A League of Ordinary Gentlemen

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A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen.jpg
Directed byChristopher Browne and Alex Browne
Written byChristopher Browne
Produced byChristopher Browne
StarringWayne Webb
Pete Weber
Walter Ray Williams Jr.
Chris Barnes
Steve Miller
Cinematography
Edited by
Music by
Distributed byMagnolia Home Entertainment
Release date
March 21, 2006
Running time
93 min.
LanguageEnglish
Not to be confused with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen is a documentary film about ten-pin bowling that was released on DVD on March 21, 2006. It was written and directed by Christopher Browne and stars PBA Tour players Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Chris Barnes, and Wayne Webb.

It was first televised nationally on the PBS series Independent Lens on April 25, 2006.[1][2]

Plot[]

The documentary follows four professional ten-pin bowlers at various stages of their careers[3] after the Professional Bowlers Association is purchased by a trio of Microsoft programmers, who then hire Steve Miller, a Nike marketing guru, to revitalize the sport.[4]

Cast[]

Soundtrack[]

The documentary features the song by comedian Stephen Lynch called "Bowling Song (Almighty Malachi, Professional Bowling God)." This track is featured on Lynch's second official album, Superhero, released in 2002.[5]

DVD features[]

  • Deleted Scenes
  • PBA TV Spots
  • Skills Challenge Highlights
  • PBA Event Clips
  • Dexter Approach: Tips and Techniques (Hosted by 13-time PBA Tour titlist and current Fox Sports 1 (FS1) TV color-analyst Randy Pedersen.)
  • Theatrical Trailer

Featured bowlers after the film[]

Wayne Webb never won another regular PBA Tour title after the completion of the film. He now runs Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl in Columbus, Ohio, and has a karaoke business on the side. He later joined the PBA Senior Tour (for players age 50 and older, now named the PBA50 Tour), and made a splash by winning the 2008 Senior U.S. Open. In 2010, he was named PBA Senior Player of the Year.

Chris Barnes earned his first-ever PBA Player of the Year award in the 2007-08 season. He twice won what was (at the time) the biggest prize check in the history of televised bowling ($200,000) by winning the Motel 6 Roll to Riches events in 2005 and 2006. Barnes was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2018,[6] and won his 19th PBA Tour title later that year.

In September, 2006, Walter Ray Williams Jr. surpassed Earl Anthony on the PBA's All-Time titles list with his win over Pete Weber in the Dydo Japan Cup. Walter currently has 47 PBA Tour titles after winning the USBC Masters in February, 2010. He retired from the standard PBA Tour in 2021 at age 61, but still participates on the PBA50 Tour.[7]

As of 2021, Pete Weber is fourth on the PBA's all-time list with 37 titles, with his most recent title coming at age 50 in the PBA Tournament of Champions on March 31, 2013. At the time, that victory tied Weber with Earl Anthony for the most major championships in PBA Tour history (10). A year earlier (2012), Weber won his record fifth U.S. Open title.[8] Like Williams, Weber retired from the regular PBA Tour in 2021, but continues to compete in PBA50 Tour events.

References[]

  1. ^ "PBS to Air A League of Ordinary Gentlemen Next Week". Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). April 19, 2006. Archived from the original on May 6, 2006.
  2. ^ "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen / The Film". PBS. 2006. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e John Grasso and Eric R. Hartman (2014). Historical Dictionary of Bowling. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 38. ISBN 9780810880221.
  4. ^ a b Christy Lemire (May 24, 2005). "Bowlers roll a strike in 'Ordinary Gentlemen' - Documentary looks at the top competitors in the Professional Bowler's Association". The Associated Press.
  5. ^ "Comedic 'Bowling Song' by Stephen Lynch". ybtba.org. Yorkshire BTBA (British Tenpin Bowling Association). April 15, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  6. ^ "NEW HALL OF FAMERS, AWARD WINNERS HONORED DURING PBA'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION". bowlingdigital.com. February 19, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  7. ^ Goodger, Jef (March 17, 2021). "PETE WEBER, WALTER RAY WILLIAMS JR. RETIRE FROM PBA TOUR COMPETITION". pba.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Vint, Bill. "Pete Weber Wins Record Fifth U.S. Open to Surpass Father Dick Weber and Don Carter." Article at www.pba.com on February 26, 2012. [1]

External links[]

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