The Babe (1992)

Babe Ruth becomes a baseball legend but is unheroic to those who know him.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

John Fusco

Stars:

John Goodman, Kelly McGillis, Trini Alvarado

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Goodman	...	George Herman 'Babe' Ruth
Kelly McGillis	...	Claire Hodgson Ruth
Trini Alvarado	...	Helen Woodford Ruth
Bruce Boxleitner	...	Jumpin' Joe Dugan
Peter Donat	...	Harry Frazee
James Cromwell	...	Brother Mathias
J.C. Quinn	...	Jack Dunn
Joseph Ragno	...	Miller Huggins (as Joe Ragno)
Richard Tyson	...	Guy Bush
Ralph Marrero	...	Frank 'Ping' Bodie
Robert Swan	...	George Herman Ruth Sr. (as Bob Swan)
Bernard Kates	...	Colonel Jack Ruppert
Michael McGrady	...	Lou Gehrig
Stephen Caffrey	...	Johnny Sylvester
Gene Ross	...	Brother Paul

Storyline

Traces the career of Babe Ruth from his days as a youngster in an orphanage to his last days as a manager. Includes such moments as the famous predicted home run and the promise to little Johnny.

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Plot Keywords:

babe ruth | baseball | alcoholic | box office flop | bronx new york city | 

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Taglines:

There Was Only One.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for rude language, some sexual situations, and for a scene of pre-teen alcohol/tobacco consumption

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babe

Filming Locations:

Chicago Cultural Center - 78 E. Washington Street, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$17,530,973 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions, Waterhorse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During Babe's Three Home Run Game at the end of his career, a "designated runner" runs the bases from first on the first two home runs. Not only is this historically inaccurate, but inconsistent with baseball rules as well. Had another completed a run around the bases, Ruth would only have been credited with a single, and been ineligible to play in the rest of the game on the basis of having been replaced by a Pinch Runner.

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Goofs

Babe Ruth did not homer in his first at bat in the majors. He was primarily a pitcher early in his career and rarely batted. His first big league home run didn't come until his second season.

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Quotes

Johnny Sylvester: You are the best, you are the best there's ever been.

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Crazy Credits

We All Miss You Ralph ["Ralph" = Ralph Marrero, who died before the film's release]

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Angels' Revenge (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Stardust"
Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish
Performed by Isham Jones and His Orchestra
Courtesy of Intersound International

User Reviews

The Babe is very inaccurate

The best part of "The Babe" with John Goodman is his excellent imitation of Babe Ruth's mannerisms and speaking. Goodman particularly handled Ruth's verbal style. This film suffered quite a bit from its emphasis and interpretation of Babe Ruth's character and life. I know people that knew Babe Ruth, and while they said he went out and drank regularly, they said he was rarely out of control they way he was depicted by Goodman in the film. Nor was he sloppy and horribly overweight like John Goodman was in the film. The Babe didn't get particularly heavy till his last 2-3 years in the major leagues, and even after retiring continued to play in exhibitions around North America. Some others asked if he really hit 3 homeruns in his last game with the Boston Braves. That is also not correct and was incorrectly depicted in the film (Ruth dropping his hat in front of the Braves owner). He did hit three homeruns in one game in his final season in old Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, but it was not his final game. This film focused almost solely on Ruth's lack of personal discipline and immaturity, which was not a problem for him after 1925 when he was fined and admonished by his Manager Miller Huggins. From 1926 to 1932, Ruth had perhaps the finest run of offensive seasons of any Major League hitter - this was not even mentioned in the film, and his banner years of 1923 (when he hit .393) and 1927 (60 homeruns) were barely mentioned; I think the film spent less than one minute on his 60 homerun year. All in all, this film was very disappointing, particularly to Yankee fans and to those who were acquainted with Babe Ruth. The TV movie about Babe Ruth (which included Pete Rose as Ty Cobb) was a much better film.