Today in Philly Sports History: Everybody Get Up, It's Time to Slam Now, 1996
You can keep your British invasion, your punk revolution, your mall-pop mania. For my money, there was no more significant cultural phenomenon of the last 50 years than Space Jam, the Warner Bros. / Hoops hybrid released that saw Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan team up to save the fate of the universe (or at least some second-tier NBA players). Women fainted, men were brought to their knees, R. Kelly hired a gospel choir to properly express his rapture. If you were there for its release on November 15th, 1996, it was like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Challenger explosion and the episode of Saved By the Bell where Jesse took speed all rolled into one.
The Philadelphia sports connection of Space Jam is less than inextricable, but present nonetheless. Two of the basketball players whose talents the Monstars steal--Charles Barkley and Shawn Bradley--were Sixers, albeit neither at the the time of the movie's release, Barkley having been traded to the Suns and Bradley to the Nets. Nonetheless, we were proud to have two of our semi-native sons represented in the film, even if one of them was arguably the worst NBA player ever to have his talent stolen for the purposes of enslaving a cartoon universe. (That entire team made no sense, though--Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Shaun Bradley? Two centers, two power forwards and a 5'3" point? Yeah, good luck with that all-star team, Mr. Swackhammer).
Anyone know if it's actually true that future Indiana Hoosiers / Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Eric Gordon played Michael's son in the movie? No one seems to want to confirm it for sure, but Wikipedia seems to think it's true.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117705/fullcredits#cast
confirmed!
Wow what a classic movie
Posted by: J | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 09:36 AM
Its amazing the impact this movie had on my life. I was 7 when it came out and it had a earth shattering effects as to me watching basketball and me getting into music. The soundtrack was the first cassette (remember them?) i ever owned.
Greatest. Movie. Ever.
Posted by: Section118 | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 10:14 AM
You mean Warner Bros./hoops hybrid, yes/no?
Posted by: Adam B | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Yup, I was obsessed with song when I was 12.
Posted by: gregotto | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 10:58 AM
Aw, I was hoping this was about Big Shot's short-lived assistant mascot, Slam, who was basically just a guy in a blue body suit.
Posted by: dmac | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I was confused at to why this was a significant date in Philly Sports history, now I know why!
Posted by: Shawn | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I can not accept that someone playing in the NBA is young enough to play Michael Jordan's son in the Mid-90s!
Posted by: chrissmari | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Looks like it isn't the Clips Eric Gordon, this was on the imdb message board: "He (the Gordon that just got drafted by the Clippers) said on ESPN 710 radio today that this is not him, but a different eric gordon a year younger."
Posted by: dan | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 11:56 AM
bill murray and newman? hilarious....tasteless challenger reference tho
Posted by: bos | Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 01:04 PM
Don't forget Mr. Swackhammer was played by future Uncle Frank, Danny Devito, of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Posted by: Chris | Monday, November 16, 2009 at 12:13 PM