Actor Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey in "42," the movie on baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson to be released next month. Rickey is the former general manager who signed Robinson to break the color line in Major League Baseball. Ford will be in Kansas City next month for a special screening.
Since learning about the production, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick envisioned something special for Kansas City. Especially since Jackie Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs before he broke the color barrier in the major leagues.
Tom Butch from Waddell & Reed saw the movie in a private screening last month in Pittsburgh and talked with its producer.
"We made it known to Thomas Tull, Legendary CEO, the fact of the existence of the Negro Leagues (Baseball) Museum, Jackie Robinson's obviously critical nexus to Kansas City and talked to him right then and there about the possibility of doing a fund-raiser," said Butch. "Ever since he's been quite supportive."
Proceeds from the evening will go to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Kansas City is the only city outside of Los Angeles with a special screening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkI3RDL5__Y
All of the theaters at AMC BarryWoods 24 will be showing the film during the evening on April 11, 2013.
