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

Writers:

Ted Sherdeman (screenplay), Seeleg Lester (screenplay),

Stars:

Doris Day, Ronald Reagan, Frank Lovejoy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Doris Day	...	Aimee Alexander
Ronald Reagan	...	Grover Cleveland Alexander
Frank Lovejoy	...	Rogers Hornsby
Eve Miller	...	Margaret Killefer
James Millican	...	Bill Killefer
Russ Tamblyn	...	Willie Alexander (as Rusty Tamblyn)
Gordon Jones	...	George Glasheen
Hugh Sanders	...	Joe McCarthy
Frank Ferguson	...	Sam Arrants
Walter Baldwin	...	Pa Alexander
Dorothy Adams	...	Ma Alexander
Bob Lemon	...	Jesse 'Pop' Haines
Jerry Priddy	...	Ballplayer
Peanuts Lowery	...	Ballplayer (as Peanuts Lowrey)
George Metkovich	...	Ballplayer

Storyline

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...

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | comeback | farming | baseball coach | baseball pitcher | 

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Taglines:

The Big Leagues' Big Love Story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Big League

Filming Locations:

Wrigley Field - 42nd Place & Avalon Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening credits show Grover Cleveland Alexander's plaque at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It is accurate in all respects except one: it shows Ronald Reagan's likeness instead of the real Grover Cleveland Alexander.

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Goofs

The fans are shown giving a loud, enthusiastic standing ovation to Alexander for his pitching heroics in the 1926 World Series. However, the games that Alexander won in the 1926 World Series were played in Yankee Stadium, meaning that the fans were rooting for the Yankees, not the Cardinals. The fans were stunned when Babe Ruth was caught stealing at second to end the Series - not just because of the way it ended, but because their team had lost to a team it had been heavily favored to beat.

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Quotes

Sideshow heckler: How does it feel to be livin' off the fleas?
Grover Cleveland Alexander: Well, it's better than havin' 'em live offa me.

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Connections

Featured in Diamonds on the Silver Screen (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!"
(uncredited)
Music by Felix Powell
Played during the military parade

User Reviews

Solid film role for Reagan, well done if dry bio-pic

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.