The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 7, 2021

John Badham's "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include archival audio commentaries recorded by the director; vintage promotional materials; and the archival documentary "There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Bingo

I have to admit that I don’t know much about the people that were in charge with the black baseball teams before the collapse of the Negro League*. It is easy to guess that they were wealthy and had enough important connections to make things happen across the country, but how exactly did they run the teams? Did they view themselves as managers or owners? And how did they treat the players?

John Badham’s film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings is set in the months leading to the collapse of the Negro League and produces some quite interesting speculations about the business practices of these people. Some of these practices are supposed to be inspired by true events that Badham either witnessed or had learned about while growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, the home of the Birmingham Black Barons. Some are in the film simply because they add more flavor and produce good laughs. I understand this, and I think that it was certainly the right way to shoot the film so that it does not evolve into a one-dimensional political dramedy. But I am curious whether the team owners really did go after rebellious players as seen in the film, and whether during conflicts they were able to inflict as much pain and damage as it is revealed in the film? If they did, then they were just as dangerous as the men at the top of the different crime groups that controlled the unions in the big cities, which suggests that they were likely organized in some sort of a ‘syndicate’ as well. It seems strange, but apparently there were plenty of money to be made even in the Negro League, which means that this is in fact a very plausible scenario.

In the film the troubles begin when popular baseball players Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams) and Leon Carter (James Earl Jones) organize a group of equally talented rebels and begin barnstorming through small Midwestern towns to make ends meet. While their popularity grows, their former boss, Sallie Potter (Ted Ross), summons the owners of the biggest black teams in the country and together they agree on a strategy to put them out of business. Much to Potter’s annoyance, however, the strategy fails and it is the rebels that threaten to collapse the entire Negro League.

The troubles that emerge from the tension between the club owners and the rebels produce a lot of very funny situations, many with quite brilliant individual performances, but this film is awfully difficult to profile as a comedy. It is because the funny almost always coexists with the ugly that defines the reality in which the rebels are trying to survive. Indeed, there is so much prejudice, abuse and criminal activities around them that they have accepted as inseparable parts of their existence that eventually they begin to look like actors in a wild parody. Bits of it can be funny at times, but the moment you accept that they are real human beings who frequently risk their lives for the right to play ball the whole thing becomes incredibly sad and distressing.

The biggest revelation that emerges from this film is that prior to the integration of the major leagues in 1947 there were all kinds of bad characters that took advantage of the black baseball players. Some were merciless businessmen, some were powerful bigots, and some were simply criminal elements with big ambitions. Apparently, the only way for the players to support each other was to organize as the rebels do in the film, but it seems unlikely that they were able to avoid trouble once they had become targets. Before the integration they essentially had to choose between conforming and walking away from the game.

*The main characters in the film routinely address "the league", but there were actually multiple leagues. The three big ones were the Negro National League (1920–31, 1933–48), the Eastern Colored League (1923–28), and the Negro American League (1937–60).

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal Studios. Understandably, the entire film has a dated appearance, but this is actually one of the better older masters that I have recently seen licensed from the major. What are some of its obvious limitations? Delineation and depth can be better, with darker areas typically showing the most significant fluctuations. This means that certain ranges of darker primaries and nuances aren't optimal either. Grain definition and exposure can be better as well, but overall the density levels are still quite good. Some adjustments in the brightness levels can be made and they should make the film appear lusher. But unlike so many other older masters that have emerged from the major's vaults this master is free of problematic digital adjustments (sharpening, contrast boosting, denoising), which is why it has a fairly attractive organic appearance. This is basically its biggest strength as well as the main reason why there aren't any serious and distracting anomalies. Image stability is good. A few small blemishes can be spotted, but there are no cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless audio is clear and stable. However, there are a couple of places that reveal traces of ageing anomalies. The most obvious one is early into the film, during the discussion in the locker room where Sallie Potter addresses the players. There is some sort of a minor but noticeable distortion in the upper register that should be on the master as well. The rest is fine. Dynamic balance and intensity are very good. Sharpness is pleasing as well.

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailers From Hell - a vintage episode of Trailers From Hell with John Badham. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Radio Spots - ten vintage radio spots for The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Commentary - This archival audio commentary recorded by John Badham was included on the North American DVD release of The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings. The bulk of the information addresses the production of the film as well as era that produced its characters/stars.

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.

• There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace (1983) - presented here is Craig Davidson's documentary about the history of the Negro Leagues and its biggest stars. Narrated by James Earl Jones. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (60 min).

• Booklet - an exclusive booklet with a new essay by Rebecca Nicole Williams, archival reports on a promotional baseball match between the casts of The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings and The Bad News Bears, an archival interview with star Billy Dee Williams, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical credits.

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The lightness and sense of nostalgia that permeate The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings could be a bit misleading because it is quite easy to figure out that the guys that played ball in the Negro Leagues had pretty rough lives. It seems like there were all kinds of bad characters that took advantage of them, and some apparently ran the teams that employed them. I like the film, though I would concede that it has some odd spots that could have been edited better. This upcoming release is sourced from an older but good organic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. If you decide to pick it up for your collection, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.