ONE MORE INNING  ARTICLE FOR  BASEBALL GURU

                               NOVEMBER:2013:ISSUE 127

BASEBALL FILMS……A  VERY  MIXED BAG

LET'S  START OFF WITH THE WORST AND WORK OUR WAY UP

 

iT'S A THREE WAY TIE: THE BABE RUTH STORY, PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, AND THE WINNING GAME.

   IT'S HARD TO START OFF WITH SAYING ANYTHING NICE ABOUT THE DEPLORABLE BABE RUTH STORY.

   BABE RUTH COMES OFF HERE AS A LUDICROUS, HALF WITTED BUFFOON WHO BULLIES HIS WAY THROUGH LIFE AND IS NOT TOO SWIFT. THAT'S FOR STARTERS.

   THREE QUARTERS OF THE INCIDENTS LISTED HERE AS BEING TRUE WEREN'T. THAT INCLUDES THE BABE TELLING THE VERY SICK CHILD IN THE HOSPITAL  HE WOULD HIT A HOMERUN FOR HIM IF HE PROMISED TO GET BETTER. THAT  NEVER HAPPENED, IT WAS MADE UP BY AN ENTERPRISING REPORTER.

    YOU'RE MADE TO BELIEVE THAT CLAIRE RUTH WAS HIS FIRST WIFE. SHE WAS HIS SECOND AND NO MENTION IS MADE OF THE FACT THAT HIS FIRST WIFE WAS KILLED IN A FIRE IN HIS UPSTATE FARM OR THAT THEY HAD AN UNFORTUNATE MARRIGE OR THAT RUTH HAD MANY MISTRESSES DURING THEIR UNION OR THAT THE CHILD THAT THEY ADOPTED WAS REALLY HIS FROM ONE OF HIS AFFAIRS.

    THERE'S NO MENTION OF THE VERY ANTAGONISTIC RELATION RUTH HAD WITH MANAGER MILLER HUGGINS OR THE FACT THAT MOST NIGHT'S HE WOULD BE OUT ON THE TOWN AND WOULD COME INTO BED IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING.

    THE CALLED SHOT (HOMERUN) THAT RUTH MADE IN THE WORLD SERIES IS SHOWN HERE AS THE GOSPEL TRUTH WHEN THERE IS NO REAL EVIDENCE IT EVER HAPPENED.

    THE FILM ENDING WITH HIS DEATH SCENE IS THE EPITOME OF IMBECILITY AND IS NOT THE WAY HE ACTUALLY DIED. HE IS SHOWN AS LOOKING LIKE A HEALTHY RUTH WHEN BY ALL ACCOUNTS HE WAS BARELY DOWN TO 80 POUNDS AND LOOKED LIKE A SKELETON.

   THERE'S MUCH MORE BUT LET'S GO TO THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED "PRIDE OF THE YANKEES"

   LIKE THE HOLLYWOODIZED RUTH STORY IT TOO IS FILLED WITH MANY INACCURACIES, AND A VERY GLAMORIZED DEPICTION OF GEHRIG. 

   FOR STARTERS HE WAS A MOMA'S BOY WHO'S MOTHER COULD DO NO WRONG! HIS MARRIAGE WAS MADE VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF HIS MOTHERS CONSTANT MEDDLING AND DISLIKE OF HIS WIFE ELEANOR.

   SPEAKING OF HIS MOTHER,  SHE AND HER HUSBAND END UP AS CARACATURISH, SIMPLE MINDED BUT LOVING PARENTS. THERE IS  NO MENTION  OF THE SPLIT BETWEEN GEHRIG AND RUTH (WHICH WAS PRECIPITATED BY MAMA GEHRIG).

   HE WAS KNOWN AS A NOTORIOUS TIGHTWAD WHEN IT CAME TO MONEY AND WOULD NEVER LEAVE TIPS AT RESTAURANTS.

