The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Paul Gallico (story)
Jo Swerling (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 March 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Family | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

THE Private LIFE OF A GREAT Public HERO! (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

The story of the life and career of the famed baseball player, Lou Gehrig.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Speech | Chicago Illinois | College | Reporter

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 nominations

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Henry Louis 'Lou' Gehrig
Teresa Wright	...	Eleanor Twitchell
Babe Ruth	...	Babe Ruth
Walter Brennan	...	Sam Blake
Dan Duryea	...	Hank Hanneman
Elsa Janssen	...	Christina 'Mom' Gehrig
Ludwig Stössel	...	Henry 'Pop' Gehrig (as Ludwig Stossel)
Virginia Gilmore	...	Myra Tinsley
Bill Dickey	...	Bill Dickey
Ernie Adams	...	Miller Huggins
Pierre Watkin	...	Frank Twitchell
Harry Harvey	...	Joe McCarthy
Bob Meusel	...	Bob Meusel (as Robert W. Meusel)
Mark Koenig	...	Mark Koenig
Bill Stern	...	Bill Stern
Addison Richards	...	Jim
Hardie Albright	...	Van Tuyl
Edward Fielding	...	Clinic doctor
George Lessey	...	Walter Otto, Mayor of New Rochelle
Edgar Barrier	...	Hospital doctor
Douglas Croft	...	Lou Gehrig, as a boy
Gene Collins	...	Billy
David Holt	...	Billy, at 17
Ray Noble and His Orchestra	...	Themselves
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ed Agresti	...	Barber (uncredited)
Ernie Alexander	...	Bellhop with flowers (uncredited)
Walter Anthony	...	Merril (uncredited)
Hooper Atchley	...	Lathered man in barber shop (uncredited)
Bettye Avery	...	Nightclub singer (uncredited)
Becky Bohanon	...	Little girl (uncredited)
Lynton Brent	...	Photographer in hospital (uncredited)
Roy Brent	...	Yankee ballplayer (uncredited)
Betty Brewer	...	Little girl (uncredited)
Don Brodie	...	Girl show barker (uncredited)
Charles Cane	...	Plumber (uncredited)
Jack Carr	...	Plumber (uncredited)
Burr Caruth	...	Village storekeeper (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler	...	Motorcycle cop #2 (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Mark, Yankee player in locker room (uncredited)
Bill Chaney	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Jack Chapin	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Janet Chapman	...	Tessie (uncredited)
Spencer Charters	...	Mr. Larsen (uncredited)
Porter Chase	...	Weight guesser (uncredited)
Dane Clark	...	Fraternity boy (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Wallpaper hanger (uncredited)
Hal Cooke	...	Man in cab (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper	...	Motorcycle cop #1 (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Reporter in hospital (uncredited)
Eva Dennison	...	Mrs. Worthington (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Disappointed fan #1 (uncredited)
Lorna Dunn	...	Clinic nurse (uncredited)
Peter Du Rey	...	Photographer in hospital (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Frank Faylen	...	Yankee third base coach (uncredited)
Walter Fenner	...	Dentist (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Yankee ballplayer (uncredited)
Charles Flynn	...	Fraternity boy (uncredited)
Rosina Galli	...	Mrs. Fabrini (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Tunnel of Love barker (uncredited)
Vaughan Glaser	...	Doctor in Gehrig home (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Maid (uncredited)
George Guhl	...	Second paper hanger (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Reporter in hospital room (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Department store manager (uncredited)
Vinton Hayworth	...	Fraternity boy (uncredited)
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian	...	Furniture mover (uncredited)
John Hiestand	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Bottle game operator (uncredited)
Fay Holderness	...	Spectator (uncredited)
John Ince	...	Man in box seat (uncredited)
Mitchell Ingraham	...	Barber (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Carnival batting game operator (uncredited)
Jack Irwin	...	Photographer in hospital (uncredited)
Sheldon Jett	...	Sportsman at ballgame (uncredited)
Payne B. Johnson	...	Boy in ball park (uncredited)
John Kellogg	...	Fraternity boy (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Richard Kipling	...	Broker (uncredited)
Pat Lane	...	Wheel of Chance barker (uncredited)
Larry Lawson	...	Barker (uncredited)
Rex Lease	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch	...	Neighbor leaning through window (uncredited)
Frank Lyman	...	Fraternity boy (uncredited)
Dave Manley	...	Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (uncredited)
Francisco Marán	...	Rathskeller headwaiter (uncredited)
Ralph McCullough	...	Reporter in hospital (uncredited)
George McDonald	...	Wally Pipp, Yankee first baseman (uncredited)
Matt McHugh	...	Strength machine operator (uncredited)
James McNamara	...	Rathskeller manager (uncredited)
John Merkyl	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell	...	Sportsman at ballgame (uncredited)
Irving Mitchell	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Pat Moriarity	...	Policeman in 1915 (uncredited)
Tom Neal	...	Fraternity boy (uncredited)
Ray Noble	...	Himself (uncredited)
Patsy O'Byrne	...	Scrubwoman (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	Freshman (uncredited)
John B. Old	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	Scorecard vendor (uncredited)
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Roberts, Gehrig neighbor (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Chicago policeman O'Doul (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore	...	Disappointed fan #2 (uncredited)
Art Rowlands	...	Telephone man (uncredited)
William Roy	...	Joe Fabrini (uncredited)
Rip Russell	...	Laddie (uncredited)
Francis Sayles	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
Anita Sharp-Bolster	...	Sasha's mother (uncredited)
C. Montague Shaw	...	Mr. Worthington (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Hammond (uncredited)
John Sheehan	...	First paper hanger (uncredited)
Jack Stewart	...	Ed Barrow (uncredited)
Ben Taggart	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Walter Tetley	...	Cake delivery boy (uncredited)
Jimmy Valentine	...	Sasha, boy playing baseball (uncredited)
Gohr Van Vleck	...	Furniture mover (uncredited)
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Eleanor's landlady (uncredited)
Veloz	...	Specialty dancer (uncredited)
Malcolm Waite	...	Big strength machine contestant (uncredited)
James Westerfield	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Guy Wilkerson	...	Sportsman at ballgame (uncredited)
Max Willenz	...	Mr. Colletti (uncredited)
Buddy Williams	...	Bootblack (uncredited)
Charles Williams	...	Little strength machine contestant (uncredited)
Robert Winkler	...	Murphy (uncredited)
Allen Wood	...	Freshman telling Lou that Sam wants him (uncredited)
Yolanda	...	Specialty dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Wood

