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The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

Play trailer Poster for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg PG 1999 1h 29m Documentary Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 66 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
"The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" is a humorous and nostalgic documentary about an extraordinary baseball player who transcended religious prejudice to become an American icon. Detroit Tiger Hammerin Hank's accomplishments during the Golden Age of Baseball rivaled those of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

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Critics Consensus

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is an affectionate, often very funny portrait of a baseball pioneer.

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Critics Reviews

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Stephen Hunter Washington Post 05/07/2014
It's an adroit manipulation of interviews and stock footage, mostly along the lines of establishing not so much what Hammerin' Hank did for himself, but what he meant to American Jews. Go to Full Review
Jack Mathews New York Daily News 05/07/2014
3.5/4
Kempner demonstrates how the star's success and dignified bearing inspired a generation of Jews to fight through the ethnic barriers in all fields. Go to Full Review
Lou Lumenick New York Post 05/07/2014
Writer-director Aviva Kempner crafted this love letter to Greenberg by imaginatively weaving interviews with great footage from newsreels and feature films. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Dugout Dirt 09/20/2024
5/5
Ninety years after Hank Greenberg took his Yom Kippur stand, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg remains a must-watch documentary for baseball fans. Go to Full Review
Serena Donadoni Metro Times (Detroit, MI) 05/07/2014
4/5
Former Detroiter Kempner infuses her portrait of Hank Greenberg with such a joie de vivre that it's a delight for the already converted and nonsports fans alike. Go to Full Review
Robert Wilonsky New Times 05/07/2014
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is precisely what a documentary ought to be: engaging and revelatory, turning forgotten footnotes and discarded minutiae into the stuff of riveting drama and poignant laughs. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 7 Real footage in 1 hour and 29 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG for Mild Language and Thematic Elements!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $1,700,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Greg Lehmann 01/25/2020 Dedicated to the millions of Detroit Tigers fans which I've been since 1966! See more 03/20/2012 An enlightening documentary on an understated hero. See more 04/17/2011 Great subject matter, but it sure could have been told more dramatically. It was like the director took index cards of chronological facts, laid them out, punctuated them with interviews and wallpapered the whole thing with video. Then there's this random woman groupie who keeps popping up. Her role is never really explained. Even so, it made me want to learn more about Hank Greenberg. Great story about Detroit trading him because the Tigers owner saw a picture of him him wearing a Yankees jersey during WWII. See more 05/31/2010 Hank Greenberg was good enough to have me commemorate his career on my pretend baseball hall of fame. Not that I had ever seen him play but his stats seemed impressive. Not the legend that Ruth was probably because he played in Detroit, Greenberg's story is very memorable. Likely inspired Jewish stars like Sandy Koufax in the next generation. See more 12/21/2009 A wonderful look at a classy ballplayer whose exploits I hadn't fully appreciated. See more Read all reviews
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

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Movie Info

Synopsis "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" is a humorous and nostalgic documentary about an extraordinary baseball player who transcended religious prejudice to become an American icon. Detroit Tiger Hammerin Hank's accomplishments during the Golden Age of Baseball rivaled those of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Director
Aviva Kempner
Producer
Aviva Kempner
Screenwriter
Aviva Kempner
Distributor
Cowboy Pictures
Production Co
Ciesla Foundation
Rating
PG (Mild Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Documentary, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 2, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.7M
Runtime
1h 29m