"The Basketball Fix"

[Mark Padgett]

I was at the local Dollar Store (Nordstrom's had just closed) and found a bunch of DVDs in the two-for-a-dollar bin. I couldn't resist buying one called "The Basketball Fix". It's from the mid-50s. John Ireland is a sportwriter and Marshall Thompson is a HS basketball star who is ready to graduate but has not yet picked a college.

Ireland helps him get a scholarship to "State" and he inadvertantly gets involved with a gambler. Of course, he starts shaving points and the gambler pays him off big time. They all get caught in the end when he fixes the "National Championship" game, which just happens to be played in State's old gym.

What was fun was seeing the game footage. The referees were wearing striped long-sleeved button down shirts with striped collars, plus light grey belted, pleated pants. They seemed to be wearing black Chuck Taylor All-Stars on their feet. It was weird to see them signal two points after every basket.

If you get a chance to see this movie, do it. It's definitely worth fifty cents.