‘The Bad News Bears’ Cast Remembers Working With Walter Matthau 50 Years Later

Bad News Bears Cast reunion Hollywood Show October 2026 — Credit: Mike Pingel

This year is the 50th Anniversary of the hit film The Bad News Bears, which starred Walter Matthau, Vic Morris, and Tatum O’Neal. The film is based on an ex-minor-league coach who takes on coaching a misfit Little League team. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie and was written by Bill Lancaster, who won the WGA Award for his efforts.

The film opened on April 7, 1976, and brought in around $42 million and was a surprise hit. This led to two spin-off films: 1977’s The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and 1978’s The Bad News Bears God to Japan. A remake with Billy Bob Thornton was produced in 2005.

The cast of the film came together recently at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, CA. The popular autograph show brought in the largest cast reunion yet, and in attendance were David Stambaugh (Toby), Jaime Escobedo (Jose), Erin Blunt (Ahmad), Gary Cavagnero (Engleberg), Chris Barnes (Tanner), David Pollock (Rudi), Brandon Cruz (Joey), Scott Firestone (Regi), and Brett Marx (Marty). Tatum O’Neal (who played Amanda) was in attendance at the show but did not join in for the panel. All the young men took the stage for a walk down memory lane to a packed room of fans and reflected on the emotional and humorous stories about Matthau, who played Coach Morris Buttermaker.

Remembering Walter Matthau

Credit: Mike Pingel

Brett Marx, who played Marty Feldman, said, “Walter was the treasurer of the set. He would have spelling bees in the dugout to keep us in line and pay out the money for those who got it right. I made a couple bucks off. But he was the sweetest, gentlest, most professional, giving actor on the set. He taught us all what it meant to be a good person.”

Scott Firestone, who played Regi, added, “Not only was he giving on set and kind, but he stayed in touch with us over the years and always answered a phone call or wrote back a note. Just what a genuinely lovely, lovely man who gave up his time and his generosity and his talent.”

Charles Matthau, who appeared in the film and is Matthau’s son, jokingly said, “He was very nice to me. We stayed in touch.”

David Pollock, who played Rudy Stein, recalled struggling to get through a scene where Rudy is asked to get hit by a baseball for the second time. “Every time I would look up at him, he would burst out laughing. And I was thinking, well, this is one of the greatest comedic actors in the world. He thinks I’m funny. This is amazing. But he did give me some comedic advice one time. He said, ‘David, don’t ever put whipped cream on top of a whipped cream.’ I’m still trying to figure out what that means, but I thought it was prophetic.”

THE BAD NEWS BEARS, Vic Morrow, Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, 1976, on the baseball field

Everett Collection

Chris Barnes, who played Tanner, said, “Just beyond kind and magnanimous and caring and funny. He taught us vaudeville routines and told jokes and took us to lunch and just stayed in touch and was one of the warmest things one could do.”

Gary Lee Cavagnaro, who played Engelberg, shared, “I got married in 1987, which was what — 12 years after the filming of the movie. We got a wedding gift when I got married. Every year I got Christmas cards. I mean, he was very good about that. You think of all the movies he did, all the people he acted with — I don’t know if he kept close touch with all of them as he did with all of us. I think we had a special place because we were all Charlie’s age and we had a special place in his heart.”

Chris Barnes added, “I think that’s why he was able and so kind was that he was… I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a father love a son like this guy. I hope it’s a love letter to you, speaking to Charles Matthau, the movie, in a way.”

The Hollywood Show is a premier pop culture nostalgia autograph show that takes place three times a year in Burbank, California, and offers celebrity meet & greets, signed autographs, rare movie memorabilia & fan events. If you are interested in attending to meet the stars and explore the vendor floor, head to the Hollywood Show website for show dates, tickets, hotel information, and the most up-to-date guest list. Be sure to follow their socials on Facebook or Instagram for any guest updates or other fun information.