Gary Cooper stands up to the plate. The pitch is on its way... its a stand up double. Next up is Teresa Wright, and she hits a two run homer. Both players are stars. Okay enough of the funny business. Simply put, this is a 4 star movie which portrays the life of Lou Gehrig.
What impressed me the most is that the movie was made one year after Gehrig's death. The reason that is important, is because the director was able to use real Yankee players, and ex Yankee players, to be in the film. These were men who played with Gehrig, and here they are working alongside Gary Cooper as he pretends to be Gehrig. Babe Ruth and Bill Dickey playing themselves in a movie- I think that is such a great idea, and it worked perfectly.
Nominated for 11 Oscars, the film only took home one. And I truly felt that Teresa Wright deserved an Oscar, which she did not get. Her role as Gehrig's wife was a standing ovation performance. Cooper did a great job portraying an innocent, child like personality in Gehrig, even when he was an adult.
This is a great movie for all baseball fans, or any American for that matter. Imagine how Americans felt watching this movie right after Gehrig died, this would have been very emotional for those viewers, as it was for me even 70 years after his death. A time when there were no steroids, just real baseball.
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