Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film)
6.8 /10 1 Votes
Director Busby Berkeley Initial DVD release September 19, 2000 Duration Country United States | 6.8/10 IMDb Genre Comedy, Musical, Romance Music director Adolph Deutsch Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer Harry Tugend , George Wells , Gene Kelly , Stanley Donen Release date April 1949 (1949-04) Cast Frank Sinatra (Dennis Ryan), Esther Williams (K.C. Higgins), Gene Kelly (Eddie O'Brien), Betty Garrett (Shirley Delwyn), Edward Arnold (Joe Lorgan), Jules Munshin (Nat Goldberg)Similar movies Pitch Perfect 2 , Birdman , Frozen , Aladdin , Grease , Cinderella Tagline A Homerun Of Laughter, Romance And Fun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Despite being key players for the Wolves, baseball players Dennis Ryan (Frank Sinatra) and Eddie OBrien (Gene Kelly) harbor a passion for vaudeville. When a local gambler (Edward Arnold) puts a lot of money on the Wolves to lose a big game, he tries to win the bet by offering Eddie the lead role in a newly produced show. Though Eddie is tempted to accept, he risks incurring the wrath of both Dennis and the teams owner (Esther Williams), who just happens to be his girlfriend.
Contents
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 Technicolor musical film starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Gene Kelly. The movie was directed by Busby Berkeley. The title and nominal theme is taken from the unofficial anthem of American baseball, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". The movie was released in the United Kingdom as Everybodys Cheering.
The Wolves baseball team gets steamed when they find they've been inherited by one K.C. Higgins, a suspected "fathead" who intends to take an active interest in running the team. But K.C. turns outs to be a beautiful woman who really knows her baseball. Second baseman Dennis Ryan promptly falls in love. But his playboy roommate Eddie O'Brien has his own notions about how to treat the new lady owner and some unsavory gamblers have their own ideas about how to handle Eddie.
Plot summary
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a period piece set in 1908. The plot revolves around a fictional American League team, the Wolves, and two of its players, Eddie OBrien (Gene Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Frank Sinatra), who are also part-time vaudevillians.
The ball clubs status quo is turned on its head when the team winds up under new ownership, and the distress this causes the team is only increased when the new owner is revealed to be a woman, K.C. (Katherine Catherine) Higgins (Esther Williams). Eventually, Dennis falls for her, and then Eddie as well, while Dennis is the object of the affections of an ardent fan, Shirley Delwyn (Betty Garrett). And all must contend with a number of gangsters looking to win a big bet by impairing Eddies play and getting him kicked off the team.
Production
Esther Williams, a star in swimming-themed musicals, did not enjoy her experience filming with star, story-writer and choreographer Gene Kelly. In her autobiography, she describes her time on the film as "pure misery", claiming that Kelly and Stanley Donen treated her with contempt and went out of their way to make jokes at her expense. Williams asserts that Kelly was uncomfortable with the height difference between them, Williams being 510", while Kelly was 57".
Director Busby Berkeley originally planned a swimming number for Williams, but the idea was rejected by Gene Kelly (though she does have a brief swimming sequence where she casually sings the title song). Williams did, however, form a strong bond with Frank Sinatra. Williams also claimed that she was not the first choice for the role of club-owner K.C. Higgins: Judy Garland was originally slated to star, but was replaced because of substance abuse problems. Similarly, Sinatras role of Dennis Ryan was said to have originally been intended for professional baseball manager (and former player) Leo Durocher.
Cast
Musical numbers
Reception
Take Me Out to the Ball Game was a box office success, earning $2,987,000 in the US and Canada and $978,000 overseas, resulting in a profit of $675,000.
It received modestly positive reviews, although some reviewers felt the cast was better than the material, and the film lacked a "consistent style and pace".
Similar Movies
Frank Sinatra and Betty Garrett appear in Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town. Esther Williams and Betty Garrett appear in Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Neptunes Daughter. Gene Kelly appears in Take Me Out to the Ball Game and directed Its Always Fair Weather. Gene Kelly appears in Take Me Out to the Ball Game and directed Singin in the Rain. Esther Williams appears in Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Dangerous When Wet.
Awards
Harry Tugend and George Wells were nominated for the 1950 Writers Guild of America Award in the category of "Best Written American Musical". They lost to Betty Comden and Adolph Green, for On the Town, another MGM musical comedy, also produced by Arthur Freed, and also starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett and Jules Munshin, which was released four months after Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
References
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film) WikipediaTake Me Out to the Ball Game (film) IMDb Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film) themoviedb.org