Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Was it a mere 50 years ago that every major studio - but particularly MGM - was routinely producing several musical comedies every year? These were "entertainments" in every sense of the word: fast, funny, colorful, escapist. Some were low budget, others were elaborate; some had major stars, others featured lesser talent. There seemed no reason to believe that such an appealing type of picture would not be produced indefinitely. With so many to choose from, we could afford to discriminate between the truly great ones and those, such as "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," which didn't offer the most outstanding scores or scripts. Now, however, they are to be cherished for their very existence and for a style of excellence that neither today's filmmakers nor performers can duplicate. The passing years have transformed more than a few of the second-tier musicals into treasures. By no means artifacts, they are fresh, and enormously appealing. This picture is a prime example.

(Better than remembered: Gene Kelly's comic mugging, Frank Sinatra's dancing, Betty Garrett's energetic high spirits.)

Pleasant turn of the century story of 2 baseball player/vauldevillians (Sinatra and Kelly) whose soft lives are shaken up when go-getter Williams inherits their franchise and takes up an active, controversial, management.

Solid story packed with good jokes and believable, if broad, characterizations. Kelly comes with some very impressive dancing as always, and Sinatra croons some pleasant tunes. Williams and Garrett are great as the boys' love interests -- here many of the good jokes are typified by Sinatra's dry speech on the agressive methods he's used to catch Garrett -- when in fact the audience has seen HIM relentlessly pursued by hellcat Garrett! Good show.... but lacks substance (this would be one of the last musicals not to show the influence of Rodgers and Hammerstein's more highbrow tone).

"Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and "On The Town" were both made in 1949, and they both follow MGM's house formula pretty closely. The same three heroes are in uniform again (Kelly, Sinatra and Munshin), and Betty Garrett is once more pursuing Frankie aggressively, while Munshin is the comedian and Kelly the skirt-chaser.

The action is set in the first decade of the 20th century. Ed O'Brien (Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Sinatra) are song-and-dance men in the winter and star players for 'The Wolves', a major league baseball team, during the summer. K.C. Higgins (Esther Williams) is a rich and beautiful young woman who buys the club and becomes involved in the personal lives of O'Brien & Ryan.

Baseball is the ideal setting for a nostalgic movie of this kind, and not just because it provides a team matrix in which to slot the male stars. Baseball has a venerable history to it, so the film can be set convincingly in the past. Kelly very nearly pursued a career as short stop with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and 'The Wolves', with their overwhelmingly Irish ethnicity, are fairly obviously based on the real-life Boston Redsox.

Busby Berkeley directs in a restrained, conservative style which suits this middle-of-the-road family entertainment. Esther Williams is terrific as Katherine. She sings, she dances, she acts - and yes, she even gets to swim! Sinatra crooning a romantic ballad to Esther is one of cinema's more unlikely permutations, but it happens here.

The songs are serviceable but little more, though the lyrics are sometimes amusing, pushing metre and rhyme into interesting contortions:

"I've gone and studied up on my astrology, I'm really knowledge-y!"

The only memorable song is the title number, but that dates back to the early 1900's. A clam bake on Giddy's Landing is all-American fun and gives scope for a big production piece. Notice how Berkeley makes the most of a cramped set by filming the chorus line at an oblique angle.

If this likeable but inconsequential film has some enjoyable moments (I liked the unsporting opponent tagging out the unconscious Ryan), it also contains a few curious editing decisions. At the end of the big number at the clam bake, there is a rapid forward-reverse 'hiccup', more usually seen in pop videos. In the latter part of Kelly's solo on the wharf, the scene strangely shifts to a new set. Both Shirley and O'Brien have distracting shadows across their faces in the protracted dancing on the wharf.

The end comes a little suddenly and without proper resolution, and then we get the rather oddly tacked-on vaudeville sequence. It all works, but with considerably less polish than its sister movie, "On The Town".

'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' is worth noting for the extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camera, and while all have done better this showcases their talents wonderfully.

It does have short-comings, but luckily they are far outweighed by 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game's' numerous pleasures. The film does end very abruptly and the build up does feel rather rushed, and while there are no problems to be had with the chemistry between Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra or Sinatra and Esther Williams, the latter one really does sparkle, the one between Kelly and Williams is pretty indifferent (Williams apparently was treated contemptuously by Kelly and Stanley Donen, and there are times where it shows).

On the other hand, 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' is ravishingly filmed in Technicolor with lavishly colourful sets and costumes that are not only superbly tailored but the colour co-ordination is eye-popping and clearly a lot of thought was put into it. There are definitely more memorable songs than the ones here, where the title song is the closest to being a hit, but they are certainly very pleasant and tuneful with wonderfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg", "The Right Girl for Me" and "It's Fate Baby" are also good. The choreography dazzles also, especially Kelly pulling all the stops out in his Irish solo number, the barn-storming "Strictly USA" and the wonderful chemistry between Kelly, Sinatra and the under-appreciated Jules Munshin.

With the script, there are some funny and witty lines, and while the story is very slight and drags in places it does enchant, charm and there is a constant sense of cheerfulness and fun. The direction is very accomplished throughout, shining especially in "Strictly USA". The performances are great, particularly from a scene-stealing and very funny Betty Garrett. Williams is also delightfully no-nonsense, and even with her troubles off-screen the role really does play to his strengths.

Kelly's character is very broadly drawn and almost like a clown, but Kelly's humour, charm and muscular athleticism stops him from becoming annoying. Sinatra sings an absolute dream and although his type of character isn't in his comfort zone he still appeals. Munshin shouldn't be overlooked in any way, he delights in "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg", while Edward Arnold is deliciously theatrical while never taking one out of the film.

Overall, hugely enjoyable though with short-comings. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

*** (out of 4)

Eddie (Gene Kelly) and Dennis (Frank Sinatra) are two leaders of their baseball team who also like to sing and dance on the side. The championship team learns that a new person has taken control of the team and to everyone's shock it turns out to be a woman (Ester Williams). The two men are soon fighting over the woman while Eddie also gets caught up with a gambler (Edward Arnold).

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME isn't nearly in the same league as ON THE TOWN, the previous Sinatra and Kelly teaming but if you're a fan of the men then there's no doubt that you'll want to check this film out. While it isn't in that tier of classic MGM musicals it's still a pretty darn fun film to watch.

I think it should go without saying that the main reason to watch the film is for its cast. Both Kelly and Sinatra would obviously do much better things in their careers but they certainly had a chemistry that was undeniable. The two play well off of one another and it's somewhat shocking that Sinatra would get top-billing even though he's not in the film nearly as much. The two open and close the film with very good musical numbers and there are fun tunes throughout.

Williams is also extremely good in her role playing a tougher-than-normal woman who gives it to bother the men. Betty Garrett is good in her part as is Arnold and Richard Lane. The entire cast really does a nice job at capturing the spirit of baseball. The musical numbers, staged by Stanley Donan and Kelly, are quite good and will certainly leave you with a smile on your face.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME isn't a masterpiece but it's hard to deny its charm.