If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
While we’ve all heard variations of that saying before, one of the best to ever live it out was Bob Uecker.
It’s the sentiment that kept striking Barry Poltermann as he produced the new “Ueck” documentary, which premiered April 16 on opening night of the Milwaukee Film Festival at the Oriental Theatre.
Many Milwaukeeans knew Mr. Baseball as the voice of the Brewers on the airwaves for more than a half-century.
“I think if you asked him, he would tell you that his life’s work that he would want to be remembered first was doing the radio for the Brewers,” said Brewers radio announcer Josh Maurer, who was representing the team’s broadcast crew on the premiere’s red carpet. “We feel his presence there everyday.”
But, Uecker was also a former major leaguer himself, a film and television icon, a veteran, and so much more.
The film bore a poignant reminder: Even someone larger than life, like Ueck, isn’t immune to its heartbreaks, hardships and the passing of time.
Though, making others laugh – and often – helps.
Uecker was the king of that, a true entertainer – anytime, anywhere. We got to see him in all his glory, signature style and all, throughout the film – cracking up comrades, on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, “Mr. Belvedere,” “Major League” and those memorable Miller Lite commercials.
Now, through this film, he’ll continue making audiences laugh, though he’s no longer with us.
As soon as Milwaukee Film found out that “Ueck” was a possibility for its opening night, executive director Susan Kerns said “we were in.”
“It was just a no-brainer,” Kerns said, with Uecker being “such a legend in Milwaukee,” the Brewers meaning “everything to us” and the film being directed by two locals, Michael Vollmann and Steve Farr.
Turns out, it was a no-brainer for fans, too. After the initial 7 p.m. April 16 screening sold out its around 1,020 seats, a nearly 230-seat 8 p.m. showing was added. That also sold out. It was the fastest opening night film sellout the festival had ever seen in its 18-year history, according to Kerns.
Here’s a look at the premiere, including a glimpse of the film, what attendees thought about it and how you can see it this summer:
How did the ‘Ueck’ documentary come about? And, a peek at the process.
A few years back, the production company September Club – which Poltermann co-founded, and Vollmann and Farr are a part of – was looking for a project it could film in its own backyard, Vollmann told the Journal Sentinel in a previous interview.
“The white whale was a documentary about Bob Uecker,” Vollmann said. “How amazing would that be?”
The production company got in touch with Uecker and met him in Arizona, where they had an “epic” lunch and spent three hours with Mr. Baseball.
“He took his time, told his stories and, at the end of it, did a handshake deal and said, ‘Yeah, let’s make this thing,'” Vollmann said.
The filmmakers started shooting at spring training in 2023 and filmed a lot of the interviews for it that first year, Farr said. You’ll see a lot of familiar faces throughout the movie.
The majority of the film takes place in 2024, though there’s a little from last year in it, too, Farr said.
All along the way, Matt Prekop, the film’s lead editor, was pulling archival clips and sorting through material, Farr explained.
An early version of the film was five hours long, which eventually got boiled down to just over 90 minutes.
A look at the ‘Ueck’ premiere, documentary
As ticketholders waited in line outside for the doors to open, they were greeted by The Famous Racing Sausages.
When fans – many dressed in Brewers gear or colorful plaids – entered the theatre, they were met with odes to the beloved broadcaster, who to many, felt like an old friend.
They were offered a Miller Lite – a nice touch with Uecker being a commercial fixture for the brew.
“Ice cold beer! Everybody gets one free Miller Lite,” a man shouted as if he was a beer vendor at the ballpark.
From the stage under the screen, an organist – another nod to Ueck’s second home – entertained fans snagging seats and settling in.
During the organist’s “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” finale, fans cheered as the instrument and its player were lowered out of sight.
During an intro, filmmakers said many thank-yous, including to the entire Uecker family, with members in attendance. After raising a glass, err, can to Uecker, it was showtime.
During the documentary, we got to travel back in time with Uecker, from him wanting to be a baseball player as a kid growing up in Milwaukee to actually becoming a major leaguer to cleverly turning that career into self-deprecating comedy gold.
The film intimately took viewers right inside the booth with Ueck. The filmmakers tried to shoot the film like a scripted movie, Poltermann said, so viewers feel like they’re really there and “everywhere at once.”
