Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Kid from Cleveland

  • 19491949
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
122
YOUR RATING
Lynn Bari, Gene Bearden, Ray Boone, Lou Boudreau, George Brent, Larry Doby, Bob Feller, Joe Gordon, Hank Greenberg, Steve Gromek, Jim Hegan, Ken Keltner, Bob Kennedy, Bob Lemon, Dale Mitchell, Leroy 'Satchel' Paige, Tris Speaker, Russ Tamblyn, Mickey Vernon, Al Benton, Allie Clark, and Bobby Avila in The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
DramaFamilySport
Baseball team (the Cleveland Indians) helps a troubled teenaged fan.Baseball team (the Cleveland Indians) helps a troubled teenaged fan.Baseball team (the Cleveland Indians) helps a troubled teenaged fan.
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
122
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Herbert Kline
  • Writers
    • John Bright(screenplay)
    • Herbert Kline(story)
  • Stars
    • George Brent
    • Lynn Bari
    • Russ Tamblyn
  • Director
    • Herbert Kline
  • Writers
    • John Bright(screenplay)
    • Herbert Kline(story)
  • Stars
    • George Brent
    • Lynn Bari
    • Russ Tamblyn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Lynn Bari, George Brent, and Russ Tamblyn in The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
    Russ Tamblyn in The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    George Brent
    George Brent
    • Mike Jackson
    Lynn Bari
    Lynn Bari
    • Katherine Jackson
    Russ Tamblyn
    Russ Tamblyn
    • Johnny Barrows
    • (as Rusty Tamblyn)
    Tommy Cook
    Tommy Cook
    • Dan Hudson
    Ann Doran
    Ann Doran
    • Emily Novak
    Louis Jean Heydt
    Louis Jean Heydt
    • Carl Novak
    K. Elmo Lowe
    • Dave Joyce
    John Beradino
    John Beradino
    • Mac
    Bill Veeck
    • Bill Veeck - Cleveland Indians Owner and President
    Lou Boudreau
    • Lou Boudreau - Cleveland Indians Player
    Tris Speaker
    • Tris Speaker - Cleveland Indians Coach
    Hank Greenberg
    • Hank Greenberg - Cleveland Indians Player
    Bob Feller
    • Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians Player
    Gene Bearden
    Gene Bearden
    • Gene Bearden- Cleveland Indians Player Pitcher
    Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
    • 'Satchel' Paige - Cleveland Indians Player Pitcher
    • (as Satchell Paige)
    Bob Lemon
    • Bob Lemon - Cleveland Indians
    Steve Gromek
    • Steve Gromek- Cleveland Indians Player
    Joe Gordon
    • Joe Gordon - Cleveland Indians Player
    • Director
      • Herbert Kline
    • Writers
      • John Bright(screenplay) (story)
      • Herbert Kline(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Boy with Green Hair
    6.7
    The Boy with Green Hair
    Samson and Delilah
    6.8
    Samson and Delilah

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Archive footage was used for the 1948 game with the Boston Braves, the 1948 World Series, spring training in Tucson, Arizona, USA and a game in 1949. The Cleveland Indians received no pay for its participation in the film, but the individual players were offered a percentage of the profits.
    • Crazy credits
      Introducing Rusty Tamblyn as Johnny Barrows and his 30 godfathers.

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    A Heartfelt Baseball Film.
    Little Johnny Barrows Jr is a kid from Cleveland, who lives with his loving Mom and Stepfather, but who is heading down the wrong path in life.

    He doesn't get along with his Stepdad too well, so he's fallen in with a young hoodlum named Daniel, who idealizes a gang leader named Mac...who runs a crime syndicate of child thieves.

    One day, Johnny runs away from home and uses his abilities as a con man to sneak in to the Cleveland Indians stadium, where he convinces the brass that he's an orphan.

    They take pity on him and give him an oppourtunity to meet the players and take in a World Series game against the Boston Braves.

    The team loses the game, but goes on to win the World Series. And this encourages Johnny to keep visiting the man who helped him that day...Mike Jackson, the teams radio announcer.

    Despite conning Mike and even stealing from him, he never gives up on the boy...and goes on to become Johnny's mentor.

    Johhny's real father died in World War II, and this new relationship with all his childhood heroes only makes him more antagonistic towards his stepfather, who is just a baker, and can't offer him that same sort of lifestyle.

    So, when Johnny runs away for a second time to visit Mike, earning himself a job as a junior sportswriter and batboy for the Indians during spring training in Arizona...he feels that all his dreams are destroyed when his stepfather shows up to bring him back to Cleveland.

    This leads Johnny to fall back in with Daniel, and a life of crime...landing him in detention at the Juvenile Court.

    That is, until one day the Indians come to visit, reuniting him with all his old friends from the team...including Mike.

    Mike is driven to help the boy- never having had a son of his own- and tries to help get him out of this seemingly hopeless situation...even going as far as offering to adopt him.

    Johnny wants to be adopted by the well-to-do family...but his Mother and Stepfather are not willing to just give him out without a fight.

    So the matter goes to court, where the Truth about the whole situation really comes out.

    The court rules in his Mother's favour, but this does not mean that Mike, his wife, and his "30 Godfathers" from the team are just going to throw him away...so they promise to retain their friendship and relationship with him as the team's batsboy.

    So Johnny ends up with 2 families, one that keeps him in touch with his heroes, and the other who help him work toward achieving his goal of becoming an architect.

    Now, a boy who might have ended up in San Quentin, like his friend, has been directed down a more positive path in life.

    This is a great story, that offers hope to kids who dream, but may not have been given all the prospects that life has to offer.

    The acting and direction is solid, and the film features a whole load of real ball players from the Indians...including the now infamous Satchel Page.

    It is certainly one of the best- and most inspiring- baseball films to have ever been made in the history of American Cinema.

    All around, it's an entertaining and enjoyable film with a positive message, that will have you clapping at the end.

    7.5 out of 10.
    helpful•0
    0
    • meddlecore
    • Sep 23, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 5, 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los indios de Cleveland
    • Filming locations
      • Cleveland, Ohio, USA
    • Production company
      • Herbert Kline Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Lynn Bari, Gene Bearden, Ray Boone, Lou Boudreau, George Brent, Larry Doby, Bob Feller, Joe Gordon, Hank Greenberg, Steve Gromek, Jim Hegan, Ken Keltner, Bob Kennedy, Bob Lemon, Dale Mitchell, Leroy 'Satchel' Paige, Tris Speaker, Russ Tamblyn, Mickey Vernon, Al Benton, Allie Clark, and Bobby Avila in The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Kid from Cleveland (1949) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.