RIP Mark Harris

The author of "Bang The Drum Slowly" and "The Southpaw," along with more than a dozen other books, died at 84 on Wednesday, due to complications from Alzheimer's.

http://tinyurl.com/347erb (link to LAT obit)

 

Whew. I thought it was one of the myriad of Mike Harrises that roam the plains.

Still an unfortunate loss.

 

The movie version of BTDS is an underrated masterpiece.
DeNiro and a sane Michael Moriarty.
"I think the club coulda sent somebody."

 

Sad news. I read all four of his baseball books and enjoyed them all. I thought the Southpaw was the best of the four books. I also read "Trumpet to the World" which was also outstanding.

I remember he wrote an article in the New York Times Sunday magazine about the time "Bang The Drum Slowly" came out concerning the adaptation. If I recall correctly, I don't think he was completely happy or unhappy with the film adaptation, but he basicly said if you sell the rights from your novel to Hollywood, he realized you pretty much lose control.

I would read anything Mark Harris wrote.

 

Actually, it was Harris himself who wrote the adaptation.

He still might have been unhappy with changes to the story, but his name is on the film credits, as well as the book.

And like "The Natural," the BTDS book and the BTDS film should almost be treated as separate entities because they are both so good, but in so different ways.

 

The Southpaw is outstanding. A must read.

 

Buck:

What I remember about the article is that he seemed frustrated at first, but then came to accept that things were different.

 

RIP

 

Sad. A great writer is gone. Bang the Drum Slowly was one incredible book.