Sunn Stream announces 'Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball' World Premiere March 29, 2024, at Reno Aces Stadium
“Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball” Emmy Award-Winning Director and Producer Greg DeHart with Max Patkin jersey at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY. This Sunn Stream "Original" Film Premieres March 29, 2024.
Max Patkin was best-known as “The Clown Prince of Baseball”, who performed his act for 50 years at over 5,000 consecutive minor league baseball games, without once missing a date.
Academy Award Nominee and “Bull Durham” Director and Writer Ron Shelton is in the new “Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball” documentary, and explains, “I couldn’t have made ‘Bull Durham’ without Max. He was minor league baseball.”
MLB Network Host Harold Reynolds describes Max Patkin in the new documentary, “Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball” by Sunn Stream Productions. Harold is a former professional baseball player, who played for the Seattle Mariners, among others
Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee describes Max Patkin at Fenway Park in the new documentary, “Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball”.
Sunn Stream's announces the World Premiere and release date of their new "Original" documentary “Max Patkin, The Clown Prince of Baseball” is March 29, 2024.
This Sunn Stream “Original” film will bring viewers Max Patkin’s (1920-1999) unique baseball legend career and life - one that ended with Max’s uniform being displayed in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
Before Mascots, there were clowns, and Max Patkin was best-known as “The Clown Prince of Baseball”, who performed his act for 50 years at over 5,000 consecutive minor league baseball games, without once missing a date!
Emmy and IDA Award-Winning Producer/Director, Greg DeHart explains, “Our film takes fans on Max’s 50-year journey through the backroads of minor league baseball. We uncovered a very human side of Max Patkin, who came out night-after-night to entertain minor league baseball fans. Patkin’s act was his livelihood. The baseball diamond was just where he worked.”
When Academy Award Nominee Director Ron Shelton filmed his classic minor league baseball film “Bull Durham”, he cast Max Patkin as himself. Shelton, who stars in this new Sunn Stream documentary, often says, “I couldn’t have made ‘Bull Durham’ without Max. He was minor league baseball.” In “Bull Durham”, Patkin acts alongside Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.
DeHart expands, “Before World War Two, Patkin was a minor league pitcher. But when he wasn’t pitching, he clowned, using his lanky body and protruding nose as props. His big break came while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War Two. That’s when Patkin was pitching in an exhibition game against the legendary Joe DiMaggio. After DiMaggio hit home run off Patkin, Max threw down his glove and followed DiMaggio around the bases, mimicking his famous stride. The fans went wild, and a baseball clown was born.”
After an arm injury ended Max’s pitching career, MLB owner and master promoter Bill Veeck hired Patkin to bring his comedic talent to the major leagues.
What made Patkin’s clown routine so unique was that he performed DURING games. Wearing an oversized question mark uniform, Max mimicked players, rolled in the dirt, coached, joked, contorted, and sprayed water during his famous “geyser” routine. Fans loved it. Owners did not. By 1946, Max was banished to the minor leagues, and for the next 50 years, Max traveled across America performing over 5,000 consecutive times without once missing a date!
Producer/Director DeHart first met Patkin while pitching in the minor leagues. When Patkin came out to the pitcher’s mound to make DeHart part of his comedy routine. DeHart told Max to, “get off my mound.” Patkin replied, “Just go with it kid, the fans love it!” That incident inspired DeHart to make the film.
In this baseball documentary, viewers will hear from luminaries Bob Feller, Don Zimmer, Bill “Spaceman Lee, Harold Reynolds, and writer Steve Wulf, to name a few. Rare footage shows Max both on and off the field. There is also a heartfelt interview with Max’s daughter Joy, who remembers Max as a loving father, who had his share of challenges – including being brutally teased for his looks, living a lonely life on the road, and his wife trying to kill him.
Reno-based Sunn Stream President and Executive Producer Garrett Sutton adds, “We’re excited to announce this new Max Patkin film that will highlight how an unsung baseball hero played a major role in the history of the game and small town America. We are grateful to our team, and invite baseball fans and non-baseball fans alike to visit Sunnstream.com to see this fun and touching film. It’s a human interest story with many layers about someone many called the ‘funniest man in baseball’.”
Audiences will leave inspired by Max’s resilience, grit, love for the fans and dedication to America’s national sport.”
MOVIE TRAILER
Max Patkin, The Clown Prince of Baseball Documentary - Sunn Stream "Original"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J5056Nx1N8
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WHERE TO WATCH
“Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball” Documentary
Starting Friday, March 29, 2024
Exclusively available to watch on Sunn Stream here:
https://www.sunnstream.com/max-patkin-the-clown-prince-of-baseball
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Max Patkin: The Clown Prince of Baseball Trailer
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