Babe ruth biography movie about lucille ball
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According to Leigh Montville and others at least 27 books have been written on Ruth, but that mysteries about his life still remain.
For additional stories on Babe Ruth at this website see: “Babe Ruth Days, 1947 & 1948” (covers special days honoring Ruth at Yankee Stadium and reviews his career); “Ruth at Oriole Park” (about a statue of Ruth at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, his early baseball youth, and years in Baltimore); and “Babe Ruth & Tobacco” (Ruth’s endorsements of various cigar, cigarette, and chewing tobacco products, as well as appearances at a tobacco shop in Boston).
Fans respond with letters of support, and medical efforts are made to treat him; the finale turns to a Narration by Knox Manning as doctors prepare for surgery. As he grows, his exceptional talent begins to bloom, and by the time he is 18 he earns a place with the Baltimore Orioles, a pivotal step that brings him into the national spotlight and helps him acquire the nickname that sticks.
His on-field gifts land him moves to bigger stages: first to the Boston Red Sox, where a pivotal moment at a bar with a skeptical crowd leads to guidance from Claire Hodgson.
The production was rushed to completion before Ruth's death and one can only wonder what he must have thought of it, given the chain of contrivances. Ruth (who batted third) is rounding third base and going to home plate after hitting a home run, while Gehrig (waiting to bat fourth), has his back completely turned, ignoring him, much less shaking his hand.
This film could have been honest and inspiring, instead it is fraudulent and vapid.
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A little better now -- should be re-made
Some have rightly criticized this movie as being a glossed-over, fictionalized, lower-budget presentation of Babe Ruth, while "The Pride of the Yankees" afforded teammate Gehrig a big-budget, A-list-cast project.
However, both were off the proverbial "mark." Gehrig was not quite the totally-affable individual Gary Cooper portrayed, and his mother not quite the "Aunt Bea" type shown.
Babe Ruth was a larger-than-life persona, bawdy, irreverent, and a national icon which, in more recent times, have only seen perhaps Muhammed Ali and Michael Jordan afforded anything close to the equal amount of acclaim.
Throughout this turbulent phase, Miller Huggins fights to bring him back to the team, underscoring the tug between personal missteps and professional loyalty.
A turning point comes when Ruth rediscovers his purpose through charitable work and the example of Claire Hodgson, who reminds him that his influence reaches far beyond the ballpark.
But, he wasn't that inept either. ‘The Babe Ruth Story’ was killed across the board by the critics.
“ ‘No home run,’ Wanda Hale of the Daily News said, ‘It’s more than a scratch single, a feeble blooper back of second base.’”
Still, one bad film wasn’t going to tarnish the legend of Babe Ruth, which remains intact today, warts and all.
The jump from his youth in the orphanage to major league baseball is disconcerting. William Bendix wasn't a great actor in the sense of a Bogart or Tracy. The film also shows Ruth’s growing awareness of how his actions affect others, including a sick child named Denny and his father, who watch him play and hope for miracles.
The story then follows Ruth’s transfer to the New York Yankees and the complexities of fame.
See also “Baseball Stories,” a topics page at this website with additional baseball history. – Jack Doyle
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Date Posted: 28 August 2015
Last Update: 7 May 2021
Comments to:[email protected]
Article Citation:
Jack Doyle, “The Babe Ruth Story: Book & Film, 1948,”
PopHistoryDig.com, August 28, 2015.
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Sources, Links & Additional Information
1910s: Young Babe Ruth pitching for the Red Sox. As a pitcher his record was 94-46, with an ERA of 2.88. |
Aug 17th, 1948: When Babe Ruth died, he was treated like a national hero and his passing was front-page news across the country; here with The Detroit Free Press. |
“Babe Ruth Homers Again; Life Film Story $100,000,” New York Times, September 13, 1946.
“Republic Planning Film on Babe Ruth,” New York Times, April 3, 1947.
In the end, the story of Ruth’s life—his triumphs, his trials, and his ultimate decline—remains a testament to a man who defined an era in baseball.
“Hiya, keed”
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Release Date - Sep 6, 1948 | Run Time - 106 min. | Countries - United States of America | MPAA Rating - NR
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Description by Wikipedia
The Babe Ruth Story is a 1948 American biographical film directed by Roy Del Ruth.
“Babe Ruth Film Set; Allied Artists to Produce Movie Based on Considine Book,” New York Times, July 18, 1947.
Gladwin Hill, “Bendix Steps Up to the Plate as Babe Ruth,” New York Times, April 4, 1948.
Arthur Daley, “Sports of the Times; The Babe’s Own Story,” New York Times, April 26, 1948.
Rex Lardner, Book Reviews, “For the Baseball Lover’s Library,” New York Times, May 2, 1948.
“People Who Read and Write” (On Dutton Book Party, Ruth Book), New York Times, May 9, 1948.
“Babe Ruth,” Wikipedia.org.
Robert Creamer, Babe: The Legend Comes to Life, 1976.
“The Babe Ruth Story,” Turner Classic Movies.
“Bob Considine,” Wikipedia.org.
Lawrence Ritter, The Babe: The Game That Ruth Built, 1997.
Leigh Montville, The Big Bam: The Life & Times of Babe Ruth, New York: Doubleday, 2006.
Tom Bartsch, “Baseball’s Best-Sellers: An Updated List of Baseball Books that Landed on the N.Y.
Times Best-Seller List,” Sports CollectorsDigest.com, October 8, 2012.
Frank Jackson, “Bombing in the Bronx: The Babe Ruth Story,” HardBallTimes.com, October 28, 2014.
Lot # 1002: “1948 First Edition of The Babe Ruth Story Signed by Babe Ruth” (starting bid – $1,500.00; Sold For – $4,740.00), 2013 Auction, Robert Edward Auctions, LLC, Watchung, NJ,.
“U.S. She explains that when he pitches his curveball he sticks out his tongue, a quirk that becomes part of his legend as he signs a new $10,000 contract and rises to even greater prominence.