The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
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91% of critics liked it
(22 reviews) -
88% of users liked it
(6,391 ratings)
"It's box office poison," producer Samuel Goldwyn is said to have exclaimed when he heard the idea of filming the life story of fabled first baseman Lou Gehrig. "If people want baseball, they go to the ballpark!" The story begins before World War I, when young Lou Gehrig (played as a boy by Douglas… More "It's box office poison," producer Samuel Goldwyn is said to have exclaimed when he heard the idea of filming the life story of fabled first baseman Lou Gehrig. "If people want baseball, they go to the ballpark!" The story begins before World War I, when young Lou Gehrig (played as a boy by Douglas Croft) begins dreaming of becoming a professional ballplayer. Lou's immigrant parents (Elsa Jansen and Ludwig Stossel) insist that the boy attend Columbia University to become an engineer. While in college, Lou (played as a man by Gary Cooper) becomes a star athlete, and, with the help of sports journalist Sam Blake (Walter Brennan), he is signed by the New York Yankees and joins their big-league lineup in 1925; real-life Yanks Babe Ruth, Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel and Mark Koenig play themselves. He also meets and falls in love with Eleanor Twitchell (Teresa Wright) (an event that actually happened in 1933) and earns the nickname "The Iron Man of Baseball" because he never misses a game. In 1939, Lou discovers that he has a fatal neurological disease called amytrophic lateral sclerosis (now known, of course, as "Lou Gehrig's Disease"). On July 4, 1939, an emotional Lou Gehrig, a scant two years away from death, bids farewell to 62,000 of his fans and friends at Yankee Stadium. Allowing that he might have been given a bad break, he concludes his speech with "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Deftly weaving basic facts with yards and yards of fancy, screenwriters Jo Swerling and Herman J. Mankiewicz serve up one of the most entertaining and inspiring baseball biopics. A more accurate but less dramatic adaptation of the same story, A Love Affair: The Eleanor & Lou Gehrig Story, was produced for television in 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- Unrated, 2 hr. 8 min.
- Directed By
- Sam Wood
- Written By
- Paul Gallico, Jo Swerling, Herman J. Mankiewicz
- Genres
- Documentary, Drama, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1942 Wide
- On DVD
- Sep 17, 2002
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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, TIME Magazine
The best part of Pride of the Yankees is its grade-A love story.
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, Variety
For baseball and non-baseball fan alike, this sentimental, romantic saga of the NY kid who rose to the baseball heights and later met such a tragic end is well worth seeing.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
As a simple, moving story with an ironic heart-tug at the end, it serves as a fitting memorial to the real Lou, who called himself the luckiest man alive.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Gary Cooper gives a splendid, Oscar-nominated performance as lou Gehrig in Sam Wood's nostalgic but touching biopic of the Iron man, first baseman of the NY Yankess.
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Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Heartwarming baseball classic for tweens and up.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Cast
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Gary Cooperas Lou Gehrig -
Teresa Wrightas Eleanor Gehrig -
George Herman "Babe" Ruthas Himself
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Walter Brennanas Sam Blake -
Dan Duryeaas Hank Hanneman -
Elsa Janssenas Mrs. Gehrig
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