"me and the great roberto clemente" - a job post by Jim Marcus

About the job

I am looking for someone to take this memory/story on an experience my older brother Robbie and I had with the great Roberto Clemente between 1958 and 1960 in Pittsburgh and scale it to a feature film with a completely built out screenplay and plan for production. This memory has been an heirloom with my family, and when my brother Robbie past away in 2021, I posted this story to the "Forbes Field" group page on Facebook and received overwhelming responses, many suggesting that this memory and story had "cinematic potential" Here is the story!  

"When my brother Robbie was 10 yrs old and I was 7 growing up in Pittsburgh in1958, we used to take the bus from Squirrel Hill to Forbes Field to watch the Pirates play. Robbie was an avid autograph seeker and he wanted the great Roberto Clemente's badly! He was our hero! One day after the game, Robbie and I hid in the bleachers while the crowd exited and emptied the stadium. We were all alone in Forbes Field when Lo and Behold we see Roberto Clemente coming out of the Pirate dugout. He's wearing a suit, talking to a reporter and walking through the infield. Robbie says "Jimmy, follow me!" and we jump the fence and run towards the infield to get Clemente's autograph! When we get there Robbie turns to me and says " Jimmy, I just heard Roberto give that reporter his phone number!...I've got it in my head and I'm going to remember it!" When we got home after the game that day , Robbie called me into his room and I held my breath as he dialed Clemente's phone for the first time! After a few rings Roberto picks up the phone and we introduce ourselves as Robbie and Jimmy. Robbie tells him how we got his phone# and we mention how great his catch of a well hit ball to right field was in the 7th inning. For the next two years Robbie and I would call Clemente after every home game to say hi and to reflect on the great plays he had made that day. He was our phone pal! He was also a total gentleman, never blew us off, but let us know that he needed his rest so the conversations were short. ...Fast forward to the 1960 7th game of the world series between the Pirates and the Yankees. My dad had two tickets one for him and one for me after Robbie and I drew straws to see who would get to go with dad! When dad and I got to our seats on the third base side lower deck, my dad told me his good friend from college was the president of the American league and we were being invited onto the field before the game. WOW! When I followed dad onto the field and he introduced me to his friend the president, the guy said "Son, who would you like to meet"? I of course said Roberto Clemente!! He said "follow me"! As we walked across the infield toward the Pirate dugout on the first base side, I told him about the many phone calls Robbie and I had with Clemente the last two years. As we approached the Pirate bench, the guy turns to Clemente and says "Hey Roberto, this kid says he knows you!" I yell out, "It's me Jimmy from Robbie and Jimmy. We've been calling you! Clemente smiles and says "Ah.. Robbie and Jimmy"!!"