TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME [1949 / 2021] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] M-G-M’s Wonderful Gayest Technicolor Musical!
Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly play ball in a big way as 1900’s vaudevillians who spend the winter flinging the onstage blarney and summer flinging the ol’ horsehide for baseball’s world champs, the Wolves.
Frank Sinatra is second sacker Denis Ryan and Gene Kelly is shortstop Eddie O’Brian in this Busby Berkeley directed romp that combines baseball with that other all-American pastime: romance. Esther Williams plays the new team owner, and Betty Garrett is Baseball Annie with eyes for blue-eyed Denis Ryan. Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s deft musical staging’s range from a soft-shoe suet charmer to an exciting “barrel roll” Gene Kelly solo. Their work persuaded producer Arthur Freed to green-light their direction of the same year’s film ‘On The Town.’
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1950 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Musical for George Wells and Harry Tugend.
FILM FACT No.2: ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ film was released in the United Kingdom as ‘Everybody's Cheering.’ The film ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ was based on a story by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with a script by Harry Tugend. The female lead of club-owner K.C. Higgins was originally meant to be played by Ginger Rogers. However, she dropped out a month before filming and was replaced by Esther Williams who also claimed that there were others up for the role of club-owner K.C. Higgins before she was selected: Judy Garland was originally slated to star, but was replaced because of substance abuse problems. Similarly, Sinatra's role of Dennis Ryan was said to have originally been intended for professional baseball manager and former player Leo Durocher. Although Busby Berkeley was hired as director by Producer Arthur Freed, he dropped out due to "exhaustion" and much of the film was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Supposedly, the real reason Berkeley left the production was due to chronic alcoholism and depression, though his touch can be seen in Esther Williams's pool sequence. The song "Boys and Girls Like You and Me" was originally written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for Oklahoma! [1943], was filmed with Frank Sinatra singing to Betty Garrett but was cut from the released film; the outtake survives today and is included as an "extra" on the DVD. The song "Baby Doll" sung by Gene Kelly to Esther Williams and including a dance that was originally deleted from the released film, but this footage also survived and is included on this Blu-ray disc.
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett, Edward Arnold, Jules Munshin, Richard Lane, Tom Dugan, Dorothy Abbott (uncredited), Harry Allen (uncredited), Murray Alper (uncredited), Bette Arlen (uncredited), Gilbert Barnett (uncredited), Virginia Bates (uncredited), Richard Beavers (uncredited), Ramon Blackburn (uncredited), Royce Blackburn (uncredited), Ellsworth Blake (uncredited), Jack Boyle (uncredited), Jack Bruce (uncredited), John Burger (uncredited), James Burke (uncredited), Ed Cassidy (uncredited), Eddie Cutler (uncredited), Eddie David (uncredited), Paul Dunn (uncredited), Pat Flaherty (uncredited), Sally Forrest (uncredited), Douglas Fowley (uncredited), Sol Gorss (uncredited), Wilton Graff (uncredited), Robert Graham (uncredited), Mack Gray (uncredited), Edna Harris (uncredited), Sam Harris (uncredited), Timmy Hawkins (uncredited), Edward Hutson (uncredited), Jackie Jackson (uncredited), Si Jenks (uncredited), Roberta Johnson (uncredited), Gordon Jones (uncredited), Hubie Kerns (uncredited), Marilyn Kinsley (uncredited), Bob Koetler (uncredited), Pete Kooy (uncredited), Henry Kulky (uncredited), Richard Landry (uncredited), Joi Lansing (uncredited), Mitchell Lewis (uncredited), George McDonald (uncredited), Esther Michelson (uncredited), Isabel O'Madigan (uncredited), Eddie Parks (uncredited), Gil Perkins (uncredited), Lee Phelps (uncredited), Aaron Phillips (uncredited), Dorothy Pina (uncredited), Charles Regan (uncredited), Jack Rice (uncredited), Joseph Roach (uncredited), Frank J. Scannell (uncredited), Almira Sessions (uncredited), Bob Simpson (uncredited), Robert Skelton (uncredited), Robert R. Stephenson (uncredited), Brick Sullivan (uncredited), Charles Sullivan (uncredited), William Tannen (uncredited), Hank Tobias (uncredited), Dolly Walker (uncredited), Dick Wessel (uncredited) and Harry Wilson (uncredited)
Director: Busby Berkeley
Producer: Arthur Freed
Screenplay: George Wells (screenplay), Harry Tugend (screenplay), Gene Kelly (story), Stanley Donen (story) and Harry Crane (uncredited)
Composers: Conrad Salinger (uncredited) and Roger Edens (uncredited)
Costumes: Helen Rose (costumes: women) and Valles (costumes: men)
Technicolor Color Director: Natalie Kalmus
Cinematography: George J. Folsey, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 92 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: in the film ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ [1949] you have the pairing of musical legends Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra proved quite fruitful in the 1940’s. After taking Hollywood by storm in ‘Anchors Aweigh,’ the duo headed east towards Chicago for a spirited baseball musical with 1949’s. The film ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ was based on a story by Gene Kelly and future filmmaker Stanley Donen, who also developed some of the wonderful choreography coursing through the film. The film is notable for being the final full-length directorial effort from director Busby Berkeley as his health became a complicating factor for the remainder of his career. The film leans more heavily on the singing and dancing rather than the mechanics of baseball, but one does not come to see Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra strictly to swing a bat, and serves as an entertaining effort from this talented group.
