The Stratton Story (1949)
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80% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
76% of users liked it
(1,209 ratings)
Both Van Johnson and Gregory Peck were considered for the role of baseball star Monty Stratton in the 1949 biopic The Stratton Story before settling upon the real Stratton's own first choice, James Stewart. The film covers several years in the 1930s, as Texas farm boy Stratton rises from the… More Both Van Johnson and Gregory Peck were considered for the role of baseball star Monty Stratton in the 1949 biopic The Stratton Story before settling upon the real Stratton's own first choice, James Stewart. The film covers several years in the 1930s, as Texas farm boy Stratton rises from the minors to the Chicago White Sox. Along the way, Monty marries an Omaha gal named Ethel (June Allyson), who gives him a son. In November 1938, Monty accidentally shoots himself in the leg while on a hunting excursion. When the leg has to be amputated, it looks as though Stratton's pitching career is over. He broods over his bad luck for months before snapping out of his self-pity and learning to walk with his new prosthesis. To prove to himself that he's overcome his handicap, Monty takes a job pitching with the Southern All-Stars. His return to baseball is rough sledding (the other team persistently bunts balls out of his reach), but Monty Stratton is finally able to make a successful comeback. Only occasionally playing fast and loose with the facts (the time-frame of Stratton's real-life return to baseball is telescoped by several years), The Stratton Story was one of the best and most profitable baseball pictures ever turned out by Hollywood. Fans of the game will get an extra kick from the presence in the cast of big-leaguers Bill Dickey and Jimmy Dykes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sam Wood
- Written By
- Douglas Morrow, Guy Trosper
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Sports & Fitness, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- May 12, 1949 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
As directed by Same Wood, this sports biopic is too earnest and too concerned with being inspirational, but Jimmy Stewart is good.
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Ryan Cracknell, Movie Views
Amidst a script that starts, stalls and plods along, Stewart is an inspiration who could probably tell 'Yo Mamma jokes to the Brady clan and Partridge family and still be their best friend.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a warmhearted picture, never a depressing one, despite its tragic central conflict.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...is sweet and uplifting, not a little corny, but helped immensely by Stewart's easygoing, soft-spoken appeal.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The DVD edition includes the theatrical trailer; vintage short, Pest Control; classic cartoon, Batty Baseball; and a radio show with Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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James Stewart
as Monty Stratton
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June Allyson
as Ethel Stratton
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Frank Morgan
as Barney Wile
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Agnes Moorehead
as Ma Stratton
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Bill Williams
as Gene Watson
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Bruce Cowling
as Ted Lyons
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Cliff Clark
as Higgins
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Mary Lawrence
as Dot
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Dean White
as Luke Appling
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Robert Gist
as Larnie
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Eugene Bearden
as Western All-Stars Pitcher
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Bill Dickey
as Himself
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Jimmy Dykes
as Himself
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Jessie Arnold
as People in Theater
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Polly Bailey
as Person in Theatre
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William Norton Bailey
as Person in Theatre
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William H. Bassett
as Stratton Baby
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Pat Flaherty
as Western Manager
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Lee Tung Foo
as Waiter
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Holmes Herbert
as Doctor
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John Kerr (II)
as Yankee Coach
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Florence Lake
as Mrs. Appling
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Mitchell Lewis
as Conductor
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Alphonse Martell
as Headwaiter
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Fred Millican
as All-Star Catcher
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Anne Nagel
as Mrs. Piet
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Gene Persson
as Boy
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Jack Powell
as Umpire
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Michael Ross
as Pitcher
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Sid Saylor
as Person in Theatre
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Charles Smith
as Theater Usher
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Kenneth Tobey
as Detroit Player
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George Melford
as Person in Theatre
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George Ovey
as Person in Theatre
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Vangie Beilby
as Person in Theatre
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Mabel Smaney
as Person in Theatre
- Robert Graham
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Fred Somers
as Giants Manager
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Cy Stevens
as Person in Theatre
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James Nolan
as Reporter
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Barbara Woodell
as Mrs. Shea
