The Pride of St. Louis

Dan Dailey is a bright spot in this otherwise run of the mill baseball movie that could have been so much better. Like most films that deal with baseball, you don't get the idea that you are seeing anything close to realistic play on the field. If you love baseball as I do, try Pride of the Yankees, with Gary Cooper. In it many of the Yankee players actually were seen on the filed including the great Babe Ruth.

Dan Dailey gives a sincere and colorful performance as the great Dizzy Dean. His handling of the character is very true to life and captures the flavor of Dean's background and limited education. The film of course centers around Dizzy Deans rise to fame and his sudden trip to the sidelines with an injury he chose to ignore, much to his regret. His wife is splendidly portrayed by Joanna Dru who gives a very down to earth quality to the woman who loved and supported the ballplayer who rose to a "dizzying height" so quickly. The portrayal of Dizzy's later career as a sportscaster is honest and unflinching, reflecting his troubles which stemmed from his poor education and his colorful language both on and off the air. Dizzy was quite a character and Daily has breathed life into his story with admirable skill. If you enjoyed this film, I recommend the comedy "Kid from Left Field" (1953) wherein Daily plays a down and out has-been ballplayer idolized by his young son (Billy Chapin). Daily again fleshes out a ballplayer in a completely satisfying manner. I heartily recommend Pride of St. Louis to baseball fans everywhere.

This is the story of Jerome 'Dizzy' Dean, Hall of Fame pitcher of the St. Louis Cardinals. An injury caused early retirement, a bout with drinking and gambling; but his down home manner led to another career...baseball radio/tv announcing.

Dan Dailey is kind of ho-hum in his attempts at Dean's hayseed mannerisms. Richard Crenna plays Paul Dean, Dizzy's brother, who also pitched for the Cardinals.

Very little actual baseball action, but the movie is interesting and fun to watch. All little boys that have an interest in baseball should watch this along with PRIDE of THE YANKEES and the BABE RUTH STORY.

Also in the cast are Richard Hylton, Joanne Dru, Stuart Randall and Hugh Sanders. Remember to take a good whack and don't forget to slud into second.

I remember "Ol Diz" broadcasting those Saturday games with partner Pee Wee Reese, the former Dodger and teammate of Jackie Robinson. It was so much fun to listen to him butcher the English language (for example, "He slud into third base). But we forget that he was a great pitcher for the notorious St. Louis Cardinals. He was known for being a bit hard to control, doing things his own way. He also had a reputation for being a bit less than intellectual. The famous story after he was struck by a lie drive, led with the headline, "Doctors Examine Dean's Head. Find Nothing." This is a charming little movie with a good performance by Dan Dailey. The title is much like the great Lou Gehrig's tribute, "The Pride of the Yankees." Obviously, this one didn't gain the foothold that that one did, but then Dean wasn't the tragic figure Lou was. This is a nice movie with a quirky guy making it big. Dean will always be one of my favorites and I'm glad there is a movie about him.

Jerome Hanna 'Dizzy' Dean from the Ozarks has the gift of gab. He's also a pretty good baseball player. He would rise up to be a Hall of Fame pitcher for almost two decades in the Major Leagues and later as a broadcaster after a career ending injury. He pursues Patricia Nash who becomes his wife. During an early outing, he almost gets a perfect game but for one home run. After the home run, the opposing team taunts him as Dizzy.

Dizzy is well before my time. I've heard of the guy but don't know anything about him. It's an amiable character but the drama is extremely low. It's a lazy, easy day at the park just like watching baseball nowadays. I can certainly understand his appeal with his friendliness. The audience who love Dizzy would love this movie. As a person who knows nothing, it's a rather flat drama with a likeable lead.