Writing credits
Paul Gallico		(story)
Jo Swerling		(screenplay) and
Herman J. Mankiewicz		(screenplay)
Damon Runyon		(prologue)
Paul Gallico		contributor to treatment (uncredited)
Vincent Lawrence		contributor to dialogue (uncredited)
Casey Robinson		uncredited

Produced by
Samuel Goldwyn	....	producer

Original Music by
Leigh Harline

Cinematography by
Rudolph Maté

Film Editing by
Daniel Mandell

Production Design by
William Cameron Menzies

Art Direction by
Perry Ferguson

Set Decoration by
Howard Bristol

Costume Design by
René Hubert

Production Management
Lonnie D'Orsa	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Sherwood	....	assistant director

Art Department
McClure Capps	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Frank Maher	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Ray Binger	....	special photographic effects (as R.O. Binger)
Jack Cosgrove	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Simpson	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hal McAlpin	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Fletcher Henderson	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Mr. Ed Barrow	....	advice and cooperation: New York Yankees
Pat Flaherty	....	technical advisor: baseball
Samuel Goldwyn	....	presenter
Christy Walsh	....	liaison: New York Yankees cooperation
Babe Herman	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Lefty O'Doul	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Babe Ruth	....	double: Gary Cooper in longshot (uncredited)

Thanks
Eleanor Gehrig	....	appreciation to (as Mrs. Lou Gehrig)

Production Companies

• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Radius Films (1946) (France) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Hosh Posh Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Hosh Posh Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Key Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• New York Yankees  appreciation for their co-operation

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #8295) | USA:Passed

Filming Locations:

Pelham Parkway, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Released just 17 months after Lou Gehrig's death.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Lou is a young boy, when he hits the ball through the window, the ball clearly didn't come off his bat.

Quotes:

Lou Gehrig: All the arguing in the world can't change the decision of the umpire.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mad About You: I'm Just So Happy for You (#1.6)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Always

The Life of Lou Gehrig: Baseball Player and American Hero.

A touching and emotional experience about the life of late-New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig (played brilliantly by the always excellent Gary Cooper, Oscar-nominated). By 1939 Gehrig was saying farewell to baseball prematurely due to a rare muscle disorder that today bears the hero's name. Shortly after Gehrig's famous speech, he would indeed pass away. "The Pride of the Yankees" (made less than three years after his death) is a moving tribute that is first-class in every way imaginable. We meet the character as a young boy whose strict mother wants him to be an engineer. As the years pass though he cannot deny his love of the grand old game. Sportswriter Walter Brennan (who was always outstanding as well) becomes the biggest supporter of Gehrig, even though Gehrig seems out-of-place in the big city at times and seems more concerned about baseball than anything else (which bothers some inside of the Yankees circle, mainly due to Babe Ruth's famous antics). As the years pass, championships come and a constant is always Gehrig who set a record with 2,130 consecutive games played (Cal Ripken, Jr. would later break that record in 1995). He finds love with a young woman from Chicago (Oscar-nominee Teresa Wright) and it appears that happiness is all that the couple will experience. Sadly that would not be the case though. Sam Wood's heart-felt direction and a focused screenplay (which is a bit sappy at times) just add an odd element of grace that endears the film to most all movie-goers. Babe Ruth does play himself here and is a surprisingly excellent performer who allows himself to be taken out of the spotlight to tell Gehrig's story. He ends up being a really solid supporting actor. I do admit that "The Pride of the Yankees" is slightly flawed. Some things seem a bit staged (most notably the young child in the hospital), but overall the film is right on target. Anyone who loves baseball, loves movies and has feelings (whether good, bad or indifferent) about the Yankees should definitely give "The Pride of the Yankees" an at-bat. It is a stunning experience that is suitable for the whole family and teaches the whole audience about love, friendship, compassion, life, death and heroism. 4.5 out of 5 stars.