Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) User Reviews

In my opinion one of the better MGM musicals.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 8 November 2006]

There are a couple of reasons why this movie is in my opinion better than the average MGM musical movie.

One is the story. Of course it features a love-story but the movie takes an original approach and takes a couple of nice turns with the love-story. Who is falling in love with who always remains a surprise in the movie.

Another reason is an obvious one; Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. Not only are they great genre actors but they're also great together. Especially Kelly delivers one fine performance. The female cast is also impressive by the way, with Esther Williams as the female lead.

Another important reason why this movie is so great is the cheerfulness of the whole movie. The songs are cheerful and never really too sappy or just plain awful. The movie has some great comedy moments and is also definitely helped by its fun main characters.

The movie sort of pays a great homage to the early days of baseball in America. The settings and premise work out fine for the genre and make the otherwise still somewhat formulaic storyline still come across as original.

The production values are also good and everything combined makes sure that this is a good pleasant bright musical comedy that is perfect to kill some time with and have a good time with at the same time.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Baseball and Vaudeville

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 28 September 2006]

Gene Kelly took this idea to Arthur Freed about an original musical which would combine two big loves of his, baseball and the dance. The story would be based on Al Schacht and Nick Altrock who played ball during the regular season as pitcher and catcher and then in the off season toured in vaudeville. So Take Me Out to the Ballgame was born. In fact the song Take Me Out to the Ballgame was written during that era of Theodore Roosevelt.

But instead of a battery, the story revolved around a double play combination of Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin. Right in the same Teddy Roosevelt era the famous double play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance was doing great things for the Chicago Cubs. So it seems natural that a nice novelty number of O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg seemed in order for this film.

Vaudeville and baseball are not complete strangers either. During the previous century Michael 'King' Kelly, colorful star catcher and base stealer for the Cubs toured in vaudeville. Rube Marquard the number two pitcher for the New York Giants in the second decade of the last century married musical comedy star Blossom Seeley and toured with her as part of her act before they broke up.

In fact the original idea in Take Me Out to the Ballgame was to have Leo Durocher play the Jules Munshin part. Of course it would have been a lot different role then. Durocher hung out with a lot of show business types, one of his best friends was George Raft. That got him in some trouble, but that's a story for another film.

Kelly and Sinatra essentially play the same roles they did Anchors Aweigh. Sinatra doesn't get as many good numbers as he did in that film, but he does have a very nice ballad, The Right Girl for Me who he thinks might be Esther Williams as he sings it to her. Of course Betty Garrett gets in the picture and she has some different ideas.

Esther Williams was not kind to Gene Kelly in her memoirs. She gets only one brief dip in a pool in a one piece bathing suit that was just being popularized at the time of this film by Annette Kellerman. Of course Esther later played Annette Kellerman in another film. She had a lot of trouble with the dance numbers because as she explained it, the muscles one develops for swimming are not the same as those needed for dance and she was really as she describes cruelly razzed by Kelly and Stanley Donen. She grew to dislike him intensely.

Kelly's best number is The Hat Me Father Wore on St. Patrick's Day, a nice Irish jig number that he does with style. Busby Berkeley directed the film, but the kind of mammoth musical number that typifies his work is only seen in the ensemble song, Strictly USA.

The plot involves some gamblers trying to fix the pennant race against the heavily favored Brooklyn Wolves, Kelly and Sinatra's team. Edward Arnold is the number one fixer. As we well know, gambling and baseball weren't strangers back in the day. Players were hardly paid what they are today and in the days before Kennesaw Mountain Landis became the first Commissioner, fixes were talked of in hushed tones. Kelly gets tricked and tempted.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame, the first good musical film on baseball, a harbinger for Damn Yankees and nice entertainment.

Fun baseball musical with Sinatra, Kelly and Williams

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 5 November 2002]

Pleasant turn of the century story of 2 baseball player/vauldevillians (Sinatra and Kelly) whose soft lives are shaken up when go-getter Williams inherits their franchise and takes up an active, controversial, management.

Solid story packed with good jokes and believable, if broad, characterizations. Kelly comes with some very impressive dancing as always, and Sinatra croons some pleasant tunes. Williams and Garrett are great as the boys' love interests -- here many of the good jokes are typified by Sinatra's dry speech on the agressive methods he's used to catch Garrett -- when in fact the audience has seen HIM relentlessly pursued by hellcat Garrett! Good show.... but lacks substance (this would be one of the last musicals not to show the influence of Rodgers and Hammerstein's more highbrow tone).

