Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game | |
---|---|
Directed by | Busby Berkeley |
Screenplay by | Harry 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 | see Songs |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release date | March 9, 1949 (NYC premiere) April 13, 1949 (US) |
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,025,000[1] |
Box office | $4,344,000[1] |
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 Technicolor musical film produced in the Arthur Freed unit of MGM. It stars Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Gene Kelly, features 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.
Plot[]
In 1908, a fictional baseball team, the Chicago Wolves, start the season on the road against the Washington Senators, and later the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Indians, all American League teams. Two of its players, Eddie O'Brien and Dennis Ryan, are also part-time vaudevillians. The ball club's 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. Eventually, Dennis falls for her, and then Eddie as well, while Dennis is the object of the affections of an 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 getting him kicked off the team.[2]
Cast[]
- Frank Sinatra as Dennis Ryan
- Esther Williams as K.C. Higgins
- Gene Kelly as Eddie O'Brien
- Betty Garrett as Shirley Delwyn
- Jules Munshin as Nat Goldberg
- Edward Arnold as Joe Lorgan
- Richard Lane as Michael Gilhuly
- Tom Dugan as Slappy Burke
- Ed Cassidy as Teddy Roosevelt (uncredited)
- Mitchell Lewis as Fisherman (uncredited)
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 meant to be played by Ginger Rogers. However, she dropped out a month before filming and was replaced by Esther Williams.[4] Williams also claimed that there were others up for the role of club-owner K.C. Higgins before she was selected: Judy Garland was originally slated to star, but was replaced because of substance abuse problems.[5] Similarly, Sinatra's role of Dennis Ryan was said to have originally been intended for professional baseball manager (and former player) Leo Durocher.[6]
According to TCM's Alicia Malone, Esther Williams had a positive relationship with co-star Frank Sinatra, but did not enjoy making this film because of the exhausting directorial demands set by Gene Kelly. Although Busby Berkeley was hired as director by Producer Arthur Freed, he dropped out due to "exhaustion" and much of the film was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Supposedly, the real reason Berkeley left the production was due to chronic alcoholism and depression, though his touch can be seen in Esther Williams's pool sequence.[7]
Songs[]
- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (music and lyrics by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer) – Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, reprise by Esther Williams
- "Yes, Indeedy" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra
- "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin
- "The Right Girl for Me" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Frank Sinatra
- "It's Fate Baby, It's Fate" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Frank Sinatra and Betty Garrett
- "Strictly U.S.A." (music and lyrics by Roger Edens) – Betty Garrett, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Gene Kelly
- "The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore upon St. Patrick's Day" (music and lyrics by Jean Schwartz and William Jerome) – Gene Kelly
Deleted songs[]
- The song "Boys and Girls Like You and Me", originally written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for Oklahoma! (1943), was filmed with Frank Sinatra singing to Betty Garrett but was cut from the released film; the outtake survives today and is included as an "extra" on the DVD.[8][9]
- "Baby Doll", sung by Gene Kelly to Esther Williams and including a dance, was deleted from the released film. This footage also survives and is included on the DVD.[9][10]
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.[1][11]
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".[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 Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated[13]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Turner Classic Movies
- ^ Thomas F Brady (May 18, 1948). "Kelly, Sinatra set for Baseball Film". New York Times. ProQuest 108194628.
- ^ Thomas F Brady (May 29, 1948). "Beatrice Pearson set for Film Role". New York Times. ProQuest 108194242.
- ^ Williams, Esther (1999). Million Dollar Mermaid. Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0-15-601135-2.
- ^ Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Allmovie.com
- ^ O'Brien, Daniel (1998). The Frank Sinatra Film Guide. BT Batsford. p. 41. ISBN 0-7134-8418-7.
- ^ Frank Sinatra – Boys And Girls Like You And Me on YouTube
- ^ Jump up to: a b release of Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Amazon.com
- ^ Gene Kelly's pre-recording of "Baby Doll" on YouTube
- ^ "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. 4 January 1950. p. 59.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.
External links[]
- English-language films
- 1949 films
- 1949 musical comedy films
- 1949 romantic comedy films
- 1940s sports comedy films
- American baseball films
- American films
- American musical comedy films
- American romantic comedy films
- American romantic musical films
- Films directed by Busby Berkeley
- Films produced by Arthur Freed
- Films set in 1908
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Films with screenplays by George Wells