How many times I've watched the movie, The Natural, since its release in 1984 in incomprehensible. I'm a sucker for a good baseball movie. My favorite of all is one titled, 'For Love Of The Game'. For the life of me I don't know why it doesn't get more play. Maybe because it's a love story as much as a baseball one. It stars Kevin Costner and the late Kelly Preston. The beauty of it for me is the memories conjured up in the mind of Billy Chapel(Costner) as he pitches in his last professional game. You'd have to have done it to understand it.
As for The Natural I watched it again last night and then began looking up the actors and what has happened them today. I was especially interested in the batboy, Bobby Savoy. There isn't a lot of available info around. He never again acted in a film. His real life parents ran a fruit stand in Buffalo, New York, the site of the film. One day a director of the film was walking down the street and came across the kid. He was almost angelic looking; chubby with a big heavenly smile. The director inquired if he was interested in the part. His parents said yes and for eternity he will be remembered as the lad who secured the bat 'The Savoy Special" so that Roy Hobbs could become the legend of a lifetime.
The boy, George Wilkozs, was never heard of or seen on the screen again. Information on his whereabouts is limited but it seems he's still hanging out in Buffalo these 37 years later.
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