Cherish it

[jaykay-10 · 21 November 2002]

Was it a mere 50 years ago that every major studio - but particularly MGM - was routinely producing several musical comedies every year? These were "entertainments" in every sense of the word: fast, funny, colorful, escapist. Some were low budget, others were elaborate; some had major stars, others featured lesser talent. There seemed no reason to believe that such an appealing type of picture would not be produced indefinitely. With so many to choose from, we could afford to discriminate between the truly great ones and those, such as "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," which didn't offer the most outstanding scores or scripts. Now, however, they are to be cherished for their very existence and for a style of excellence that neither today's filmmakers nor performers can duplicate. The passing years have transformed more than a few of the second-tier musicals into treasures. By no means artifacts, they are fresh, and enormously appealing. This picture is a prime example.

(Better than remembered: Gene Kelly's comic mugging, Frank Sinatra's dancing, Betty Garrett's energetic high spirits.)

Sinatra & Kelly--They're 'Strictly USA!'

[gaityr · 7/10 · 23 October 2002]

In TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly play Dennis Ryan and Eddie O'Brien, two best pals who work the vaudeville circuit during the baseball off-season, but play with the Wolves club in the summer, together with their peripheral sidekick Nat Goldberg (Jules Munshin). The arrival of their new manager, however, Ms K.C. (Katherine Catherine, if you please!) Higgins (Esther Williams), annoys the heck out of man-about-town Eddie but charms the socks off girl-shy Denny. It's pretty evident before long, however, that Katherine and Denny are falling in love, just as the oh-so-timid Shirley Delwyn (Betty Garrett) sets her sights on skinny runt Denny and refuses to take no for an answer until he gives in to her. But before the guys can really get their girls, Eddie becomes embroiled in a scam perpetuated by Joe Lorgan (played by everyone's favourite grouch/bad guy Edward Arnold), who wants to take the surewin Wolves out so that he can win big by betting against them. Can Denny still get out there and play in the final match to win the pennant for Ms Higgins' Wolves?

The answer, of course, isn't important (although it's pretty obvious!), but it's rousingly given, with a healthy dose of song and dance. The Sinatra/Kelly duo are on fine, seasoned form in the universally-known title song--perhaps their best song-and-dance collaboration out of all the three films, since one gets the distinct impression in the other numbers that Kelly is playing down to Sinatra's rather limited dancing abilities. In this number, one gets no such feeling--Sinatra more than holds his own and is almost as light on his feet as Kelly (a formidable feat for an amateur!). There's also the mandatory 'boasting about girls' number, 'Yes Indeed', and the triple act with Munshin ('O'Brien To Ryan To Goldberg') that gives a hint of why Munshin is retained for a beefed-up role in the Sinatra/Kelly film to follow this one, ON THE TOWN. We even get a Sinatra solo, with him crooning 'She's The Right Girl For Me' to Williams; and a Kelly dance number to 'It's The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore On St Patrick's Day'. However entertaining the above numbers are, honours for Best Number must be unreservedly reserved for Betty Garrett's earnest rendition of 'It's Fate, Baby'--her energy simply bounces off the screen as her Shirley chases Sinatra's Denny up, down and around the bleachers. The movements are simple but tightly-choreographed, and with Garrett's enthusiasm firing the whole enterprise, becomes the most memorable musical man-chase in film history. It's pretty obvious why Garrett was asked to reprise her man-hungry duties in ON THE TOWN--she's just so damn good at it! If possible, try also to watch the deleted musical out-takes, Kelly and Williams' 'Baby Doll' (one quickly understands why it was cut), and Sinatra's serenading of Garrett 'Boys and Girls Like You And Me'. Even though the right call was made in cutting them, they're both still great fun to watch.

