Damn Yankees! (1958)

Film adaptation of the George Abbott Broadway musical about a Washington Senators fan who makes a pact with the Devil to help his baseball team win the league pennant.

Directors:

George Abbott, Stanley Donen

Writers:

George Abbott (screenplay), George Abbott (book),

Stars:

Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tab Hunter	...	Joe Hardy
Gwen Verdon	...	Lola
Ray Walston	...	Mr. Applegate
Russ Brown	...	Benny Van Buren
Shannon Bolin	...	Mrs. Meg Boyd
Nathaniel Frey	...	Smokey
James Komack	...	Rocky
Rae Allen	...	Gloria Thorpe
Robert Shafer	...	Joe Boyd
Jean Stapleton	...	Sister Miller
Albert Linville	...	Vernon
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Adams	...	Yankees team owner
Roy Sievers	...	Joe Hardy - #2 - Washington Senators (archive footage)

Storyline

Film adaptation of the George Abbott Broadway musical about a Washington Senators fan who makes a pact with the Devil to help his baseball team win the league pennant.

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Plot Keywords:

devil | baseball | baseball comissioner | scandal | based on stage musical based on book | 

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Taglines:

It's a picture in a million! Starring that girl in a million, the red-headed darling of the Broadway show, Gwen Verdon!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Sport

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1959 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Brincadeiras do Diabo

Filming Locations:

Stage 11, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, George Abbott and Stanley Donen Production, A

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actors had to sing along with a metronome because the musicians who would have accompanied them normally were on strike at the time.

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Goofs

During Joe's tryout batting practice, he hits four over the fence. On his fifth attempt, he hits what is called another shot over the fence. However, when we see him from behind the backstop taking this swing, one can clearly see a small cloud of dust to the left of Joe, near the edge of the infield grass, where the ball he hits actually bounces.

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Quotes

Lola: I took the zing out of the King of Siam. / I took the starch out of the sails of the Prince of Wales. / It's no great art gettin' the heart of a man on a silver platter. / A little brains, a little talent with an emphasis on the latter!

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Connections

Referenced in The Replacements (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Whatever Lola Wants"
Music by Richard Adler
Performed by the Warner Brothers Studio Orchestra

User Reviews

The best damn musical, period!

If you ask me - and I'm a "jazz" man as you can see from my moniker - Damn Yankees is the best musical ever. The subject matter is classic, the story is entertaining, the music is scintillating, and the lyrics are clever to the Nth degree with layers upon layers of internal rhyming that reveal new intricacies with each listening.

Okay, the movie has some weaknesses. Anybody BUT Tab Hunter would probably have been better as Joe Hardy. Also one of the best numbers from the play, "I Thought About The Game" was cut because it was considered too lewd for the movie.

But that's quibbling. Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston lift this movie into the upper echelons of all time greatest musicals.