Reel American History - Films

0:01:29 Ray Reminisces: Pictures of his father, Shoeless Joe Jackson introduced
0:04:15 Brought to the Present: Ray hears the voice for the first time: "If You Build it, He Will Come." He hears the voice two more times.
0:05:45 In the Kinsellas' House for Dinner: Ray tells his wife and daughter that he hears voices and later that night he hears the voices again.
0:07:20 Next Day: Breakfast: he gets teased about the voices by his wife, and at a store he tells one of his friends that he hears voices.
0:09:12 Voices Return: Ray hears the voices a few more times, and then in the distance he sees baseball field lights in the blue sky.
0:10:20 Dinner at the Kinsellas' House: Ray figures out that the voices are telling him to build a baseball field in his cornfield right outside of his house. If he builds this baseball field, then Shoeless Joe Jackson will be able to return as a ghost and play baseball again.
0:11:40 Bed Time: Ray and his wife, Annie, put daughter, Karen, to bed. Ray and Annie discuss the voices, and Ray decides that he is going to build the baseball field. Annie tells him to do it.
0:13:44 Next Day -- Starts Construction of the Baseball Field: Explanation of Shoeless Joe Jackson, and he also explains about the Black Sox Scandal -- how the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series in 1919.
0:15:25 Full Picture of Baseball Field: Ray and his wife are sitting outside in front of the baseball field. Ray discusses how he has done something totally illogical. Later that night, Ray and his wife get up in the middle of the night to look at the baseball field.
0:18:14 The Arrival of Shoeless Joe Jackson: There is discussion about how Ray is going to lose his farm because he can not afford to keep the field and the farm at the same time. His brother-in-law wants to tear down the farm so that the Kinsella's do not lose their farm. His daughter tells him that Shoeless Joe Jackson then arrives -- he is standing outside on the field.
0:19:43 Ray Lights up the Field: Ray goes outside to meet and shake hands with Shoeless Joe Jackson. Joe touches the field. They introduce themselves to each other, and Joe asks Ray to pitch the ball to him.
0:24:17 Playing Ball with Shoeless Joe Jackson: The men continue to play ball, and they also talk baseball. Joe talks about his love for baseball.
0:25:49 Joe Meets the Family: Annie and Karen meet Joe Jackson. Joe, after meeting everyone, asks Ray if he can come back again. Ray responds, "We built this for you." Joe then asks Ray, "Is this heaven?" Ray says, "No, it's Iowa." Joe then goes back into the cornfields, and he disappears.
0:28:40 Next Day at the Kinsellas' House: Annie's brother-in-law is at the Kinsella's house telling them that they have to sell the farm because if they don't, they are going to lose it. They do not have any money left because Ray built the baseball field. Ray excuses himself because he says that there are people outside.
0:29:33 The Eight Men on the Chicago White Sox in 1919 Appear on the Baseball Field: The eight men who were involved in the "Black Sox scandal" in the World Series in 1919 show up to play baseball on Ray Kinsella's baseball field. The men play ball, and they argue about baseball. Annie's family leaves and on their way out they pass the field, but they can not see any of the players. You have to "believe" to see the players.
0:33:02 Ray Talks to the Players: After they are done playing ball for the day, the players return to the cornfields and disappear. Ray hears the voice again, but this time the voice is saying a different thing: "Ease his pain."
0:35:28 PTA Meeting: Ray tells Annie that he hears the voices again. At the PTA meeting, there is a discussion about banning books from the public school that Karen goes to in Iowa. Some people at the meeting want to ban a book by an author by the name of Terrence Mann. Annie and Ray love Terrence Mann. Annie fights for Mann's book to stay, and people side with her. Ray finally figures out that the voice wants him to go and find Terrence Mann to "ease somebody's pain."
0:39:12 Ray Tells Annie That he Figures out What the Voice Wants This Time: Ray tells Annie that he has to go and ease Mann's pain. Ray goes to the library and home to do research on Terrence Mann. He tells Annie that he has to go to Boston to find Terrence Mann.
0:44:16 Ray Goes to Boston to Find Terrence Mann
0:46:00 Ray Finds Terrence Mann's Apartment: Ray knocks at Mann's door. After a struggle with Mann, Ray is finally let into Mann's apartment.
0:50:16 Ray Tells Man that he has to Take him to a Boston Red Sox Game: The two men go to the game. At the game, they both get food. Ray and Mann talk about how Mann used Ray's father's name in one of his books. Ray's father was a minor league baseball player.
0:54:05 Ray Hears the Voice Again: The voice tells Ray to "Go the Distance." Ray asks Mann if he heard the voice, and Mann plays dumb. Ray also notices at the game that there is a picture of a famous ball player from the early 1900's on the billboard at the game. The two men then leave the game.
0:56:05 Ray Drops Mann off at his Apartment: Ray is about to leave when Mann gets out of the car, but Ray says the name, Moonlight Graham, and Mann says to wait. Mann admits to hearing the voice at the game, and Mann says, "We are going to Minnesota to find Moonlight Graham."
