Film to recall 'Cannon Street Boys'

Moviemakers to tell story of Charleston youths denied place at 1955 Little League World Series

A little-known saga was being written in Charleston at the same time that Jackie Robinson was breaking color barriers on the national baseball scene.

The story Jason Scott first saw on ABC's "Nightline" three years ago about the all-black team from Charleston that was denied its shot at a Little League World Series title played out the same year Rosa Parks refused a seat in the back of an Alabama bus. It was only a year after the U.S. Supreme Court ended school segregation.

"It is one of those moments in time, it was at a point in history — the story has not been told to the extent that I believe it deserves," said Scott, who along with longtime friends Ben Hammock and Joe Pinto will turn the drama and heartbreak of the 1955 Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars into a film.

"The research shows they had a very good chance of being one of the better teams in South Carolina and in the United States, and they weren't given the chance to prove that," Scott said.

The Charleston men were awarded one of three 2008 Production Fund grants, each worth up to $100,000, from the S.C. Film Commission. The

money is intended to help develop the state's movie industry by pairing professionals with students.

"The Cannon Street Boys" will be about 30 minutes long and will employ about 10 Trident Technical College students.

The film is in casting, Hammock said, and hopefully will include cameos, if possible, of the All-Star players. It might include as extras the children who now play at the YMCA.

Back in 1955, the All-Stars made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., by default because South Carolina's white teams refused to play against them. The boys, ages 11 and 12, traveled to Pennsylvania but were told it was against the rules for them to play because they had advanced based on forfeited games.

The team was invited back to Williamsport in August 2002 to receive a 1955 championship banner.

Filming on the movie is scheduled to wrap up by the end of October. The finished product is due this time next year.

The grants are a way to help new artists, the state's students and professionals while raising the bar for film production in South Carolina, state Film Commissioner Jeff Monks said. The short films are eligible to compete in international film festivals and, in turn, could promote South Carolina and its colleges and universities.

"I was pretty blown away about it," Hammock said of receiving the grant.

Hammock and Scott both have experience in the field, including work on "Army Wives" and "The Patriot." For the "Cannon Street Boys," Hammock will serve as producer and Scott will hold the position of director and producer.

Pinto wrote the script, which he said he fictionalized in parts, mostly to help condense the story. He will be the lead writer and producer. They brought on a fourth friend, Michael Poplin, to serve as production designer.

Hammock noted, though, that so far the film has been a community effort. For example, they were given office space at reduced rent by the Cigar Factory on East Bay Street.

The filmmakers also are relying on local expertise to tell the story. They called on team historian Agustus Holt and Paul Stoney, president of the Cannon Street YMCA.

Stoney said he believes the story offers a number of lessons.

"We should never allow politics or any form of divisions to impact our children," he said.

For Holt, the state will benefit from the additional exposure of what the All-Stars endured. Their story has been told on ESPN, "Nightline" and other places, including a book by Margot Theis Raven, "Let Them Play."

"It is a true civil rights story," Holt said.

Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.