Directed by: Sam Wood.
Written by: Jo Swerling and Herman J. Mankiewicz.
Starring: 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), Virginia Gilmore (
When
most people think of Gary Cooper, they think of his strong, quiet, heroic
leading man roles. People remember him for his two Oscar winning roles as the
Sheriff in High Noon, who stands up when everyone else backs down and for
playing Sergeant York, a pacifist who became a WWI hero to fight for the
country he loves. And they also remember him for playing Lou Gehrig in 1942’s
The Pride of the Yankees. I have expressed my opinion in this series already
that I prefer Cooper in his more comedic roles – in films like Ball of Fire,
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town or Design for Living, where his awe shucks demeanor and
expert comic timing worked wonderfully well. But there’s no denying that Cooper
was able to play heroic roles better than most other actors in history. And his
work in The Pride of the Yankees ranks among his best.
Cooper
originally didn’t want the role. He was far too old for it – already in his
early 40s, and the script called on him to play Gehrig from his days in college
until the end of his life in his late 30s. He also hated baseball, and
apparently threw like a girl, which was bad enough, but the fact that he was
right handed, and Gehrig famously a leftie was even worse. But through training
and some movie magic (lighting and camera angles to get rid of the lines on his
face, and apparently giving him a uniform with everything printed backwards and
then reversing the footage, so when he threw right handed, it appeared on
screen that he was throwing left handed), he was able to pull off the role.
Now, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing it.
In
many ways, The Pride of the Yankees can be looked at as the prototypical
baseball movie. They didn’t really make a lot of sports movies in the 1940s,
because they were considered box office poison – women didn’t like them, and
research showed that women picked the movies couples saw more often then men. So
when watching The Pride of the Yankees, and seeing all the sports movie clichés
it pulls it, perhaps we need to be a little forgiving in that regard. And yes,
The Pride of the Yankees piles on one cliché after another. Less forgivable,
however, is the overly sappy and sentimental romance between Cooper and Teresa
Wright, as Gehrig’s wife. Wright was a gifted actress, and she is quite good in
the role considering its limitations of being “the wife” (she was nominated for
an Oscar for it), but it’s a little much to take. The same could be said for
Babe Ruth, who plays himself in the movie, and is more of a distraction that
anything else.
Yet,
despite these flaws, I could not help but be won over by The Pride of the
Yankees. Through Cooper’s Gehrig’s integrity and work ethic comes through in
every scene. He is a man you cannot help but root for – kind and generous with
his teammates and his immigrant parents. In an age where fans have become more
and more cynical about sports figures, it is refreshing to see a portrait of a
sports star that was truly heroic.
The
movie is best known for its final scene, and for good reason. It’s a doozy. I
defy anyone with a heart to watch that scene, where the quiet, humble Gehrig
takes to the field at Yankee stadium to give his farewell speech, and not break
down in tears. It is played brilliantly by Cooper, and makes The Pride of the
Yankees one of the most memorable sports movies ever made.
No comments:
Post a Comment