Sam Katz & Ray Didinger will be on hand to show Sam’s film, Boys to Fame, and discuss Ray’s extraordinary friendship with Eagles wide receiver Tommy McDonald. Boys to Fame is the story of brotherly love between a kid and his childhood football hero. Sports journalist Ray Didinger met Eagles wide receiver Tommy McDonald in the summer of 1957 at a training camp in Hershey. They bonded, and when Didinger was assigned to cover the 25th anniversary of the 1960 Eagles NFL Championship, he re-connected with McDonald and learned that Tommy’s lone regret was never getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thus began a 16-year campaign by Didinger, culminating in Tommy’s 1998 enshrinement and a speech in Canton that will go down as “one of a kind”. Didinger subsequently wrote a play, Tommy and Me, that has enjoyed much success on stages throughout greater Philadelphia area. His play inspired the production of this documentary film by Sam Kate’s History Making Productions of Philadelphia.

It is exciting to note that scenes in the film were shot in Eagles Mere in October 2024 at the Barn Tavern, the DeWire Center, and on the Field of Dreams.

Sullivan County part-time resident Sam Katz is both the producer and director of the film, and is the founder of History Making Productions. Through history- driven documentaries, History Making Productions is forging a richer and deeper understanding of Philadelphia and the world. Sam has led a variety of civic and non-profit organizations in Philadelphia and beyond and has twice run for mayor of Philadelphia and for Governor of Pennsylvania