You would think that any musical starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra has to be superb, but 'Take me out to the ballgame' is proof that even megastars are capable of the occasional misstep. The only catchy number in the entire film is the title track, and I guarantee that you will not leave the theater humming any of the others.
The big problem with 'Take me out to the ballgame' is that the writers decided at the outset that the principal characters, Eddie O'brien (Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Sinatra), would be more entertaining if they were portrayed as a bunch of buffoons instead of actualized human beings. Sinatra in particular is portrayed as Kelly's spineless buddy, who immediately crumples to the ground whenever socked (many times quite lightly) in the head. It's quite deflating to see an icon who usually plays manly roles, reduced to a certified wimp, but unfortunately that's what happens here.
The plot takes quite a long time to pick up. O'brien and Ryan are the stars on the fictional major league baseball team, the 'Wolves', circa early 1900s. During the off-season, they're vaudevillians, which accounts for all the song and dance routines throughout the film. The big joke which constitutes the inciting incident of the film, is that the Wolves are taken over by a new owner, K.C. Higgins, who (wouldn't you know it) is a woman (played by Esther Williams). Before she reveals her identity, O'brien and Ryan speak disparagingly of the new owner in her presence, with the team's manager playing a little game of Charades in a fruitless attempt to get them to shut up.
The film's first act involves O'brien devising a scheme to 'break camp'—the players have a 10 o'clock curfew and risk a $50 fine if they're found outside their hotel room during the late hours. O'brien eggs Ryan on to ask Higgins out on a date and he ends up serenading her with a romantic song. O'brien's plan is ask two other girls out for himself and Goldberg (Jules Munshin), the third member of the dynamic infield combination of O'brien to Ryan to Goldberg (an obvious play on the Dead Ball era's famed 'Tinkers to Evers to Chance'). O'brien makes it clear that once the three couples find themselves out on the town, he'll have free reign to go after Higgins himself. Unfortunately for O'brien, Higgins sees through his ruse and ends up fining him the $50 for breaking the players' curfew after he too serenades her past the 10 PM deadline.
Because of this, O'brien basically sours on Higgins and it's not until a plot development late in the second act of the film, that O'brien begins pursuing the team's owner again. Meanwhile, Ryan falls for the ditzy Shirley (Betty Garrett) who basically has been stalking the hapless ballplayer all over the ball park. Why Ryan falls for the goofy Shirley is never really explained, unless of course you realize that Ryan is just as silly as the girl who has fallen in love with him.
It's not until the midpoint that we're introduced to the true antagonist of the story, Joe Lorgan, a slick gambler played by Edward Arnold. Lorgan lures O'brien into a scheme, offering him double his salary if he rehearses for a vaudeville show he's producing. Lorgan's true intent is to tire O'brien out so he's no longer able to play effectively on the ball field and then he can bet $20,000 on the Wolves' opponent during the final playoff. Higgins mistakenly comes to believe that O'brien's poor play on the field at the crucial hour is due to her rejection of him rather than exhaustion from all the rehearsals. But when Lorgan confronts O'brien with Higgins present, and reveals that he's been rehearsing every night, she benches him for not only breaking curfew but basically betraying her.
O'brien won't be undone and conscripts a bunch of kids to root for him to be re-instated during the final playoff game. Higgins relents and it looks like O'brien will be back in, but Ryan, fearing that the gamblers will do his buddy harm, beans O'brien with a real baseball during their vaudeville routine before the game. Lorgan sends his two henchman into the clubhouse, posing as physicians, who rough him up even more, as he lies unconscious after being beaned by Ryan. O'brien only wakes up after Higgins whispers in his ear that Ryan is getting all the glory while he's off the field. O'brien's jealousy propels him to hit the winning home run but ridiculously continues to chase Ryan even after they've both crossed the plate!
If this isn't silly enough, Kelly and Sinatra sing one last number but step out of character, pronouncing that Kelly has gotten Williams and Sinatra, Barrett. The little chemistry between Kelly and Williams is borne out by Williams' account of her experience on the set. According to Williams, she was treated poorly by Kelly, who felt uncomfortable because she was taller than him.
In the end, it's the poor script that sinks 'Take me out to the ballgame'. Should we really care about characters who can do nothing more than engage in a petty rivalry while prancing about in a series of base slapstick routines? If there is one saving grace, it's the excellent work of the costume department. It's a joy to see such colorful costumes that evoke the bygone era of our national pastime.
