Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream

For twenty-three years in the major leagues, Henry Aaron quietly rewrote the baseball record books. His singular achievement, of course, was hitting home run number 715 on April 8, 1974, breaking Babe Ruth’s long-standing career home-run record. Aaron shouldered great personal and professional responsibility with a dignity and grace rarely seen in professional sports. Despite hate mail and death threats, he remained stoic and unwavering in his pursuit of baseball immortality. Aaron’s journey, from rural Alabama to Atlanta, is brought vividly to life in this powerful and personal portrait. Writer, director and co-executive producer Mike Tollin, with co-executive producers Brian Robbins (Tollin/Robbins), Pat Mitchell (for TBS Productions), Denzel Washington and Debra Martin-Chase (Mundy Lane); and David Houle and Jack Myer (for Television Production Partners), skillfully trace Henry Aaron’s career. In the words of one member of the Peabody Board, “Chasing the Dream is a long, majestic, crowd-pleasing home run that we can call catch and keep as a souvenir.” For this, a Peabody Award.