag nobody.’”[
]Cordelia Candelaria
Cordelia Chávez Candelaria (born September 14, 1943) is an American educator and writer of Hispanic descent.
Early life and education
Candelaria was born in Deming, New Mexico, to Ray J. Chávez and Eloida Trujillo. She received her Bachelor ...
, author of ''Seeking the Perfect Game: Baseball in American Literature'', rated ''The Southpaw'' and ''Bang the Drum Slowly'' among the top five baseball novels ever written.[ The novel was also chosen as one of the top 100 sports books of all time by ''Sports Illustrated'', and the 1973 film adaption is featured on numerous other lists of best baseball movies.]
Adaptations
The novel was first adapted for television and was broadcast live on the '' U.S. Steel Hour'' on September 24, 1956. It featured Paul Newman as Wiggen and Albert Salmi
Albert Salmi (March 11, 1928 – April 22, 1990) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Best known for his work as a character actor, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions.
Early life
Salmi was born and raised ...
as catcher Bruce Pearson. George Peppard
George Peppard (; October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as struggling writer Paul Varjak in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and for playing commando leader Col. John "Hannibal ...
appeared as Piney Woods, the country-boy ballplayer who sings the ballad from which the novel's title is derived. The TV adaptation was faithful to the first-person singular style of the novel, by having Wiggen (Newman) periodically step out of the movie to address the audience.[
Harris wrote the screenplay for the 1973 film adaptation, with ]Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor and jazz musician. He received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for his first acting role on American television as a Nazi SS officer in the 1978 mini-series ''Holocaust'' ...
portraying Wiggen, Robert DeNiro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
as Pearson and Vincent Gardenia
Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian-American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for ''Bang the Drum Slow ...
as manager Dutch Schnell. Gardenia was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...
for his portrayal of Schnell. DeNiro was nominated and won Best Supporting Actor, from the New York Film Critics Circle for his role of Pearson. The movie was also Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...
's feature film debut. The film was directed by John D. Hancock and released by Paramount Pictures.
The novel was also adapted for the stage by Eric Simonson
Eric Simonson (born June 27, 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and the author of plays '' Lombardi'', ''Fake'', ''Honest'', '' Magic/B ...
and had its professional premiere at the Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...
in Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
on March 11, 1994. The play was directed by Simonson, and David New
David New is a Canadians, Canadian film editor.
New won a Gemini Award for "Best Editing in a Comedy, Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series" in 1997 for his work on ''September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill, September Songs –The Music ...
starred as the "Author" Henry Wiggen, while Paul Sandberg played the role of catcher Bruce Pearson.
In 1992, Simonson partnered with L.A. Theatre Works
L.A. Theatre Works (LATW) is a not-for-profit American media arts organization based in Los Angeles founded in 1984. The intent of the organization is to produce, preserve, and distribute classic and contemporary plays of significance. Along with i ...
to record an audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
of the stage play adapted from the novel. The recording featured Ed Begley, Jr., David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom '' Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Prime ...
, Jonathan Silverman
Jonathan Elihu Silverman (born August 5, 1966) is an American actor, known for his roles in the comedy films ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Weekend at Bernie's'', and its sequel ''Weekend at Bernie's II''.
Early life and education
Silverman was ...
and Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
. The audio book is available to the general public in libraries and online retailers
Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bang The Drum Slowly
1956 American novels
Baseball novels
American sports novels
American novels adapted into films
Novels set in New York City
Alfred A. Knopf books