Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
Encyclopedia
Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story is an American
1992
sports drama
biography television film about the life of Loyola Marymount basketball
player Eric "Hank" Gathers
, written for Tribune Entertainment
by Fred Johnson
, Don Enright and Ed Fields, and directed by Charles Braverman
.
; as well as in Santa Monica
and Los Angeles
, California.
through his brief career playing basketball for Loyola Marymount University
, where he collapsed during a game and died of a heart ailment.
wrote that the film "does a decent job of showing us the person inside the uniform," but felt that the film is overall "too sketchily told to be truly satisfying."
Dallas Morning News felt that the film went beyond disappointing to become "an insult -- not for what it focuses on, but for what it leaves out." The reviewer felt that the film fell "in line with many TV projects based on real-life people by reducing its subject to sterotypes."
Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that film suffered in its dwelling less on the formative events of Gathers' life to concentrate too much upon his basketball career.
Conversely, San Diego Union-Tribune felt the film was a fitting tribute to Hank Gathers' memory.
Variety
wrote that while some of the scenes were awkward, the film "sets a fine example of what a youth under pressure in North Philly can accomplish." They wrote that it is the growing relation of Hank Gathers with his college teammate Bo Kimble
as friends and players that holds the viewer's interest, while making note that Gathers' off-court life remains "shadowy and vague".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
sports drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
biography television film about the life of Loyola Marymount basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player Eric "Hank" Gathers
Hank Gathers
Eric "Hank" Gathers was an American college basketball star at Loyola Marymount University who collapsed and died during a game. He was the second player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season...
, written for Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment was a television production and syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Broadcasting in the mid-1980s. Many programs offered from Tribune Entertainment have been broadcast on the company's television stations....
by Fred Johnson
Fred Johnson
Fred Johnson may refer to:* Fred Johnson , American football player and coach* Fred Johnson , Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns* Fred Gustus Johnson , U.S...
, Don Enright and Ed Fields, and directed by Charles Braverman
Charles Braverman
Charles "Chuck" Dell Braverman is an American film director, documentary filmmaker and producer...
.
Production
Casting began in late 1991, with a television debut slated for March 1992. The project was filmed in North Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
; as well as in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California.
Synopsis
This film follows the life of basketball legend Eric "Hank" Gathers, from his growing up in the ghettos of Philadelphia to his freshman year at USCUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
through his brief career playing basketball for Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
, where he collapsed during a game and died of a heart ailment.
Reception
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that the film "does a decent job of showing us the person inside the uniform," but felt that the film is overall "too sketchily told to be truly satisfying."
Dallas Morning News felt that the film went beyond disappointing to become "an insult -- not for what it focuses on, but for what it leaves out." The reviewer felt that the film fell "in line with many TV projects based on real-life people by reducing its subject to sterotypes."
Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that film suffered in its dwelling less on the formative events of Gathers' life to concentrate too much upon his basketball career.
Conversely, San Diego Union-Tribune felt the film was a fitting tribute to Hank Gathers' memory.
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote that while some of the scenes were awkward, the film "sets a fine example of what a youth under pressure in North Philly can accomplish." They wrote that it is the growing relation of Hank Gathers with his college teammate Bo Kimble
Bo Kimble
Gregory Kevin "Bo" Kimble is a retired American college basketball player at Loyola Marymount University and professional National Basketball Association player with the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks...
as friends and players that holds the viewer's interest, while making note that Gathers' off-court life remains "shadowy and vague".
Partial cast
- Victor Love as Hank GathersHank GathersEric "Hank" Gathers was an American college basketball star at Loyola Marymount University who collapsed and died during a game. He was the second player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season...
- Duane DavisDuane DavisDuane Davis, the son of NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Willie Davis, is an American actor who has been in such films as Ghosts of Mars and Paparazzi. He played Joe Louis in a made-for-TV movie about Rocky Marciano, James "Buster" Douglas in the HBO original movie Tyson and as ESU football star...
as Bo KimbleBo KimbleGregory Kevin "Bo" Kimble is a retired American college basketball player at Loyola Marymount University and professional National Basketball Association player with the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks... - George KennedyGeorge KennedyGeorge Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
as Father Dave - Nell CarterNell CarterNell Carter was an American singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin, as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television...
as Lucille Gathers - Sam HenningsSam HenningsSam Hennings is an American actor with German, English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. Hennings was born in Macon, Georgia, United States and spent most of his youth in Athens, Georgia...
as Coach Spencer - Reynaldo ReyReynaldo Rey-Biography:Rey was born Harry Reynolds in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. He is of African American and Native American descent. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State Teacher's College, majoring in Education.-Filmography:...
as Red - Whitman MayoWhitman MayoWhitman B. Mayo was an American actor best known for his character Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son....
as Nick - Ed ArnoldEd ArnoldEd Arnold is an American news anchor.Ed Arnold in California is currently a co-anchor for Real Orange, a nightly news and public affairs show for Orange County, California on KOCE, one of the four PBS stations in the Los Angeles market. Prior to joining KOCE, he was one of the Orange County bureau...
as Himself - Bart BravermanBart BravermanBartley Louis "Bart" Braverman is an actor who is well known for guest starring on many shows. He is probably best known today for his Match Game appearances...
as Tom Talmadge - Dick BakerDick BakerDick Baker was a Canadian racecar driver who was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted for his accomplishments in vintage racing.-References:...
as Referee - John MahonJohn MahonJohn Mahon is a professional percussionist and backing vocalist, most noted for his work with Elton John. He grew up in Canton, Ohio, and was attracted to music when he joined a local drum/bugle club. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School....
as LMU Coach - Ken ForeeKen ForeeKentotis Alvin "Ken" Foree is an American actor probably most famous as the hero Peter in Dawn of the Dead and Kenan & Kel as Roger, Kenan's dad.- Early life and career :Foree was born in Indianapolis, Indiana...
as First USC Coach - Milt KoganMilt KoganMilt Kogan is an American actor. He is best known for playing the desk sergeant, Officer Kogan, on the television series Barney Miller in 1975....
as Doctor - Baldwin C. Sykes as Specs
- Michael D. Hall as Heat Gates
- Cory Curtis as Young Heat Gates
- De'Andre Alfred as Noo-Noo Gathers
- Donny B. Lord as Young Hank Gathers
- Michole WhiteMichole Briana WhiteMichole Briana White is an American actress.She is perhaps best known for her role as attorney Fatima Kelly in the A&E series 100 Centre Street. She has also guest starred in a number of notable television series namely L.A...
as Taffy - David Netter as Aaron