Damn Yankees! (1958)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

George Abbott
Stanley Donen

Writers:

Douglass Wallop (book)
George Abbott (play) ...

Release Date:

6 March 1959 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Sport

Tagline:

It's a picture in a million! Starring that girl in a million, the red-headed darling of the Broadway show, Gwen Verdon!

Plot:

Film adaptation of the George Abbott Broadway musical about a Washington Senators fan who makes a pact...

Plot Keywords:

Broadway Musical | Devil | Baseball | Superstar | Hearing

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Tab Hunter	...	Joe Hardy
Gwen Verdon	...	Lola
Ray Walston	...	Mr. Applegate
Russ Brown	...	Benny Van Buren
Shannon Bolin	...	Mrs. Meg Boyd
Nathaniel Frey	...	Smokey
James Komack	...	Rocky
Rae Allen	...	Gloria Thorpe
Robert Shafer	...	Joe Boyd
Jean Stapleton	...	Sister Miller
Albert Linville	...	Vernon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Adams	...	Yankees team owner

Also Known As:

What Lola Wants (UK)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The actors had to sing along with a metronome, for the musicians that would normally have accompanied them were on strike at the time.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the time depicted, major-league baseball players almost never had jersey numbers higher than the 50s... yet several players have numbers in the 60s and 70s, a practice rare until the 1980s. High numbers on a major league uniform ordinarily indicated someone invited to spring training who had little chance of making the club... and if such a player did make the club (possible with the usually-dreadful Washington Senators), the player got a lower number.

Quotes:

Lola: Joe, would you like to take Lola some place tonight?
Joe Hardy: Gee, I - I sure would like to but, uh, you know what Mr. Van Buren would say.
Lola: He'd say you lucky boy.
Joe Hardy: No, no! He'd say it's late. He likes us to get to bed early.
Lola: Any particular place?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Scout (1994)

Soundtrack:

Heart

**** 1/2 Baseball was never this much fun

Baseball was never this much fun in a movie. Ray Walston is hilarious as the devil (here known as Mr. Applegate) come to earth to seduce disgruntled Washington Senators' fan Joe Boyd (Robert Shafer) into entering a Faustian pact with him: Joe gets to become the greatest baseball player ever on earth in exchange for his immortal soul. It's a done deal, and Joe instantly becomes young and handsome Joe Hardy (Tab Hunter); unfortunately, Joe is still attached to his wife and wants to continue living with her, so Applegate enlists the services of master seductress Lola (Gwen Verdon), and whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. Verdon's performance in this role is so fantastic you'll be mortified that she didn't get the opportunity to show off on the big screen again until "Cocoon" in 1985. Bob Fosse's choreography here is top-notch, and all of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross' songs (taken from the Broadway musical with only two songs cut and a new one added) are excellently performed. Hunter is infectiously charming as the young Joe, and though he seems a little stiff at times, his wide-eyed innocence is much better than some would give him credit for. The film's only shortcoming is direction by George Abbott (who directed the original play) and Stanley Donen that misses a few steps thanks to some awkward editing. It's no real fault though: these actors could ride comfortably over any bump in the road. Look for choreographer (and Verdon's then-husband) Fosse making a cameo in the "Who's Got The Pain?" number. If you like it go and rent Abbott and Donen's previous success with an Adler and Ross musical, "The Pajama Game".