IMDb > Fear Strikes Out (1957)

Fear Strikes Out (1957) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   762 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Jimmy Piersall (book) and
Al Hirshberg (book) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Fear Strikes Out on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 August 1957 (Australia) more
Genre:
Plot:
True story of the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Karl Malden (1912 - 2009)
 (From SoundOnSight. 4 July 2009, 8:57 AM, PDT)

Robert Mulligan Dead At Age 83; Directed "To Kill A Mockingbird"
 (From CinemaRetro. 22 December 2008, 8:54 AM, PST)

User Comments:
The Classic Tale Of Pushy Parents more (25 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Anthony Perkins ... Jimmy Piersall (older)

Karl Malden ... John Piersall
Norma Moore ... Mary Piersall
Adam Williams ... Doctor G. Brown, Psychiatrist
Perry Wilson ... Mrs. John Piersall
Peter J. Votrian ... Jimmy (younger)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Jim Piersall Story (USA) (working title)
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Runtime:
100 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Karl Malden as usual refers to someone, in this movie a baseball scout, by the name of Sekulovich. His real birth name. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: When Jimmy Piersall is taking the field in his high school state championship game, he's wearing #37. When the team is in the locker room after the game, another player on his team is also wearing #37. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
The Classic Tale Of Pushy Parents, 13 November 2005
8/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

I still remember seeing this as a Little League-age kid in the theater as our family was vacationing in Florida.

When I saw it again, some 40 years later, parts of the film were still very familiar, a testimony to how powerful some of these scenes were. I never forgot them.

This was a based-on-a-true-life account of major league baseball player Jimmy Piersall, a very talented player who suffered a nervous breakdown. The enormous pressure to succeed that was driven into him by his never-satisfied father was pictured as the cause which made him snap.

Anthony Perkins, who plays Piersall, and Karl Madlen, who portrays his dad, are both excellent, riveting characters. Some say this was Malden's best performance ever. Perkins was no slouch, either. This is the classic sports story of an overzealous parent living his or her dreams through their child.

The baseball segment of this film ended about halfway through. From that point, after Perkins breaks down at the park, climbing the backstop fence in a horrifying scene, the film actually gets even more interesting with everyone in the film contributing although the cast, after Perkins and Malden, is a pretty much an unknown-name one.

The only unrealistic part of the film, typical of sports films until the 1980s, was seeing an actor play a ballplayer when he "throws like a girl," as the old expression went. The younger actor playing Piersall as a kid was no better than Perkins in this regard. Neither had a clue how to a throw a ball. It looks corny nowadays.

Oh, well. That wasn't the focus of the story, anyway. As powerful as this film was, it apparently didn't have much of an effect as pushy parents in sports still exist and probably always will, taking the fun out of sports for a number of kids.

It's still a memorable film and worth your time today, especially if you have never seen it.

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