Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 27 december 2016

30 years later, ‘Hoosiers’ still

has major impact in Milan

In this Nov. 12, 1985 file paugh started plotting their table example of David
photo, “Hoosiers” writer and project as Indiana Univer- beating Goliath.
Bloomington, Ind., native sity students, but it wasn’t The stories prove it, and
Angelo Pizzo, left, talks with until Pizzo returned to his Plump makes sure every-
actor Gene Hackman during
filming at the Knightstown, home state in 1981 that one hears the best of the
Ind., Elementary school gym. he started seriously putting best.
Associated Press together the script. His re- His favorite is the one
search began with a drive about late New York Yan-
MICHAEL MAROT to Milan and the realiza- kees owner George Stein-
AP Sports Writer tion that there was a major brenner insisting former
MILAN, Ind. (AP) — Jordan problem with the story. Chrysler chairman Lee Ia-
Burton’s first serious history “I took a class at USC grad cocca watch “Hoosiers”
lesson about Milan basket- school called the art of on his private plane. As the
ball came in first grade. dramatic writing and I’ll story goes, Iacocca wasn’t
His parents plopped him never forget that the first initially interested but Stein-
in front of a television set, thing the teacher wrote on brenner put it on anyway.
showed him “Hoosiers” the blackboard was that By the time the plane land-
and spent the next two the essence of all drama ed, Iacocca wanted to
hours separating fact from is conflict, whether it’s in- see it a second time.
fiction. He heard a lot ternal or external,” Pizzo There’s the one from last
more about it during an- said before describing a summer when swimmer
other conversation with conversation he had with Michael Phelps acknowl-
the grandfather of a friend: Gene White, another play- edged watching the mov-
Glenn Butte, who played er on the 1954 title team. “I ie twice before adding
on the state championship remember asking, ‘Did ev- yet another Olympic gold
team portrayed in the pop- eryone get along with the medal to his collection.
ular film that hit theaters 30 coach?’ He said, ‘Oh, we Since September alone,
years ago this month. all loved him.’ I said, ‘What Plump says he’s received
Now a four-year starter at about the players, did ev- autograph requests from
Milan, Burton looks at the eryone get along with the three people in France,
two large banners in the players?’ He said, ‘We all and Milan coach Josh
school’s 2,300-seat arena played together from the Blankinship still has practic-
— Milan Finalist 1953 and time we were in second es occasionally interrupted
Milan State Champs 1954 grade. We were all best by tourists trying to re-en-
— and finds his daily moti- friends.’ And I’m thinking, act the last-second shot
vation. “It’s been too long,” ‘This is going to be the most sequence. Around these
he said before a practice boring story of all time.’” parts, nobody really minds.
that the rest of the varsity Pizzo did much better than “There are not very many
players missed because that, creating one of the things that small commu-
they were still playing foot- best sports flicks ever by nities have that attract
ball. “I’ve been looking combining pieces from people to their community,
at those banners for four Milan’s improbable tale and that’s something Mi-
years. I’m just waiting for with some of his own high lan has,” said the 80-year-
my chance.” school experiences. old Plump, referring to the
Three decades after “Hoo- Star player Bobby Plump Milan 1954 Hoosiers Mu-
siers” inspired millions, the acknowledges the movie seum. “That story and the
high school team from this more closely resembles the movie ‘Hoosiers’ and that
rural community in south- story of the ‘53 team that museum are why people
eastern Indiana and its reached the semifinals — go there, and it can’t be
players remain the big- until the final 18 seconds , overlooked.” The movie
gest stars in town. There is which he calls accurate, wouldn’t have happened
a pride here that will never right down to his game- without Pizzo’s determina-
fade for the Milan Miracle, winning jumper from 15 tion. He cut the original 3
when the Indians came feet with three seconds left. 1/2-hour version to 2 1/2
from behind to stun Mun- When “Hoosiers” actually hours. Orion Pictures de-
cie Central 32-30 at Butler hit theaters in late 1986, manded it be trimmed to
University’s field house in Plump and his teammates less than two hours, and
Indianapolis, back when never dreamed how much eventually the editors cut it
Indiana still had its any- the Hollywood adaptation to 1 hour, 54 minutes. There
team-can-win-it, all-class- would change their lives, was a battle over the title,
es-welcome tournament. not to mention the traffic in too. Pizzo wanted “Hoo-
Of course, the Hollywood this little town, population siers” while Orion’s prefer-
version strayed from the 1,900. The movie starring ence was “The Last Shot.”
actual story line. Screen- Gene Hackman helped Around Milan, it’s even
writer Angelo Pizzo didn’t the team become as re- hard to find someone who
have a choice. vered as any champion in doesn’t have a tie to the
He and director David Ans- sports history, an unforget- team.q