Hey there friend!
New this week on the podcast are legendary baseball player, Rickey Hill and Director and Producer, Jeff Celentano of The Hill which premiers this Friday, August 25th in theaters!
About The Hill
Growing up impoverished in small-town Texas, young Rickey Hill shows an extraordinary ability for hitting a baseball, despite being burdened by leg braces from a degenerative spinal disease. His concerned pastor father (DENNIS QUAID) discourages Rickey from playing baseball to protect him from injury, and to have him follow in his footsteps and become a preacher. As a young man, Rickey (COLIN FORD) becomes a baseball phenomenon. His desire to participate in a try-out for a legendary major league scout divides the family and threatens Rickey’s dream of playing professional baseball. Based on a true story, THE HILL is directed by Jeff Celentano and also stars JOELLE CARTER, country music singer and songwriter RANDY HOUSER, Golden Globe nominee BONNIE BEDELIA, and SCOTT GLENN.
I had the opportunity to see a screener for this movie and it was everything I hoped it would be. Below is the movie trailer as well as the Grounded in the Middle Podcast video interview for you to check out.
Friend, you are going to absolutely love this movie!
More about Rickey Hill
Born in Fort Worth, Texas to a poor Baptist preacher, Rickey Hill’s life was a symphony of trials. Despite adversity, from poverty, bullying due to the braces on his legs, and balancing expectations and dreams, Rickey’s relentless pursuit of his passion in baseball made him one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen. His life is proof that every day is a canvas for growth, an opportunity to overcome hurdles and emerge stronger. Rickey’s journey is more than just a success story – it’s an inspiration for all to never let go of their dreams.
About Jeff Celentano, Director and Producer of The Hill
The story of Rickey Hill is a true-life drama of perseverance, faith, and talent emerging from a childhood of hardship, physical pain, and living in the shadow of his loving yet stern father. In adapting a film of Hill’s story, director Jeff Celentano (Glass Jaw, Breaking Point) recognized right away the potential for greatness a movie made from it could have — much like Rickey himself had a potential on the baseball field that needed to be nurtured before it could fly.
“I began this journey fifteen years ago,” says Celentano. “It all started when my brother, Mark, happened to be sitting in the lobby of a hotel next to a stranger. That stranger turned out to be Rickey Hill. My brother had overheard Rickey talking on the phone to someone about how a film about Rickey’s life had been in the process of getting made, but quickly fell apart.”
“Mark struck up a conversation with Rickey and said, ‘You have to meet my brother, Jeff — he’s the perfect person to get your film made,’” Celentano continues. “Sometime after that, I met Rickey and flew to Fort Worth, Texas, to meet Michael A. Blubaugh, who owned the rights to Rickey’s life story.”
Shortly after that meeting, the rights were secured and Celentano proceeded to climb the mountain that was THE HILL.
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