In the new, based-on-a-true-story baseball dramedy Million Dollar Arm (opening today), Jon Hamm plays a sports agent who produces a reality show that aims to find the hardest-throwing cricket pitchers in India and turn them into MLB flamethrowers. He ends up discovering two teenagers blessed with exceptionally strong arms — and the two actors who play the pitchers, Madhur Mittal and Suraj Sharma, now join an elite squad of mock athletes: actors who have to be convincing as all-star pitchers in a movie.

To get a sense of how actors like Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, and more pulled it off, we brought in the expert eye of the legendary Charlie Hough, a scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a knuckleballer who lasted nearly a quarter century in the big leagues. And while the voluble 66-year-old might not be the most discerning of cinephiles (uniformly praising each of the eight movies we had him watch with some variation of the word "Terrific!"), he shared plenty of insights on some big names who have stepped onto the mound.

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Actor-Pitcher: Robert Redford in The Natural (1984)

Scouting Report: "That leg kick is from the '60s and '70s. Everyone learned that way. My dad taught me that way, but I couldn't really do it. Wish I could. I'm just not that flexible. There's not a lot of power in his push off the mound. A guy who really exploded on the mound with a big wind-up was [Hall of Famer] Sandy Koufax."

Related Thought: "Actors look like athletes now. [When this was made], actors weren't the best baseball players. It's awful hard to look natural. Those guys, well, they look like actors. "

Movie Rating: "Terrific!"





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Actor-Pitcher: Dennis Quaid in The Rookie (2002)

Scouting Report: "He sells it pretty good. He's a little stiff, but that's the part. He's playing a guy who doesn't trust himself, doesn't trust his stuff. He's injured, he's disappointed, he's out of baseball. So looking stiff, he looks unsure of himself."

Related Thought: "It's a good movie because it's a good story. You have to make it interesting for the non-baseball fan by making it about the story. He didn't fulfill his dream, and now he's got his chance."

Movie Rating: "Terrific! Terrific!"

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