It Happens Every Spring (1949)

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Valentine Davies (screenplay)
Valentine Davies (story)

Release Date:

8 August 1949 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Sport

Plot:

A scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | World Series | Professor | Discovery | Leave Of Absence

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Ray Milland	...	Prof. Vernon K. Simpson aka King Kelly
Jean Peters	...	Deborah Greenleaf
Paul Douglas	...	Monk Lanigan
Ed Begley	...	Edgar Stone
Ted de Corsia	...	Manager Jimmy Dolan
Ray Collins	...	Prof. Alfred Greenleaf
Jessie Royce Landis	...	Mrs. Greenleaf
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Schmidt
William Murphy	...	Tommy Isabell (as Bill Murphy)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Wrigley Field - 1060 W. Addison St., Lake View, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

All the baseball teams are identified by their city but never by their nicknames. Even the home team uniforms, which should have the team nicknames, list the city instead. The reason is because the commissioner of baseball, Happy Chandler, would not sanctioned the movie because of the cheating element in the movie. So 20th Century could not use the the name of the teams or even use cameo baseball player walk ons like the studio wanted to do.

Goofs:

Continuity: The same stadium scenery is used to represent several teams.

Quotes:

Prof. Vernon K. Simpson aka King Kelly: [all were in Edgar Stone's office] No, I don't think so, Mr. Stone, I know it.
Edgar Stone: Know it? I have never met such bland conceit.
Manager Jimmy Dolan: I told you, he's a crackpot.
Edgar Stone: No he's not. He's just a conceited jackass.
Manager Jimmy Dolan: All right. you talk to him. I'm going to batting practice.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

It Happens Every Spring

One of the best baseball flicks

A hilarious comedy as well as one of the best baseball films. Ray Milland has one of his best roles as Vernon/King Kelly, and there are great supporting turns from the likes of Paul Douglas. What I truly enjoy about "It Happens Every Spring" is that it celebrates, tongue in cheek, one of the great "unspoken" traditions of the Great American Game -- cheating! (Spitballs, corked bats, steroids -- they all fall into the same category as Kelly's wood-repellant serum.) What other baseball movie does that? Good goofy fun.