''Take Me Out to the Ball Game'' is a 1949 Technicolor

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

produced in the Arthur Freed unit of MGM. It stars

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, Betty Garrett, Edward Arnold and Jules Munshin, and was directed by Busby Berkeley. The title and nominal theme is taken from the unofficial anthem of American baseball, " Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The film was released in the United Kingdom as ''Everybody's Cheering''.

Plot

The fictional vaudeville-era baseball Wolves are newly owned by a woman named K.C. Higgins. Two of the Wolves' players, Eddie O'Brien and Dennis Ryan, are also part-time vaudevillians. Dennis falls for her, and then Eddie as well, while Dennis is the object of the affections of ardent fan Shirley Delwyn. All of them must contend with a number of gangsters led by Joe Lorgan looking to win a big bet by impairing Eddie's play and causing him to be kicked off the team.Take Me Out to the Ball Game
at Turner Classic Movies The story may have been influenced by the real life story of actor/ballplayer Mike Donlin who was a baseball player while also being a Vaudevillian performer and later a film actor in early Hollywood.

Cast

as Dennis Ryan *

as K.C. Higgins *

as Eddie O'Brien * Betty Garrett as Shirley Delwyn * Jules Munshin as Nat Goldberg * Edward Arnold as Joe Lorgan * Richard Lane as Michael Gilhuly *

Tom Dugan Thomas or Tom Dugan may refer to: *Thomas Buchanan Dugan Thomas Buchanan Dugan (July 27, 1858 – April 27, 1940) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography Dugan was born in Baltimore on July 27, 1858 ...

as Slappy Burke *Ed Cassidy as

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

(uncredited) * Mitchell Lewis as Fisherman (uncredited)

Production

The film was announced in May 1948. It was based on a story by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with a script by Harry Tugend. The female lead of club owner K.C. Higgins was originally to be played by Ginger Rogers, but she withdrew a month before filming and

replaced her. Williams claimed that Judy Garland was originally slated to star but was replaced because of substance-abuse problems. Sinatra's role of Dennis Ryan was originally intended for professional baseball manager (and former player) Leo Durocher. According to TCM's Alicia Malone, Williams maintained a positive relationship with Sinatra but did not enjoy making the film because of the exhausting directorial demands set by Kelly. Although Busby Berkeley was hired as director by producer Arthur Freed, Berkeley withdrew and much of the film was directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen. Though the reason provided for Berkeley's departure was exhaustion, his exit may have been necessitated by his chronic alcoholism and depression. However, his touch can be seen in Williams's pool sequence.

Songs

*" Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (music and lyrics by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer) – Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, reprise by Esther Williams *"Yes, Indeedy" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra *"O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin *"The Right Girl for Me" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Frank Sinatra *"It's Fate Baby, It's Fate" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – Frank Sinatra and Betty Garrett *"Strictly U.S.A." (music and lyrics by Roger Edens) – Betty Garrett, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Gene Kelly *"The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore upon St. Patrick's Day" (music and lyrics by Jean Schwartz and William Jerome) – Gene Kelly

Deleted songs

*The song "Boys and Girls Like You and Me," originally written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for '' Oklahoma!'' (1943), was filmed with Sinatra singing to Garrett but was cut from the released film; the outtake survives today and is included as an extra feature on the DVD.release of ''Take Me Out to the Ball Game''
at Amazon.com *"Baby Doll," sung by Kelly to Williams and including a dance, was deleted from the released film. This footage also survives and is included on the DVD.

Reception

''Take Me Out to the Ball Game'' was a box-office success, earning $2,987,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $978,000 overseas, resulting in a profit of $675,000. The film received modestly positive reviews, although some reviewers felt that the cast was better than the material and that the film lacked a "consistent style and pace."

Awards and honors

Harry Tugend and George Wells were nominated for the 1950

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

in the category of Best Written American Musical. They lost to Betty Comden and Adolph Green for '' On the Town'', another MGM musical comedy also produced by Arthur Freed and also starring

, Betty Garrett and Jules Munshin, which was released four months after the premiere of ''Take Me Out to the Ball Game''. The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

in these lists: * 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Take Me Out To The Ball Game (Film) 1949 films 1949 musical comedy films 1949 romantic comedy films 1940s sports comedy films American baseball films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films Films directed by Busby Berkeley Films produced by Arthur Freed Films set in 1908 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by George Wells 1940s English-language films 1940s American films ja:私を野球につれてって