It’s time for Dodger baseball.
Although it’s the off season there’s a historic documentary, “Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA,” that baseball fans can enjoy premiering November 28, 2019.
Sandy Koufax pitched 12 seasons for the Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. (LA Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library)
Among the great entertaining, informative, and inspiring programing seen on PBS SoCal and the local Los Angeles station KCET, the amazing new film Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA has been added to their schedule Thanksgiving night. It is a celebration of LA’s Baseball History that explores the journey of the beloved Los Angeles team through the eyes of past and present players, staff and fans.
The special is a look back at the colorful saga of the team that has been in LA since 1958. Through never-before-seen archival footage, interviews and historical photos the program will divide the rich history of the LA Dodgers into themes such as “The Stadium,” “Rivalries,” and “Trailblazers.”
(from left) Dodgers historian Mark Langill, former Dodgers center fielder Kenny Landreaux, film’s producer Maura Daly Phinney, former LA councilmember Rosalind Wyman, film’s narrator Dwane Brown, and PBS SoCal/KCET CEO Andrew Russell at PBS SoCal/KCET’s “Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA” screening at the LA Central Library on Nov. 23, 2019.
Lots of interesting facts will be discovered during the course of the show. Did you know the Dodgers became LA’s first professional sports team? Did you know the popular celebratory “high-fives” exchanged by sports players across the nation started at Dodgers Stadium? Or that a woman was responsible for bringing the Dodgers from Brooklyn to LA? Yes indeed, it was Rosalind Wyman, former LA City Councilmember. Without her influence the “Trolley Dodgers” would still be a New York team referred to as “dem bums,” according to Mark Langill, the Dodgers’ team historian. Wyman and Langill provide fascinating in-depth stories for the show.
The Dodger greats featured in the program are amazing. The players range from Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson, to Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax, as well as Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela. Also included are celebrated sportscasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin who have kept fans tuned in over the years.
Interviews with former all-star players include: Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, Ron Cey, Steve Yeager, Manny Mota, Steve Sax, Nomar Garciaparra, Kenny Landreaux, and former manager Tommy Lasorda. They will share stories about their most memorable games and what it means to them to wear Dodger Blue. Current Dodger player Justin Turner shares his thoughts about being part of Dodger history, and former LA mayor James Hahn talks about being the Dodgers batboy.
The documentary is produced by PBS SoCal’s Emmy Award-winning production team of vice president of Membership and On-Air Fundraising Maura Daly Phinney and director of On-Air Fundraising Andy Trimlett along with acclaimed executive producer and Academy Award nominee Don Hahn and director Steve Purcell.
Viewers will find a rich multimedia experience including extended video content, articles, and never-before-seen photos on the PBS SoCal and KCET websites. The multimedia experience will offer previews of the documentary, plus stories about major milestones and key people in the team’s rich history — including recollections from fans, since earlier this year, PBS SoCal asked social media participants to submit their own personal Dodgers stories and images to be included in the documentary.
Thanksgiving will be special with Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA as it is a fundraising special, so viewers can support PBS SoCal and KCET during the broadcast. Special thank you gifts have been created including a Roz Wyman bobblehead and a DVD of the program.
So give thanks for the documentary Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA premiering Thursday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal, and also airing at 8:30 p.m. on KCET. Following the broadcast, the film will be available for streaming exclusively on PBS Passport, the member-supported streaming service.
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