Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film)

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Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take Me Out To The Ballgame (MGM film).jpg
Promotional poster
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Screenplay byHarry Tugend
George Wells
Story by Gene Kelly
Stanley Donen
Produced by Arthur Freed
Starring Frank Sinatra
Esther Williams
Gene Kelly
Cinematography George J. Folsey
Edited by Blanche Sewell
Music by Darrell Calker
Production
company
Distributed by Loew's Inc.
Release dates
March 9, 1949 (NYC premiere)
April 13, 1949 (US)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,025,000 [1]
Box office$4,344,000 [1]

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 American Technicolor musical film produced in the Arthur Freed unit of MGM. It stars Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett, Edward Arnold and Jules Munshin, and 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 film was released in the United Kingdom as Everybody's Cheering.

Contents

Plot

The fictional vaudeville-era baseball Wolves are newly owned by a woman named K.C. Higgins. Two of the Wolves' players, Eddie O'Brien and Dennis Ryan, are also part-time vaudevillians. Dennis falls for her, and then Eddie as well, while Dennis is the object of the affections of ardent fan Shirley Delwyn. All of them must contend with a number of gangsters led by Joe Lorgan looking to win a big bet by impairing Eddie's play and causing him to be kicked off the team. [2]

The story may have been influenced by the real life story of actor/ballplayer Mike Donlin who was a baseball player while also being a Vaudevillian performer and later a film actor in early Hollywood.

Cast

Production

The film was announced in May 1948. It was based on a story by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with a script by Harry Tugend. [3] The female lead of club owner K.C. Higgins was originally to be played by Ginger Rogers, but she withdrew a month before filming and Esther Williams replaced her. [4] Williams claimed that Judy Garland was originally slated to star but was replaced because of substance-abuse problems. [5] Sinatra's role of Dennis Ryan was originally intended for professional baseball manager (and former player) Leo Durocher. [6]

According to TCM's Alicia Malone, Williams maintained a positive relationship with Sinatra but did not enjoy making the film because of the exhausting directorial demands set by Kelly. Although Busby Berkeley was hired as director by producer Arthur Freed, Berkeley withdrew and much of the film was directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen. Though the reason provided for Berkeley's departure was exhaustion, his exit may have been necessitated by his chronic alcoholism and depression. However, his touch can be seen in Williams's pool sequence. [7]

Songs

Deleted songs

Reception

Take Me Out to the Ball Game was a box-office success, earning $2,987,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $978,000 overseas, resulting in a profit of $675,000. [1] [11]

The film received modestly positive reviews, although some reviewers felt that the cast was better than the material and that the film lacked a "consistent style and pace." [12]

Awards and honors

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 the premiere of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Turner Classic Movies
  3. Thomas F Brady (May 18, 1948). "Kelly, Sinatra set for Baseball Film". New York Times. ProQuest   108194628.
  4. Thomas F Brady (May 29, 1948). "Beatrice Pearson set for Film Role". New York Times. ProQuest   108194242.
  5. Williams, Esther (1999). Million Dollar Mermaid . Harcourt Brace. ISBN   0-15-601135-2.
  6. Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Allmovie.com
  7. O'Brien, Daniel (1998). The Frank Sinatra Film Guide. BT Batsford. p. 41. ISBN   0-7134-8418-7.
  8. Frank Sinatra – Boys And Girls Like You And Me on YouTube
  9. 1 2 release of Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Amazon.com
  10. Gene Kelly's pre-recording of "Baby Doll" on YouTube
  11. "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. 4 January 1950. p. 59.
  12. Crowther, Bosley (1949-03-10). "Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'". New York Times . Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  13. "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.