We got to relive the postseason clinch celebrations, forever etched into our brains, and got glimpses into Ueck’s special bonds with current and former Brewers, especially Christian Yelich and Robin Yount.
We were also given access to spaces most didn’t get to go with him – sailing and fishing on Lake Michigan, swimming, and pulling into the ballpark in his black Corvette.
What and whom Uecker loved most – baseball, entertaining and his circle – got him through the toughest of times.
Much of that was touched on in the film, to varying extents, including his battle with small cell lung cancer. That was kept private by Ueck and those closest to him until his death in January 2025.
In the film, Uecker’s second wife and longtime partner, Judy, revealed that there were times Bob would go right from radiation to the ballpark. Despite loved ones wanting him to slow down, Ueck kept pushing.
“I think Bob realized that for his final chapter he wanted people to know what was going on and what he went through,” Maurer said on the red carpet. “He was the one who decided to allow this part of his story to be told. But, for those of us who were around to live through it, it’s going to be emotional.”
The stadium wasn’t just a second home to Ueck, but a constant and haven from whatever else was going on.
The audience not only relived the life of Uecker, but also some of the biggest moments in Brewers baseball. His calls were their soundtrack: From the excitement of Yount’s 3,000th hit to the sting of the Crew’s devastating National League wild-card series Game 3 loss in 2024.
That was one of the film’s most powerful moments. Having to sit there with what had just happened. Reopening those not-yet-fully-healed wounds. Would that be his last call in the booth?
We now know the gut-wrenching answer to that.
And then, there’s the footage of Uecker embracing Devin Williams, who let that game slip away.
The film runs it all back as Uecker gives his famous baseball HOF speech. And then, there’s life after Ueck.
“We handle it in I think a very dignified way and you leave really inspired,” Farr said on the carpet.
Like every baseball season, Ueck’s life was a rollercoaster. Some of the hills and valleys you knew, some you didn’t, and some slipped your mind over the years.
But, as it all unfolded before your eyes, you were locked in – and walked away ready to take on whatever fastball life throws at you next.
“If you’re not moved by the life this guy led, than there’s not blood running through your body,” Farr said.
What did fans think of the ‘Ueck’ documentary?
“You hear about these things that he’s done with his life. But, to see it play out in the way that it did was pretty incredible,” Selena Serrano said, holding back tears.
Serrano and her friend, Bonnie Bluedorn – both Milwaukee born and raised – have gone to many baseball games together over the years.
Having seen the preview on Opening Day, Bluedorn knew she was going to cry. Though, the laughs outweighed the tears, she said.
“He’s the voice of our summers,” Bluedorn said. “I grew up with him. I still miss him.”
As a little boy, Jay Scott would listen to Uecker on his transistor radio.
“I always said that my childhood was still alive as long as Bob Uecker was doing the radio,” he said. “I guess my childhood lasted 64 years, so that’s pretty good.”
What especially struck him was the relationships Uecker shared with Yount and Yelich, one of the few who knew of his cancer diagnosis.
“The trust, the friendship, the depth of their relationships was pretty inspiring, and beautiful,” Scott said.
Scott’s wife, Carolyn, called the film “unbelievable” and a “beautiful legacy of Milwaukee.”
“This is just so good for Milwaukee and this film tonight kind of brings it all home,” she said.
For sisters Macie and Lexi Todd, the premiere was a full-circle moment.
Their uncle, producer Poltermann, used to take them to the Oriental Theatre “all the time” to see movies when they were kids. Now, the sisters were there to see one of their uncle’s own.
Macie thought it was really cool to see Uecker’s career story, all the hats he wore, and all he did for the community.
“I also didn’t realize how funny he was,” Lexi said.
“At all,” Macie added. “He has so many one-liners, it was amazing.”
What co-director hopes viewers take away from ‘Ueck’? What its success would look like?
The goal of the film was to paint a more well-rounded portrait of Uecker, and to show what it would be like to spend time with him, Vollmann said.
“He’s just an amazing person, such a one-of-a-kind individual, who marched to the beat of his own drum,” Vollmann said. “I think that’s something to take away: Be your true self and good things can happen from that.”
How to see the ‘Ueck’ documentary
During the Q&A after the film, Maurer announced that “Ueck” will be released at Marcus Theatres in Wisconsin in July.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ‘Ueck’ documentary premiere brings out fans’ love of Bob Uecker
Reporting by Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
