Bueller’s Day Off, 1986) continued withHome Alone,
but crude jokes and comic violence undermined
what was promoted as “a family comedy without
the family.” While the film did spawn three sequels
(1992’sHome Alone 2: Lost in New York, also starring
Culkin, directed by Chris Columbus, and written
and produced by Hughes; 1997’sHome Alone 3,
written and produced by Hughes; and the direct-to-
videoHome Alone 4, released in 2002) and a slew
of other slapstick-inspired comedies,Home Alone
was the box-office high point (and turning point)
in a long line of incredibly successful films by
Hughes.
On the awards front,Home Alonewas modestly
successful. John Williams was nominated for two
Academy Awards: for Best Original Score and (with
lyricist Leslie Bricusse) Best Original Song, “Some-
where in My Memory.” Culkin won an American
Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Pic-
ture (Leading Role), and the film was nominated for
two Golden Globe Awards: Best Comedy/Musical
and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion
Picture—Comedy/Musical (Culkin). The film, cast,
and crew received several other minor awards
and nominations.
Impact Home Aloneset the stage for many subse-
quent broad comedies of the 1990’s and launched
the careers of Macaulay Culkin and Chris Columbus.
The film remains one of the highest grossing of all
time.
Further Reading
Maltin, Leonard, Luke Sader, and Spencer Green.
Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia: Career Profiles
of More than Two Thousand Actors and Filmmakers,
Past and Present. New York: Plume Books, 1995.
Peske, Nancy, and Beverly West.Advanced Cinema-
therapy: The Girl’s Guide to Finding Happiness One
Movie at a Time. New York: Dell, 2002.
Christopher Strobel
See also Academy Awards; DVDs; Film in the
United States.
Home run race
The Event Major League Baseball attendance
booms as sluggers chase the single-season home
run record
Date 1998
The Major League Baseball renaissance of the latter half of
the 1990’s was inextricably connected to the league-wide
surge in home run production. Two players in particular,
Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, typified the trend with
their dramatic pursuit of Roger Maris’s home run record.
As the middle of the 1990’s approached, a series of
circumstances threatened baseball’s popularity. Two
other American sports leagues, the National Basket-
ball Association (NBA) and the National Football
League (NFL)—through innovative marketing and
game paces that reflected the increasingly ambula-
tory American culture—jeopardized baseball’s posi-
tion as the national pastime. Furthermore, the 1994
Major League Baseball players’ strike depleted at-
tendance figures and disenfranchised most baseball
fans. The home run race of 1998 rescued baseball
from its slide in popularity and was the culmination
of the decade’s unprecedented power display.
On opening day of the 1998 season, Mark
McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his first home
run—a grand slam—commencing the historic race.
McGwire was the primary candidate to break RogerThe Nineties in America Home run race 427
Top Single-Season Home Run Hitters
(through 2001)Rank PlayerHome
Runs Year
1 Barry Bonds 73 2001
2 Mark McGwire 70 1998
3 Sammy Sosa 66 1998
4 Mark McGwire 65 1999
5 Sammy Sosa 64 2001
6 Sammy Sosa 63 1999
7 Roger Maris 61 1961
8 Babe Ruth 60 1927
9 Babe Ruth 59 1921
10 Jimmie Foxx 58 1932