Death on the Diamond

1934
Passed
1h 11m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

333

YOUR RATING

Robert Young and Madge Evans in Death on the Diamond (1934)

Drama Mystery Sport

Pop Clark is about to lose his baseball team, unless they can win the pennant so he can pay off debts. He hires ace player Larry Evans to ensure the victory. As well as rival teams, mobsters... Read allPop Clark is about to lose his baseball team, unless they can win the pennant so he can pay off debts. He hires ace player Larry Evans to ensure the victory. As well as rival teams, mobsters are trying to prevent the wins, and as the pennant race nears the end, Pop's star players... Read allPop Clark is about to lose his baseball team, unless they can win the pennant so he can pay off debts. He hires ace player Larry Evans to ensure the victory. As well as rival teams, mobsters are trying to prevent the wins, and as the pennant race nears the end, Pop's star players begin to be killed, on and off the field. Can Larry romance Pop's daughter, win enough ga... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

333

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos11

Robert Young in Death on the Diamond (1934)

Robert Young, Madge Evans, and David Landau in Death on the Diamond (1934)

Mickey Rooney, Robert Young, Madge Evans, and David Landau in Death on the Diamond (1934)

Robert Young, Madge Evans, and Joe Sawyer in Death on the Diamond (1934)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Fred Graham was working in the MGM sound department and also played baseball semi-professionally in his off-time. He was hired to tutor star Robert Young in baseball techniques. He was also hired to double Nat Pendleton in his scenes as a catcher, thereby beginning an almost 40-year career as an actor and stuntman.

Goofs
When the game resumes, after the bad guy is caught, the camera pans across the scoreboard to show that the game is tied, 2-2. The radio announcer then states, "Cincinnati hasn't scored since Kelly threw that ball into the dugout and let the tying run come in." Cincinnati was the visiting team and the last run it scored, in the top of the second inning, would have made the score 2-1 (Cincinnati leading). It would not have been a tying run.

Soundtracks
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
(1908) (uncredited)
Music by Albert von Tilzer
Lyrics by Jack Norworth
Played during the opening and closing credits
Played as background music often

User reviews16

Review

Featured review

Obscure for a Reason

Someone's trying to keep St. Louis's baseball team from winning the pennant by killing off the players!

No wonder this antique rarely if ever showed up on a Late Show. As a whodunit, the movie generates little suspense as a multitude of characters drift in and out of the meandering scenes. In fact, the plot with a shadowy character shooting players during the game is pretty contrived.

Then too, the occasional poorly done process shots, usually backgrounding Larry (Young), keep reminding you that this is after all only a movie. The badinage between umpire O'Toole (I think) and player Hogan about the former's eyesight gets tiresome even if it does turn poignant in the end. Then too, I don't know where director Sedgwick was during the confession scene, but as others point out, it has to be seen to be believed.

On the other hand, Young does a reasonable job emulating a big league pitcher and is his usual engaging self, while Evans (Frances) and Kelly (reporter Jimmie) outshine the third-rate material. As an old Cardinal fan from the days of Musial and Schoendienst, I did enjoy seeing shots of old Sportsman's Park packed to the rafters. Nonetheless, the movie just doesn't cut it, and not because of its creaky age.

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