Jackie Robinson In The Movie 42

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42 On April 15, 1947, fans pack the stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of the scene playing out on the field. One man steps out of the dugout and is met with the displeasure of the crowd. This man is Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play professional baseball on an all-white baseball team. Robinson’s story of “strength and unbending spirit” is projected in the movie 42, directed by Brian Helgeland (Griffin). The movie goes into details about Robinson’s barrier breaking first season on the Brooklyn Dodgers, but does it portray Robinson’s story correctly? Although there are several minute differences--the process of choosing Robinson to join the Dodgers, that he was not the only black player pulled into Montreal, and Robinson’s civil rights involvements after retiring--the similarities are more pronounced, especially in regard to Robinson’s temper, the fans and other players treatment of Robinson, and Pee Wee Reese’s friendship with Robinson. …show more content…

Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers team, had “sent scouts to Negro League ballgames. To disguise his intentions, Rickey announced that he planned to start a new Negro club to be called the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers” (Williams). Once they scouted all the potentials, Rickey and a few trusted advisors then decided on the best candidate. Rickey, then, summoned the candidate, Robinson, to an interview to ensure that he was up for the challenge. It is understandable why Helgeland did not incorporate this into the movie because it would have complicated the story more than it needed to be. If it had been included it may have confused some viewers on whether or not Rickey was actually creating an African American

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