Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

Too much of everything

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

When I was about ten years old, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed. In recovery back home, I well remember sitting up on our sofa with my my loving, supportive parents offering encouragement to me that "Yes Gordon, you will get your voice back, no Gordon your throat will not always be sore." I equally well remember my father excitedly promising me that if I was good and did everything I was supposed to do and got well, we would all go (me, my parents and my brother) to see TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME when it opened next week at a local neighbourhood theatre for a Thursday-Saturday run . I was madly in love with the movies then (as I still am) and you bet, I wanted to see that picture. My father, bless his heart loved most sports and he took my brother and me to see almost everything he went to - football, baseball, hockey, wrestling, lacrosse, etc. Not surprisingly he also loved sports movies so tantalizing me with the prospect of seeing TMOTTBG was a slam dunk. (Trust me, my recovery trajectory had only one way to go.) Last week, when I saw the film available on DVD through our local public library I got to thinking about those events, so much so that I decided I would pick it up for a re-see, the nostalgia associated with the title proving too hard to ignore. More an occasional base hit than a grand slam home-run, the picture is the sort of pleasant, breezy musical-comedy entertainment as only MGM could produce them. Starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Jules Munshin and Betty Garrett, it's based upon a Kelly idea/homage to the early days of America's national sport, not that the plot means anything. It's well acted, comical, corny and interspersed with enough musical numbers to retain one's attention. What it does not have for me is very little that is memorable about those musical numbers. Betty Garrett's energetic "It's Fate, Baby, It's Fate" has its moments but only "O'Brian To Ryan To Goldberg" really registers thanks more to Jules Munshin than either Kelly or Sinatra.I am sure as a ten year old kid sitting in our favourite row in the Strand Theatre I would have loved TMOTTBG. As an adult re-viewing it sixty plus years later, not so much.

I hadn't seen this film for decades, and I had forgotten what a fine movie it is.Set in 1908, this period piece revolves around the Wolves baseball team, which is suddenly taken over by female owner! The shy character, played by Frank Sinatra falls for her, while the suave character played by Gene Kelly initially holds her in contempt...although he later falls for her, as well. The other part of the plot is that gangsters are trying to fix the games.It is said that Esther Williams didn't like making this film, and in particular didn't like working with Gene Kelly. It never shows. They are quite good together. However, the real chemistry here is between Sinatra and Kelly. While Sinatra cannot match Kelly at dancing, and Kelly cannot match Sinatra at singing, they are very good together. To top it off, the film is visually pleasant to watch with its rich, warm color photography.The other key player in the film is Jules Munshin, who was a remarkably talented performer. He has some very good moments in this film, as he did in the previous Sinatra-Kelly effort "Anchors Aweigh". Later in the film, Betty Garrett becomes enamored of the Sinatra character, and once towering character Edward Arnold plays one of the shady characters haunting the team with gambling overtures.I was tempted to give this film an "8", but I realized that not one truly memorable song came out of this film...a musical!

Sinatra and Kelly are professional baseball players and entertainers. Esther Williams, who recently acquired ownership of the team, supplies the love interest for both Sinatra and Kelly, until Betty Garrett shows up with her usual spunk. How can you go wrong with an American pastime and a light, cheery, and fun musical? It is good and enjoyable, but somehow, comparing it to others of its ilk, this one seems be an inning short of true satisfaction. One shouldn't really criticize the plot of a musical, because musicals are notorious for having paper-thin plots, relying mostly on its stars and the music for true flavor and enjoyment. But, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" doesn't really start with much to it, except for Esther's figure and Ol' Blue Eyes' voice. When Betty Garrett does show up, she does manage to interject some life into it. All in all, while you could do a lot worse and while it is pleasant enough, I would recommend "On the Town" over this fair musical.

Not one of the great musicals of the classic era, to be sure, but a fairly enjoyable one. The plot is nothing special, with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as ball players both smitten by their new owner, Esther Williams. Another woman, Betty Garrett, shows up about midway through the picture so each of our stars can have a girl. Much like in On the Town, a film made later the same year with Sinatra and Kelly, Garrett steals the show. If she had shown up a tad earlier, it might have been an even better movie. Besides Garrett, what makes the film worth watching are the musical numbers. Not all of them are memorable, but a few are, notably "It's Fate" as sung by Garrett. "Strictly USA" and "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" are also very good.