The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Paul Gallico (story)
Jo Swerling (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 March 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Family | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

THE Private LIFE OF A GREAT Public HERO! (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

The story of the life and career of the famed baseball player, Lou Gehrig.

Plot Keywords:

Actor Playing Himself | Murderer's Row | Hero | Newspaper Clippings | New Rochelle New York

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 nominations

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Henry Louis 'Lou' Gehrig
Teresa Wright	...	Eleanor Twitchell
Babe Ruth	...	Babe Ruth
Walter Brennan	...	Sam Blake
Dan Duryea	...	Hank Hanneman
Elsa Janssen	...	Christina 'Mom' Gehrig
Ludwig Stössel	...	Henry 'Pop' Gehrig (as Ludwig Stossel)
Virginia Gilmore	...	Myra Tinsley
Bill Dickey	...	Bill Dickey
Ernie Adams	...	Miller Huggins
Pierre Watkin	...	Frank Twitchell
Harry Harvey	...	Joe McCarthy
Bob Meusel	...	Bob Meusel (as Robert W. Meusel)
Mark Koenig	...	Mark Koenig
Bill Stern	...	Bill Stern

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #8295) | USA:Passed

Filming Locations:

Pelham Parkway, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Lefty O'Doul worked with Gary Cooper to improve his batting style.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the wedding in Gehrig's apartment, the crowd of workers and family waves goodbye to Lou and Eleanor. As the couple leaves, the worker sitting on a ladder painting the white wood beam raises his hand to wave goodbye. The man shoves his hand into the ceiling of the set, pushing the apparently solid ceiling inward, thus exposing the ceiling as nothing but fabric.

Quotes:

Lou Gehrig: All the arguing in the world can't change the decision of the umpire.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friends: The One Where Old Yeller Dies (#2.20)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

"Pride of the Yankees" Hits Memorable Home Run ****

Superior biography of Lou Gehrig who had everything before ALS paid him a visit.

Gary Cooper is terrific as Gehrig. He was the embodiment of a plain, aw shucks guy who made it big in baseball. Teresa Wright had the right flavor as Eleanor, his loving wife.

There are fine supporting performances by Elsa Janssen and Ludwig Stossel as his parents.

The film is great because it shows a warm, loving family, poor financially but rich in spirit.

Rather than concentrate on all his baseball achievements, the film deals with Gehrig, the man and what a great, kindly gentleman that he was.

Walter Brennan, who made so many films with Cooper, appears again this time as a sports writer. He befriends him and becomes a close family friend. Dan Duryea, as a cynical reporter, is quite effective in a small role. He seems to have it in for Lou but succumbs like everyone else during that famous farewell speech.

What also made this film a classic was the use of Babe Ruth and other Yankees play themselves. Had the Babe lived, he could have been in films.

A definite film detailing the human spirit. When Gehrig meets the boy that he had "hit 2 home runs" for years later, your heart will go out. That scene, along with the farewell speech, was poignant.