Here’s who added the deleted scenes back into movie Hoosiers
The Hoosier Gym is showing a never-before-seen version of the movie Hoosiers with all the original scenes added back in. Bob Garner and Zoey Hunsinger talk about the experience.
Mykal McEldowney, Indianapolis Star
Carmel’s Allied Solutions Center for Performing Arts is rolling out the red carpet for the definitive Indiana movie on its 40th anniversary.
The center will mark four decades of “Hoosiers,” the story of an underdog Indiana high school basketball team that clawed its way to a state championship, with a special screening at the Payne and Mencias Palladium on Nov. 15. Select members of the 1986 film’s cast and crew will discuss bringing the fictional Hickory Huskers to life in a Q&A following the screening.
Inspired by the real-life Milan High School 1954 boys basketball team – still the smallest Indiana high school to earn a single-class state title with its historic win over Muncie Central High School – “Hoosiers” is the behemoth of Indiana film canon. Legendary Academy Award winner Gene Hackman leads as Norman Dale, the Huskers’ new coach whose methodical approach to the game frustrates his team and the town but eventually pays off in a long-shot championship trophy. Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper, Sheb Wooley, Maris Valainis and Brad Long round out the cast.
Valainis and Long will be on hand at the Palladium screening, as well as director David Anspaugh and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo (who also penned “Rudy,” the other enduring Indiana sports flick). Also slated for a special appearance is the red 1939 Chevrolet school bus that shuttled the Huskers to games in the movie. The bus won’t have much to contribute during the question and answer portion, but fans are invited to pose with the prop for photos.
Carmel’s “Hoosiers” screening isn’t the only statewide celebration of the film’s anniversary. South Bend’s Dynasty Sports Film Festival will include “Hoosiers” during its Oct. 22-26 run, and Knightstown’s Hoosier Gym – where much of the film was shot – hosted a sold-out banquet to mark the milestone Sept. 25.
Tickets, times for ‘Hoosiers’ 40th anniversary screening at the Carmel Palladium
The Paynce and Mencias Palladium will screen “Hoosiers” at 3 p.m. Nov. 15. Tickets start at $63 and are available at thecenterpresents.org.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.