Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

"From the moment you picked up that grounder and threw it to third, I knew it was love." Baseball and romance make a nifty double play in Take Me Out to the Ball Game, a bright bauble from the golden age of MGM musicals. The premise is a stretch: two members of a turn-of-the-century baseball team (Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra) are vaudeville performers in the off-season. Their ballclub is inherited by Esther Williams, causing much consternation among the boys and anticipating the plot line of Major League by 40 years.

Since swimming star Williams was always seen to best advantage dripping wet, the movie finds a way to get her into a hotel pool. Kelly, mugging mercilessly, executes an extended Irish solo dance (take that, Riverdance), and Sinatra, whose skinny frame is the source of many jokes in the script, is pursued by the irrepressible Betty Garrett and croons the ballad "The Right Girl for Me."

None of this is remotely plausible, and the Comden-Green songs don't stand the test of time, but the film is buoyant--and the period costumes and dazzling Technicolor are eye-popping. This was a reunion for Sinatra and Kelly after Anchors Aweigh (1945), and they would quickly team up again in the superior On the Town (1949), alongside Take Me Out costars Garrett and looming Jules Munshin. As in those films, Sinatra and Kelly dancing side-by- side are a delightful spectacle: Kelly effortlessly hitting his marks while Sinatra gamely tries to keep up. Take Me Out to the Ball Game was the last film directed by the legendary director-choreographer Busby Berkeley, who gets just one shot at a huge production number, a pseudo-Rodgers and Hammerstein tune, "Strictly U.S.A." Peanuts and Cracker Jack not included. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

Great movie

The only one of the three Kelly-Sinatra musicals that I hadn't seen. Funny, good songs and dances. Esther only swims once but is good anyway. The baseball content is not too much for non-aficianandos. January 7, 2008

fine MGM musical despite a schmaltzy plot

Take Me Out To The Ball Game boasts number after number after number of incredible singing and dancing. We get Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly--two of the greatest dancers MGM ever had--along with a young Esther Williams and Betty Garrett to entertain with strength and panache.

The action begins about 100 years ago when the Wolves baseball team is taken over--by a woman! K. C. Higgins (Esther Williams) soon impresses the boys on the team with her knowledge of baseball and her good looks. The action also revolves around two of the players on the team, Dennis Ryan (Frank Sinatra) and Eddie O'Brien (Gene Kelly) who perform in vaudeville when they're not playing during the baseball season. Factor in Shirley Delwyn (Betty Garrett) who loves Dennis Ryan dearly and you've got the basis for some great acting, singing and dancing!

Under K. C. Higgins, The Wolves continue to have yet another good season. However, trouble eventually ensues: Shirley is constantly chasing Dennis even though he's not too keen on her and Eddie O'Brien really falls hard for K. C. Higgins. Things become even more complicated when Eddie gets an offer to be in a vaudeville show--with rehearsals beginning during the season. Going out nights for any reason is strictly against team rules set by K. C. Higgins and her predecessors, so tensions heat up a lot.

There--I told you almost the entire plot--and when you consider the movie takes 93 minutes to tell you most of what you just read in one minute, you see the plot is razor thin. But you don't watch this movie for the plot. Take Me Out To The Ball Game is a star studded attraction with a plot just barely strong enough to give us beautiful song and dance numbers. In addition, they just conveniently get a hotel swimming pool for Esther Williams to swim in to showcase her talents as a swimmer.

Will the Wolves clinch the pennant? What will happen between Shirley and Dennis--will she trap him and make him fall in love with her? Will anyone on the team fall in love with K. C. Higgins? What about those late night rehearsals Eddie sneaks out to do--will that affect the team? No plot spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out!

The cinematography gives us great shots of Esther Williams in the pool and the song and dance numbers are captured wonderfully on film. The choreography shines with Gene Kelly's personal contributions to the staging and Busby Berkeley's input as well. Great!

The DVD comes with few extras; although you do get a deleted scene of the number entitled "Boys And Girls Like You And Me." We also get some trailers for other movies as well.

Overall, Take Me Out To The Ball Game is a fine MGM musical that survives the test of time very well despite a thin plot. The singing and dancing make this movie a classic. I highly recommend this film for fans of the people who star in it; and fans of the greatest MGM musicals will consider this movie to be a real treat.

Enjoy!
August 10, 2007

Take Me Out to the Ball Game 1949

Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) and Gene Kelly (1912-1996) play ball in big way as 1900s Vaudevillians who spend the winter flinging the onstage blarney and the Summer flinging the ol?horsehide for Baseballs world champ , The Wolves . Sinatra is second sacker Dennis Ryan and Kelly is shortstop Eddie O?Brien in this Busby Berkeley (1895-1976) directed romp that conbines baseball with that other All-American pastime: Romance , Esther Williams (1922- ) plays the new team owner and Betty Garrett (1919- ) is abaseball Annie with eyes for blue-eyed Ryan (Frankie Boy) . Kelly and Stanley Donen (1924- ) deft musical stagings ranged from softshoe duet charmer to exciting "barrel role" Kelly solo . Their work persuated producer Arthur Freed (1894-1973) to green-ligt their direction of the same year?s "On the Town 1949" . Here you have Baseball , Romance , Dancing and a Cult movie in one set ! . Transfer in High Quality pictures . Recommended April 12, 2006

fun fun fun!

Breezy, delightful musical with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in their third and final screen partnership. This time, they play baseball players who moonlight as vaudeville stars. The boys get a pleasant shock with their new team manager (Esther Williams) who of course creates fireworks when both players decide to make a `play' for her! Curiously enough, renowned "Million Dollar Mermaid" Williams spends most of her time out of the water in this film, only doing one brief swimming bit to the Title Song. Broadway comedy darling Betty Garrett (who also appeared with Kelly and Sinatra in ON THE TOWN) plays the secondary female lead and scores heavily with "It's Fate". Jules Munshin, Edward Arnold and Tom Dugan co-star.

Highly-recommended. March 17, 2006

They don't make them like this anymore...

I've been a big fan of classic Hollywood musicals as long as I can remember and I thought I had seen most of the great ones but somehow I missed seeing this one...I don't recall it ever being shown on TV and the only films I remembered seeing Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in were "Anchors Aweigh" and "On The Town". But one day I was reading Esther Williams biography and discovered that she had made a picture with Kelly and Sinatra..Well..this peaked my curiosity and one day I decided to check Netflix to see if it was available and sure enough it was! So I checked it out and was I pleasantly surprised! What an immensely entertaining film! And seeing Betty Garrett swooning over Frank was a treat! I never realized how talented Ms. Garrett was! I know she was in "On The Town" with the guys but don't recall her role as being as big as the one she had in this film..I understand "On The Town" was made after this one but in my opinion..this one was much better! Kelly and Sinatra seem in fine form in this movie and there are many opportunities for the guys to showcase their remarkable talents! Jule Munshin is a treat as well with his hilarious mugging and wonderful chemistry with the guys! Just a wonderfully entertaining film with great musical numbers and great enthusiasm from the cast! They just don't make them like this anymore... June 22, 2005

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