Compiled by Staff
We got a chance to see the new movie “Soul on Fire” the life story of John O’Leary. It is as good as you have heard. Before we went to the movie we talked to our good friend Colleen Schoendienst who is in the movie. She is shown in the photo, right with William H. Macy who played Jack Buck. Colleen and Julie Buck shared a scene with William H. Macy at the beginning of the movie.
Her family knew the O’Leary’s and though it was not part of the movie, Colleen was the one who told Jack Buck about John. They lived near each other and she was talking to her parents, Red and Mary Schoendienst and Jack about this young boy who had been burned in a fire, after a Baseball Writers Dinner in 1987. Colleen remembers telling her parents and that Jack was there. She was going to go visit him the next day and was trying to figure out when Red could go. As they talked about it, Jack became more interested.
According to Jack, when we were working on his autobiography, “Jack Buck, That’s A Winner,” Mary suggested to him that he go visit the young boy who was in ICU. We discussed the whole story for the book, but he chose to just mention it. We did not know the extent of Jack’s involvement in John O’Leary’s life. He was always a humble man and the fact that he included John in his book showed us he thought it was an important part of his life but he did not give any indications of all he meant to the O’Learys and all he did for John.
Here in Jack’s words is what he included in his book.
Red Schoendienst’s wife Mary asked me to go see a youngster who had been burned. His name is John O’Leary He was fooling around with some gasoline and the garage and started a fire. He had been burned so severely that all I could see when I visited were his eyes and his lips. I visited him frequently and asked others such as Ozzie Smith and football coach Gene Stallings to do the same.
John suffered tremendously. Finally he got well enough to come to the ballpark and I took him down to the clubhouse and into the dugout to meet the players.
I needed a bath towel to mop up my tears. He lost some of his fingers but later played soccer and now he’s attending St. Lousi University
During the playoffs in 1996, a friend of his saw me at the ballpark and said he was there with John, who was inside trying to buy tickets for the World Series. I told him I the Cardinals go to the Series to call me.
In 2016, John O’Leary write a book, “On Fire” which led to “On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life.”
This week Sony Pictures release the movie, “Soul on Fire” starring William Macy as Jack Buck. The movie was directed by Sean McNamara (SOUL SURFER, REAGAN), written by Gregory Poirier and was based on O’Leary’s book that was a best seller.
It is an emotional and faith-filled portrait of resilience as O’Leary not only battles to survive but ultimately discovers what it means to truly live. From frontline workers to family members, and the support of the wider community, this film is a celebration of heroes.
The Schoendienst family were the original ones who knew the O’Leary family as Colleen lived in the same area. Colleen and Julie Buck were in the same scene, which was a nod to the Baseball Writer’s Dinner. In the movie, the scene takes place at the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) where the dinner has been held for the past few years. Back then the dinner was held at Stouffer’s which is no longer in existence. Both Colleen and Julie got screen credits. Julie (shown in a scene, left) was listed as “Rich Woman,” and Colleen was “Richer Woman.”
One of the neat touches the movie did was include Carole Buck with a cameo. If you know when to look, Carole is sitting on the left side of the screen with a black and white striped jacket on in the scene where John comes home from the hospital.
The movie was very inspirational and appropriate for all ages. It shows the love that parents have for their children. It also shows the journey of a person who learns from his life experiences, and dedicates his life to helping others as he was helped. He remembers and pays tribute to many people who others may see as having trivial roles in his life as being major contributors.
The photos used here were screenshots from the movie and are the property of Sony and we use them in the spirit of promoting the movie. We loved it and encourage all to see it.
To hear our discussion of “Soul on Fire,” listen for it on the “Rains on the Cardinals” podcast.
