The Winning Team (1952)Poor health and alcoholism force Grover Cleveland Alexander out of baseball, but through his wife's faithful efforts, he gets a chance for a comeback and redemption. Director:Lewis Seiler |
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The Winning Team (1952)Poor health and alcoholism force Grover Cleveland Alexander out of baseball, but through his wife's faithful efforts, he gets a chance for a comeback and redemption. Director:Lewis Seiler |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Doris Day | ... |
Aimee Alexander
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| Ronald Reagan | ... |
Grover Cleveland Alexander
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Frank Lovejoy | ... | |
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Eve Miller | ... |
Margaret Killefer
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James Millican | ... |
Bill Killefer
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| Russ Tamblyn | ... |
Willie Alexander
(as Rusty Tamblyn)
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Gordon Jones | ... |
George Glasheen
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Hugh Sanders | ... |
Joe McCarthy
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Frank Ferguson | ... |
Sam Arrants
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Walter Baldwin | ... |
Pa Alexander
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| Dorothy Adams | ... |
Ma Alexander
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Bob Lemon | ... |
Jesse 'Pop' Haines
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Jerry Priddy | ... |
Ballplayer
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Peanuts Lowery | ... |
Ballplayer
(as Peanuts Lowrey)
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George Metkovich | ... |
Ballplayer
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In 1911, Grover Cleveland Alexander - Alex to his friends - is a Nebraska country hayseed who says he wants to settle down, marry his girlfriend Aimee Arrants and be a farmer to offer Aimee a secure and stable life. However he always seems to drop everything whenever the opportunity to play baseball, specifically as a pitcher, arises. This focus on baseball does not sit well with either Aimee or her father, who see it as Alex solely wanting to have fun while shirking responsibility. When Alex is asked to pitch in a game against a visiting professional team, he seizes the chance and throws a three hitter en route to winning the game. That leads to a stint on that pro team, the money from which he promises to use to buy Aimee her farm. When an eye injury seems to end his career even before it begins, he changes his focus to being a farmer to please his now wife Aimee Alexander, but thoughts of baseball that can never be in his life still torture him. When his injury does eventually heal... Written by Huggo
In "The Winning Team" Reagan is the great early baseball star Grover Cleveland Alexander. Unimaginitive direction makes this film a little dry, but Reagan's solid performance as the pitcher who has a tragic accident early in his career and yet refuses to quit, is well worth the effort to watch it. Reagan gives a realistic portrayal of the flawed hero who makes a surprising comeback and with the help of his wife, and ignores the ugly rumors that surrounded his occasional blackouts. His performance on the field in the final moments, despite suffering from his affliction reflect the courage that it must have taken the real Alexander to stay at the helm till the ship sailed home. I recommend this film to anyone who likes baseball and certainly to fans of Reagan, who has been often disparaged as an actor, when it was usually the director or the film itself that was really bad. I also recommend Kings Row, Hasty Heart and Law and Order, all of which are solid Reagan films.