Field of Dreams

Director: Phil Alden Robinson: (1999)

Cast: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones,Amy, Madigan,Ray Liotta,Timothy Busfield,Gaby Hoffman,Frank Whaley, Dwyer Brown, Burt Lancaster

"Hey dad. You wanna have a catch ...?"

Simple words asked by Kevin Costner's character Ray Kinsella to the ghost of his late father, John, in the film "Field of Dreams" has made more men cry than possibly any film in history.

By now, most everyone knows the story of the film, based on writer W.P. Kinsella's novella, "Shoeless Joe," about Ray, an Iowa farmer, who hears a voice that tells him, "If you build it, he will come," and proceeds to build a baseball field in the middle of his farm. Out of the cornfield comes the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson, played by actor Ray Liotta, and other long-dead ballplayers, who play on the field.

Ray is sent on a mission to bring writer Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones, and another player, Archie "Moonlight" Graham, played by Burt Lancaster, back to the field. During that mission the audience finds out that Ray had been estranged from his father, John, a former Minor League player, and never had the opportunity to make things right before he died. John shows up at the field at the end and the reunion between father and son is complete.

Fun Facts: Dyersville Iowa, where this was filmed, was going through a horrible drought, so corn fields to film. The production company helped import corn stock and water. Second logistical problem: The Dubuque  County Chamber of commerce kept their promise and delivered 2,500 cars and drivers for the final scene of the film when cars make their way to the field.