The Babe (1992)

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer (WGA):

John Fusco (written by)

Release Date:

17 April 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

There Was Only One.

Plot:

Babe Ruth becomes a baseball legend but is unheroic to those who know him.

Plot Keywords:

Babe Ruth | Baseball | Superstar | Adultery | Fame

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Goodman	...	George Herman 'Babe' Ruth
Kelly McGillis	...	Claire Hodgson Ruth
Trini Alvarado	...	Helen Woodford Ruth
Bruce Boxleitner	...	Jumpin' Joe Dugan
Peter Donat	...	Harry Frazee
James Cromwell	...	Brother Mathias
J.C. Quinn	...	Jack Dunn
Joe Ragno	...	Miller Huggins
Richard Tyson	...	Guy Bush
Ralph Marrero	...	Frank 'Ping' Bodie
Robert Swan	...	George Herman Ruth Sr. (as Bob Swan)
Bernard Kates	...	Colonel Jack Ruppert
Michael McGrady	...	Lou Gehrig
Stephen Caffrey	...	Johnny Sylvester
Gene Ross	...	Brother Paul

Runtime:

Netherlands:115 min | USA:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:PG | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When Babe is in his hotel room his door opens and reveals the room number across the hall to be room #714 - an obvious reference to the total number of home runs the Babe hit during his career.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film portrays Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as being enemies from the start. That is, in fact, not the case. When Gehrig first joined the Yankees, he and Ruth got along famously. They would often go on fishing trips and barnstorming tours together in the off season. The Ruth-Gehrig Feud did not start until after Gehrig had married Eleanor Twitchell in 1933.

Quotes:

Harry Frazee, Red Sox Owner: Half of everything I own just went down the drain with the "Gladiators of Broadway". The other half, is in the pocket of The Sultan of Swat, and he wants a raise and his own suites during road games.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blonde Poison: The Making of 'Basic Instinct' (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Chaconne

Interesting Movie with to much exaggeration of the truth

While I enjoyed the movie and John Goodman's performance, The Babe's weight was never near that of John and made him look like a lumbering athlete, which in fact he was not. While the Babe was not a role model, he was truly a hero ............. then and now.

He did not make the comments about Lou Gehrig shown in the movie. His problem with Lou Gehrig had to do with a party his wife went to ahead of the when Lou got to the party and Gehrig was upset his wife might have been intimate with The Babe, which is doubtful. Ruth and Gehrig had been close friends until Lou got jealous.

The Babe was not a bumbler on the ball field, only in life, due to his lack of class, which was caused by the lack of a loving family. He did have a great care for children, due his lack of having that during his upbringing. It was a good movie in terms of many things, but left those who have read the read biographies of The Babe, disappointed with how the so called facts were presented. The Babe will live on long after this movie, which I avoided for many years, due to figuring it was tainted ............. and it was, very tainted. I do have to say I still enjoyed most of the movie. Like many biographies to much poetic license was taken.