0:57:50 Ray and Terrence Mann -- on the Road to Minnesota: Ray tells Annie that he is going to Minnesota with Terrence Mann. Annie's brother is at the Kinsella's house telling Annie that they have to sell the farm because they have no money and the baseball field has to go, along with selling the farm.
0:59:27 Ray and Mann are in Minnesota Looking for Moonlight Graham: The two men find out that Moonlight Graham, also known as Doc Graham, died in 1972. Mann then goes to a bar to see if he can get information about Doc Graham.
1:02:02 Motel Room: Ray and Terrence Mann are in a Motel room sharing the information that they each got about Doc Graham. Ray is looking through a newspaper when he notices that Terrence Mann is reported missing. He notifies Mann, and then he leaves the Motel Room; he is going to find Doc Graham.
1:04:04 Ray Sees Moonlight Graham: Ray goes back in time to the year 1972. He sees Graham walking down the street, and he introduces himself to him. The two men walk and talk together. They walk to Graham's office, and they talk about Graham's baseball experience.
1:08:07 Ray Tells Graham About his Baseball Field in Iowa: Ray offers Graham a chance to come and play at the field in Iowa, to fulfill Graham's dream. Graham says no; he is going to stay in Minnesota where he belongs, with his wife and with his practice.
1:09:33 Back in Motel Room: Ray tells Mann about meeting Graham. Ray calls Annie, and they talk about the farm on the phone. Ray says that he will be home right after he takes Mann back to Boston. Mann says, "No. I am going to Iowa with you."
1:10:24 Ray and Mann on Their Way Back to Iowa: They pick up a hitchhiker who says his name is Archie Graham.
1:12:34 Ray and Mann Talk About Ray's Father: Ray says that he has a hard time respecting a man whose hero was a criminal. Ray is referring to Shoeless Joe as being a criminal. He says that he was only seventeen when he said that, and he and his father did not really talk that much after that. His father died a few years later, and now Mann tells Ray that the least he should do is bring back his father's hero: Shoeless Joe Jackson.
1:15:16 The Three Men Arrive at the Kinsellas' House in Iowa: Ray introduces everybody to Mann and Graham. Mann sees Shoeless Joe Jackson, and they meet. Joe tells Archie Graham to go and warm up so that he can play baseball because, after all, Graham only played for one half an inning in a baseball game, and he never got a chance to hit the ball. Now Ray is making his dream come true: to play baseball again.
1:18:00 Graham in up at Bat: Graham hits the ball. He gets out, but he also brought home a run for his team.
1:20:39 A New Day: The boys are all playing ball. Mark, Annie's brother, shows up at the Kinsella's house. He wants Ray and Annie to sign the papers so that they can sell the farm. Ray tells Mark that he wants to stay. Ray's daughter tells her father that "people will come." Mann agrees with Karen, and he says, "Ray, people will come, Ray."
1:24:21 Terrence Mann Makes a Speech About Baseball: The camera shows a view of the baseball field with all of the players on it. Ray says to Mark that he is not signing the papers to sell the farm.
1:26:22 Karen Falls Off the Bleachers: Mark picks up Karen, and she falls off the bleachers. She is not breathing, and Annie goes to run and call an ambulance. Ray tells Annie to wait. Doc Graham will save her.
1:28:00 Doc Graham Saves Karen: Doc Graham steps off the field onto the grass which means he is no longer a young ball player. He returns to an old man who is a doctor. He saves Karen; she was choking on a hot dog.
1:29:30 Do Not Sell the Farm: Mark tells Ray, "Do not sell the farm." Mark, for the first time in the whole movie, sees the baseball players. He saw Doc Graham when Graham stepped off of the field to save Karen. Now he sees the Chicago White Sox team from 1919. Graham goes into the cornfields, and he disappears.
1:33:15 Mann Goes into the Cornfields: Shoeless Joe Jackson asks Terrence Mann to go to the cornfields with the rest of the players. Mann goes with Joe. Ray is mad about not getting asked to go into the cornfields with the other players, but Joe says to Ray, "If you build it, he will come." Mann and Joe then disappear.
1:34:45 Ray Sees his Father, John Kinsella: Ray hears the voices again. They tell him, "ease his pain." "Go the distance."
1:36:21 Ray Introduces Himself and his Family to John Kinsella: He does this without telling them that he knows that this man is his father. Annie and Karen then leave; they go into the house. John and Ray talk.
1:37:56 Ray Talks with John: John says, "Is this heaven?" Ray says, "It's Iowa." John then says, "Is there a heaven?" Ray answers him by saying, "Oh, yeah. It's where dreams come true." Ray and John then say goodnight.
1:39:18 "Do you want to have a catch?": Ray says, "Hey dad, do you want to have a catch?" His father says, "Yeah, I'd like that." Annie watches Ray and his father, and she turns the lights on for the baseball field.
1:40:39 Cars Start to Come to the Field: There is a line of cars that are all coming to the baseball field that Ray Kinsella built. "If you build it, they will come."
1:41:12 Credits -- The End