The year is 1908 and second baseman Dennis Ryan [Frank Sinatra] and shortstop Eddie O’Brien [Gene Kelly] are returning for the start of their season with the fictional Chicago Wolves after spending some time as vaudeville performers during the off season. As incongruous as these occupations may seem, the lore around this feature is that it was inspired by real-life players who indulged in such extracurricular activities. The pair and the rest of the team are in for a surprise when they learn that the previous owner of the team has died and left ownership to a distant relative only known as K.C Higgins who is not known to have any experience. While the men are prepared to deal with some “swollen head” incompetent man, they are thrown for a loop upon learning that K.C Higgins is actually a woman [Esther Williams]. The men do not instantly trust her guidance and balk at her rules, but much will change as they get to know their new boss.
Of the two men, Frank Sinatra is the most endearing as a wide-eyed innocent who is initially drawn to K.C Higgins due to her talent with baseball. Much physical comedy is mined from his diminutive size as he gets knocked and pushed around at every turn. The man is no match for Shirley Delwyn [Betty Garrett], an ardent fan who quickly becomes infatuated with him and pursues him with great vigour. Betty Garrett is not given much in the way of nuance, but she helps keep things light and humorous with her big character. Gene Kelly goes a bit overboard as the obnoxious, womanizing Eddie who causes the most fuss about curfews and whose contempt for K.C Higgins expectantly turns into something else by the end of their journey. Gene Kelly’s goofy antics and mugging for the camera can be a bit much, whereas the lovable Esther Williams attempts to deliver a relatively reserved turn that seems to suit her character more faithfully. The only indulgence Esther Williams takes is a tacked-on swimming sequence that allows her to utilize her aquatic gifts. None of the plotlines deliver anything in the realm of surprises, but the performances are strong enough to make them entertaining.
What most viewers will be concerned about is the quality of the musical numbers, and for the most part they deliver even if there are a few more duds than you may want. The standout number is the titular tune that comes early in the film and provides a high bar that the remainder of the film cannot quite clear. The tune is snappy and the choreography is beyond reproach as the luscious number comes alive in a very memorable way. There are other memorable moments such as Gene Kelly’s Irish jig that showcases why he was a world-renowned dancer, but many of the other numbers fail to make a lasting impression beyond the few minutes they are on screen. They are not off-putting, but it is just hard to group them among the most acclaimed musicals ever to hit the screen. When viewing this film from a modern lens, there are many issues that will irritate the more progressive audience members, but the film captures the sexist time period of the early 20th century. If you are a fan of these M-G-M Hollywood films and the talent involved that went into making this film, you will definitely find this a very entertaining way to spend an hour-and-a-half and gets top marks from me.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME MUSIC TRACK LIST
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME (Music by Albert von Tilzer) (Lyrics by Jack Norworth) [Performed by Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra] (uncredited) [Reprised by Esther Williams] (uncredited)
YES, INDEEDY (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) [Performed by Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra]
O’BRIEN TO RYAN TO GOLDBERG (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) [Performed by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin]
THE RIGHT GIRL FOR ME (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) [Sung by Frank Sinatra]
IT’S FATE BABY, IT’S FATE (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) (Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) [Performed by Betty Garrett and Frank Sinatra]
STRICTLY U.S.A. (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) [Performed by Betty Garrett, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Gene Kelly]
THE HAT MY DEAR OLD FATHER WORE UPON ST. PATRICK’S DAY (uncredited) (Music by Jean Schwartz) (Lyrics by William Jerome) [Sung and Danced by Gene Kelly]
STRICTLY U.S.A. (Finale Reprise) (uncredited) (Music by Roger Edens) [Performed by Betty Garrett, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Gene Kelly]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents the film ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ that finally makes its long-awaited Blu-ray debut with a brand new outstanding 1080p Technicolor image and is equally of course shown in the standard 1.37:1 aspect ratio of that period when the film was released and I suspect is a new 4K scan. George J. Folsey’s Technicolor camerawork has never looked so glorious, and the sharpness of the image allows us to notice for the first time the silver piping on the candy-striped costumes Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra wear in their opening number as well as the seams in the backdrop during “Strictly U.S.A.” Warner Archive Collection has knocked it out of the park once again. The film is practically pristine with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected here. The black levels are incredibly deep with perfect stability throughout. The level of stark detail and clarity is stunning with a lovely amount of natural film grain intact. The film features some luscious colours within the costumes and settings, including the bright green of the baseball field, that pop off the screen with a great vibrancy. Compression artefacts, banding and other such issues do not serve as an issue in this transfer. This presentation earns Warner Archive Collection top marks!