   THE FILM FEATURES MADE UP CHARACTERS THAT NEVER EXISTED AND A PHONY DAN DURYEA PORTRAYING A REPORTER WHO CONSTANTLY DOWNPLAYS GEHRIGS ABILITIES. OF COURSE AT THE FILMS END DURYEA ADMITS HE WAS WRONG.

    GARY COOPERS PERFORMANCE WAS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED BUT IT'S QUITE EVIDENT THAT HE KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT PLAYING THE GAME. THE WORST PART OF HIS PERFORMANCE WAS THE FACT THAT HE WAS  RIGHT HANDED (GEHRIG WAS LEFT HANDED) AND ALL OF COOPERS BASEBALL SCENES HAD TO BE SHOT AND THEN REVERSED.

     IN THE FILM HE'S TOLD RIGHT AWAY THAT HE WOULD NOT RECOVER  FROM THE ILLNESS. IN  REAL LIFE THE DOCTRS (AT ELEANORS REQUEST) KEPT GIVING HIM ENCOURAGING NEWS AND EVEN

PROMISED HIM A MIRACLE CURE.

    HIS WELL KNOWN SPEECH WAS ALTERED SO THAT THE LUCKIEST MAN ETC APPEARED AT THE BEGINNING RATHER THAN NEAR THE END.

    THE ONLY WORTHWHILE THING IN THE FILM WAS BABE RUTHS VERY APPEALING CAMEO PERFORMANCE AS BABE RUTH.

 

   WHICH BRINGS US TO THE DEPLORABLE THE WINNING GAME.

   SUPPOSEDLY A FILM BIOGRARHY OF THE GREAT GROVER CLEVELAND ALEXANDER THIS TOPS THE ABOVE TWO IN A FAIRY TALE VERSION OF HIS LIFE. THE TECHNICAL ADVISOR OF THE FILM WAS ALEXANDERS WIFE AND SHE WAS INSISTENT IN DOING THE FILM HER WAY. CUTESY DORIS DAY WAS THE ONLY ACTRESS SHE ALLOWED TO PLAY HER PART.

   THEIR MARRIAGE WAS PUNCTUATED AS BEING A STRONG, WELL TEMPERED ONE WITH DORIS SUPPLYING THE WILLPOWER TO HAVE ALEXANDER CARRY ON WHEN THINGS LOOKED BLEAK. IN FACT THERE WERE OTHER WOMEN IN HIS LIFE. WHEN HE FINALLY DOES LEAVE HER IT'S SUGGSETED THAT HE WANTED TO SPARE HER THE GRIEF OF HIS CAREER BEING IN JEAPARDY. IN FACT HE LEFT HER BECAUSE HE WAS FED UP WITH HER CONSTANT NAGGING AND ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR TO HIM.

    IT WAS INDICATED THAT HE BEGAN TO DRINK BECAUSE OF HIS BEING HIT ON THE HEAD. HE HAD BEEN A HEAVY DRINKER WAY BEORE THAT. HIS DRINKING CAUSED A GREAT RIFT ON EVERY TEAM HE PLAYED FOR AND WAS ESPECIALLY IRKSOME TO ROGERS HORNSBY.

   THE FILM PORTRAYS HORNSBY AS BEING A GOOD AND TOLERANT FRIEND TO ALEXANDER AND THAT'S PURE POPPYCOCK .THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN HORNSBY CAME CLOSE TO TRADING HIM BECAUSE OF HIS BEHAVIOR IN THE CLUBHOUSE. BUT KEPT HIM AT THE OWNER'S INSISTANCE.

    THE SCENE WHERE DORIS (NEAR THE END OF THE PICTURE) MAKES A FRANTIC EFFORT TO GET TO THE BALLPARK NEVER HAPPENED.

    EVERY TIME THE DIRECTOR FELT THAT ALEXANDERS WIFE WAS GOING OVERBOARD SHE WOULD THREATEN TO LEAVE THE PRODUCTION AND BAD MOUTH IT TO THE PRESS.

 

NEXT MONTH A LOOK AT SOME SLIGHTLY BETTER FILMS…..BUT ONLY SLIGHTLY BETTER