The big problem with 'Take me out to the ballgame' is that the writers decided at the outset that the principal characters, Eddie O'brien (Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Sinatra), would be more entertaining if they were portrayed as a bunch of buffoons instead of actualized human beings. Sinatra in particular is portrayed as Kelly's spineless buddy, who immediately crumples to the ground whenever socked (many times quite lightly) in the head. It's quite deflating to see an icon who usually plays manly roles, reduced to a certified wimp, but unfortunately that's what happens here.
The plot takes quite a long time to pick up. O'brien and Ryan are the stars on the fictional major league baseball team, the 'Wolves', circa early 1900s. During the off-season, they're vaudevillians, which accounts for all the song and dance routines throughout the film. The big joke which constitutes the inciting incident of the film, is that the Wolves are taken over by a new owner, K.C. Higgins, who (wouldn't you know it) is a woman (played by Esther Williams). Before she reveals her identity, O'brien and Ryan speak disparagingly of the new owner in her presence, with the team's manager playing a little game of Charades in a fruitless attempt to get them to shut up.
The film's first act involves O'brien devising a scheme to 'break camp'—the players have a 10 o'clock curfew and risk a $50 fine if they're found outside their hotel room during the late hours. O'brien eggs Ryan on to ask Higgins out on a date and he ends up serenading her with a romantic song. O'brien's plan is ask two other girls out for himself and Goldberg (Jules Munshin), the third member of the dynamic infield combination of O'brien to Ryan to Goldberg (an obvious play on the Dead Ball era's famed 'Tinkers to Evers to Chance'). O'brien makes it clear that once the three couples find themselves out on the town, he'll have free reign to go after Higgins himself. Unfortunately for O'brien, Higgins sees through his ruse and ends up fining him the $50 for breaking the players' curfew after he too serenades her past the 10 PM deadline.
Because of this, O'brien basically sours on Higgins and it's not until a plot development late in the second act of the film, that O'brien begins pursuing the team's owner again. Meanwhile, Ryan falls for the ditzy Shirley (Betty Garrett) who basically has been stalking the hapless ballplayer all over the ball park. Why Ryan falls for the goofy Shirley is never really explained, unless of course you realize that Ryan is just as silly as the girl who has fallen in love with him.
It's not until the midpoint that we're introduced to the true antagonist of the story, Joe Lorgan, a slick gambler played by Edward Arnold. Lorgan lures O'brien into a scheme, offering him double his salary if he rehearses for a vaudeville show he's producing. Lorgan's true intent is to tire O'brien out so he's no longer able to play effectively on the ball field and then he can bet $20,000 on the Wolves' opponent during the final playoff. Higgins mistakenly comes to believe that O'brien's poor play on the field at the crucial hour is due to her rejection of him rather than exhaustion from all the rehearsals. But when Lorgan confronts O'brien with Higgins present, and reveals that he's been rehearsing every night, she benches him for not only breaking curfew but basically betraying her.
O'brien won't be undone and conscripts a bunch of kids to root for him to be re-instated during the final playoff game. Higgins relents and it looks like O'brien will be back in, but Ryan, fearing that the gamblers will do his buddy harm, beans O'brien with a real baseball during their vaudeville routine before the game. Lorgan sends his two henchman into the clubhouse, posing as physicians, who rough him up even more, as he lies unconscious after being beaned by Ryan. O'brien only wakes up after Higgins whispers in his ear that Ryan is getting all the glory while he's off the field. O'brien's jealousy propels him to hit the winning home run but ridiculously continues to chase Ryan even after they've both crossed the plate!
If this isn't silly enough, Kelly and Sinatra sing one last number but step out of character, pronouncing that Kelly has gotten Williams and Sinatra, Barrett. The little chemistry between Kelly and Williams is borne out by Williams' account of her experience on the set. According to Williams, she was treated poorly by Kelly, who felt uncomfortable because she was taller than him.
In the end, it's the poor script that sinks 'Take me out to the ballgame'. Should we really care about characters who can do nothing more than engage in a petty rivalry while prancing about in a series of base slapstick routines? If there is one saving grace, it's the excellent work of the costume department. It's a joy to see such colorful costumes that evoke the bygone era of our national pastime.