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ with a standard 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation that pulls out all of the stops. Dialogue comes through perfectly clear from beginning to end without ever being overshadowed by competing elements. Every element seems to present with a nice fidelity, as all sounds are clearly defined and in balance. Music pulses throughout numerous moments of this feature, and this track handles it beautifully with nothing ever sounding crunchy or unstable. These tunes have never sounded better than on this disc. This is a track that mercifully does not exhibit any signs of age-related wear-and-tear. Warner Archive Collection has allowed this film to sound the best it ever has for your home entertainment experience and again, I definitely feel Warner Archive Collection should get top marks for their efforts in preserving these classic Hollywood musicals!
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Two Deleted M-G-M Musical Numbers: Here we get to view two rare deleted musical numbers and they include the following:
Musical Outtake “Baby Doll” [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:42] “Baby Doll,” with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, were intended as a light-hearted song-and-dance interlude for Gene Kelly and Esther Williams. After it was completed, it was judged “out of step” with the rest of the picture. Of greater concern to Gene Kelly was that he and Esther Williams share the same height, making the ultimate results look awkward to him. So the number was dropped, but the tune resurfaced in 1952’s ‘THE BELLE OF NEW YORK,’ sang by Fred Astaire to Vera-Ellen. Not all of “Baby Doll” number has survived. Most of the visuals that match Gene Kelly’s opening chorus no longer exists, so shots have been repeated and the overall existing film elements have been manipulated to achieve an approximation of the original intended sequence.
Musical Outtake “Boys and Girls Like You and Me” [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [4:14] Frank Sinatra was supposed to croon love songs to Esther Williams and Betty Garrett in TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME.’ To Esther Williams he sang “The Right Girl Like You and Me.” But “Boys and Girls Like You and Me” his ballad to Betty Garrett was deemed too slow and was deleted before the film’s release. With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammersmith II, and this charming song was originally written for the film ‘OKLAHOMA!’ but was cut during out-of-town try-outs. M-G-M then bought the song for Judy Garland to sing in the film ‘MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS,’ but it was cut from the movie as well. After the song’s deletion from ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME,’ the tunesmiths feared their lovely song would never be heard. Eventually the melody was used as dance music in the 1957 American TV musical “CINDERELLA,” and the song was later included in the 1996 stage production of “STATE FAIR.”
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Special Feature: Vintage M-G-M Cartoon: The Cat and the Mermouse [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:37] A day at the beach. Tom wants to lay in the sand, but his rest is disturbed by Jerry, who walks by to go fishing. Tom ends up falling off the end of the pier as he chases Jerry and lands underwater, where he encounters a mermaid whose top half looks just like Jerry. A chase, naturally, follows, all underwater. The mermouse, however, runs into a swordfish, and it begins chasing Tom, too, turning into mer-Jerry's ally, until it gets stuck in what looks like a telephone pole. The chase is next interrupted by an octopus, which grabs hold of Tom until Jerry yanks him free. Tom wakes and finds that he is back on the jetty, revealing the whole thing to be a dream. Jerry rescued Tom from the water after he fell in and is applying artificial respiration in the same rhythm as in the struggle during the final moments of Tom's dream. Tom thankfully shakes Jerry's hand and then happily submits to further removal of the water from his lungs. Directors: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Producer: Fred Quimby. Screenplay: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Composer: Scott Bradley. Animation: Al Grandmain, Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson.
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Theatrical Trailer [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:50] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME.’ It features snippets from most of the musical numbers, is presented in wonderful high definition. Where they declare: “IT’S A HIT!” “THOSE ‘ANCHORS AWEIGH’ BOYS ARE BACK . . . WITH A GORGEOUS NEW PLAYMATE!” “YOU’LL CHEER FRANK SINATRA SONGS!” “ESTHER WILLIAMS’ GLAMOUR” “GENE KELLY’S DANCES!” “BETTY GARRETT’S GAYETY!” “JULES MUNSHIN’S COMEDY!” “Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s NEW COLOR BY TECHNICOLOR MUSICAL ROMANCE!” “IN THE SPECTACULAR ENTERTAINMENT!” “TRADITION OF ‘ANCHORS AWEIGH,’ ‘EASTER PARADE,’ ‘A DATE WITH JUDY,’ ‘WORDS AND MUSIC’
Finally, ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ is a jaunty baseball musical comedy film with nifty tunes and the slimmest of plots, Busby Berkeley is remembered now as the genesis of the great directing team of Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, and the pair choreographed the show and directed all of the musical numbers with such surety that their eventual success as film directors seemed inevitable. ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME’ is also a wonderful M-G-M musical has super songs, ravishing Technicolor and extraordinary talent both behind and in front of the camera. The movie is enchanting, not just for Gene Kelly's great all-stops-out Irish solo and the fabulous trio of Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and the underrated Jules Munshin, but also for a delightfully no-nonsense Esther Williams as the girl who inherits a baseball team. It's really a practice run for ‘On the Town’ and, eventually, the great ‘Singin' in the Rain,’ with star Gene Kelly and director Stanley Donen providing the original story, and taking over both choreography and some directing chores from Busby Berkeley who was unwell at the time, thus continuing the great cinematic tradition of choreographers turning to direction. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
