No one planned to ask the angel question, it wasn't discussed ahead of time. But as celebrities were met by newspaper and magazine writers to promote the new Walt Disney movie "Angels in the Outfield," it just kept logically coming up: Do you believe in angels?
The question was asked of crusty, cynical moviemakers by crusty, cynical journalists - and to the surprise of the journalists, the moviemakers' answers were largely positive.True, they were often couched in politically correct phrasing, but nonetheless, here were Hollywood stars admitting that, yes, by golly, they do believe in angels.
"Angels in the Outfield" is a fantasy-comedy based on a 1951 B-movie about a young boy who sees angels after asking for heavenly intervention to pull his favorite baseball team out of a losing slump.
Unlike the original, the 1994 version actually lets audience members see the angels, who are depicted as helpful, if slightly mischievous ethereal beings who wear gold lame robes and zip through the air with the help of huge, fluffy, white-feathered wings.
The lead angel - without wings - calls himself Al (Christopher Lloyd), and is more casually dressed. He also has a silly-putty quality that allows him to be here, there and everywhere, thanks to the magic of computerized special effects.
The story focuses on young Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a foster child living in a temporary care facility with Maggie (Brenda Fricker). His father (Dermot Mulroney) abandons him, sarcastically telling the boy that they'll be a family again "when the Angels win the pennant." So, Roger prays for help, thinking that if the Angels become a winning ball team, his father may return.
Enter Lloyd, who oversees a team of angels assigned to help the Angels team, explaining to Roger that no one else can see or hear them.
Meanwhile, hard-nosed, skeptical manager George Knox (Danny Glover) reluctantly takes Roger and his best friend J.P. (Milton A. Davis Jr.) under his wing, so to speak, as good-luck mascots. And when the team starts winning, Knox acknowledges that something's going on.
Glover, Fricker, Gordon-Levitt and Davis were among the celebrities who gathered at a Pasadena hotel to be interviewed about "Angels in the Outfield," and all were quite positive in expressing an opinion about the existence of angels. Not everyone expressed a belief in angels as literal messengers of God. But without exception, each interviewee expressed an optimistic view of angels as either literal, abstract or symbolic forces for good.
"Do I believe in angels?" Glover said, repeating the question. "I believe we're talking about the capacity for us as human beings to make change. I believe we have this amazing capacity in ourselves to transform our lives - and to transform those lives now.
"Maybe the angels in this film are those two kids who help me (my character) transform my life. They're the personification of those angels, in a sense. They make me believe again.
"One thing, whatever made the people we think are great, great - whether it be (Nelson) Mandela or whether it be Martin (Luther King) or whether it be Cesar Chavez - is that they had faith in people, they had faith in humanity. So, certainly George Knox learns to have faith in people."
Ben Johnson's answer was more direct: "I sure do."
The 76-year-old character actor, whose career began with roles in many of John Ford and John Wayne's classic Westerns, plays the owner of the Angels team.
"I'm a pretty optimistic person," he explained. "I believe there are things out there we can't explain.
"I grew up in a kind of religious environment. We were always taught to believe in God, and I do. I don't think that hurts anybody.
"I pattern my life with honesty, realism and respect. And if young people would do that, it would save them a lot of hard knocks through life, make life a lot easier for them."
Director William Dear said, "I believe more now than before. Actually, I never really thought much about it before.
"I believe that if you put good out, it will come back to you. And if you believe, it can help win the game for you."
He added that it was difficult to come up with a way of showing the angels that satisfied everyone involved in making the movie. "In the old film you never saw the angels. But here, the angels bring a certain awe, thanks to the special effects. We had a lot of give and take about whether or not to show them.
"We didn't want them too vaporous or too ghostlike. We had to find a balance. They're somewhat fanciful, mischievous - but they are human. After all, they're the spirits of dead people."
Producer Irby Smith added, "They are friendly messengers, teachers, helpers.
"In the early stages, the wings were on, the wings were off. And when we decided to use them, the first wings were much bigger. They had a birdman quality, so we took the size down. We tried to apply the physics of flying to the angels."
Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker joked, "I believe in angels when I'm flying." Then, more seriously, she added, "It's whatever you believe in. My angels are whoever does a deed for you."
Fricker said she was in a car crash at age 14, which broke every bone in her body and hospitalized her for two years. "I believe in the world. I believe that people are basically good. This (`Angels in the Outfield') is nice for kids to see, to help them believe in themselves."
Tony Danza, who plays a terminally ill pitcher in the film, was very specific in his opinion, as he reflected on his recent recovery from a life-threatening accident on Utah's ski slopes late last year. "I'm a pretty religious person. I mean, I certainly feel someone is watching over me.
"I lost my mother last year, last June. In fact, that's what I was thinking about that morning (when the skiing accident occurred).
"In any case, I just wonder if she was watching, because I really was in a bad way. So, I do feel this tremendous something, (that) there's some reason why . . . .
"Also, the irony is my mother died of lung cancer. So, here I am, my mother died in June, I'm playing this part in August - so it was kind of wild. And I miss my mother."
Jay O. Sanders, who plays the Angels' radio and television announcer, said, "Angels are symbols of faith. If they motivate you to do what you are capable of - angels, faith, whatever."
Young Joseph Gordon-Levitt said, "Roger's philosophy is that there are definitely angels up there. And I definitely believe in some kind of power - there's definitely something up there." He added that he does pray, "but not every night."
And the even younger Milton A. Davis Jr. said, "I think prayers are answered."