Boiling down a person’s nearly 91 years on the planet into 94 minutes is a tremendous feat. But what about when that person is someone your entire audience has, in a matter of speaking, invited into their homes for decades? Someone they already feel like they know and, more importantly, love?

Directors Steve Farr and Michael Vollmann didn’t just take on that impossible task; they sought it out.

What eventually became the Ueck documentary started back in 2023 at the pair’s production company, September Club, as they searched for an idea that was Milwaukee down to its core — something they could film here and would give back to the community in some way. The first name that came up? Bob Uecker.

Farr, who joined us for this episode of Cinebuds, had worked with the Baseball Hall-of-Famer a few years prior and reached out to see if the idea could turn into something more. That led to an epic lunch — nearly five hours long, according to Farr — where Uecker regaled the directors with stories, clearly signaling that he was on board with the project.

Filming began a few months later and continued for a couple years, culminating with the premiere of Ueck at the Milwaukee Film Festival this past April and the theatrical release that starts this Friday at select Marcus locations before hitting more theaters in early August (more details are available on the documentary's website).

In this episode, Farr shares even more behind-the-scenes details about how the film went from brainstorm to big screens, what it was like working with a legend in the last years of his life and the unexpected things waiting for audiences — even the biggest fans of Uecker — when they catch Ueck in theaters.

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Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.