Just about the only problem I can find with TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME, however, is the fact that, having seen all the Sinatra/Kelly collaborations, one gets the distinct feeling that this film is just filler for what is yet to come. It even inherits the basic plot of ANCHORS AWEIGH, having the innocent Sinatra character fall for a girl obviously meant for the worldly Kelly character before finding his own brassy gal. (This is finally discarded in ON THE TOWN, although the innocence of Sinatra's character and the worldliness of Kelly's character remain.) There are no surefire hits here--Sinatra's ballads don't compare to his songs 'I Fall In Love Too Easily' and 'Why Does The Sun Set?' in ANCHORS AWEIGH, or 'You're Awful' in ON THE TOWN. Similarly, however hard Kelly tries, his solo dance number just doesn't have that same magic he lends to most of his dances. A lot of the time it's Kelly's innovative dance sequences that rise above the film in which they're contained (see COVER GIRL, ANCHORS AWEIGH, etc. etc.); in this one, it seems submerged. It's good, but not amazing; amusing, but not particularly inventive. TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME is like the shift back to neutral gear between ANCHORS AWEIGH and ON THE TOWN--a break between the innovation and joy that suffuses the other two projects (even though the final effect is somewhat botched in ANCHORS AWEIGH). In other words, it's good enough entertainment, and certainly a film I wouldn't mind watching again. But with the calibre of talent present in this film, from Kelly to Sinatra to Garrett to Stanley Donen and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, you'd expect something... well, *better*. (Which you *do* get... a year later, in ON THE TOWN.)

As a standalone film, without the perspective of its being a test run for the next vehicle in the Sinatra/Kelly oeuvre, TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME is undeniably pleasant entertainment... and unabashedly patriotic at that. It celebrates two of the greatest, truly American institutions--vaudeville and baseball. And as the song 'Strictly USA' proudly proclaims, that's something well worth celebrating--along with its two lead actors, both themselves American treasures and legends. In fact, watch the film for them. They're both as charming and funny as ever, with Sinatra taking pratfalls in Denny's misguided belief that he's a tough guy, and Kelly hamming it up a lot more than usual, but still giving off that charm that's simply unique to him. The plot's not much, and even the songs and dances aren't all that memorable (excepting Garrett's 'It's Fate, Baby' and the final tongue-in-cheek reprise of 'Strictly USA'), but it's still colourful, vibrant, and funny... the way all MGM musicals are. It's a fun night out at the movies, with a few old friends you know and love... you couldn't really ask for more than that!

Even with short-comings, charming, enchanting and immensely cheerful

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 14 September 2016]

'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' is worth noting for the extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camera, and while all have done better this showcases their talents wonderfully.

It does have short-comings, but luckily they are far outweighed by 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game's' numerous pleasures. The film does end very abruptly and the build up does feel rather rushed, and while there are no problems to be had with the chemistry between Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra or Sinatra and Esther Williams, the latter one really does sparkle, the one between Kelly and Williams is pretty indifferent (Williams apparently was treated contemptuously by Kelly and Stanley Donen, and there are times where it shows).

On the other hand, 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' is ravishingly filmed in Technicolor with lavishly colourful sets and costumes that are not only superbly tailored but the colour co-ordination is eye-popping and clearly a lot of thought was put into it. There are definitely more memorable songs than the ones here, where the title song is the closest to being a hit, but they are certainly very pleasant and tuneful with wonderfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg", "The Right Girl for Me" and "It's Fate Baby" are also good. The choreography dazzles also, especially Kelly pulling all the stops out in his Irish solo number, the barn-storming "Strictly USA" and the wonderful chemistry between Kelly, Sinatra and the under-appreciated Jules Munshin.

With the script, there are some funny and witty lines, and while the story is very slight and drags in places it does enchant, charm and there is a constant sense of cheerfulness and fun. The direction is very accomplished throughout, shining especially in "Strictly USA". The performances are great, particularly from a scene-stealing and very funny Betty Garrett. Williams is also delightfully no-nonsense, and even with her troubles off-screen the role really does play to his strengths.

Kelly's character is very broadly drawn and almost like a clown, but Kelly's humour, charm and muscular athleticism stops him from becoming annoying. Sinatra sings an absolute dream and although his type of character isn't in his comfort zone he still appeals. Munshin shouldn't be overlooked in any way, he delights in "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg", while Edward Arnold is deliciously theatrical while never taking one out of the film.

Overall, hugely enjoyable though with short-comings. 7/10 Bethany Cox

As amiable as the actors themselves

[StevePulaski · 7/10 · 26 March 2016]

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a spirited musical-comedy, resting its quality almost entirely on the weight of its performers, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, as they play two baseball players who experience the shock of their careers when they find out the new owner of their baseball team is a woman (Esther Williams). At first, with her name announced as K.C. (Katherine Catherine) Higgins, the players, including Eddie O'Brien (Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Sinatra), all assume by default that she's a man, but after a downright awkward mix-up at the train station when it comes time to pick her up, both Eddie and Dennis vent their frustrations about their new owner to one another.

It would be a lot easier for them to stick to their simple frustrations if they both didn't find themselves rapidly falling in love with Katherine as soon as she became their new owner. Along with the difficult task of trying to get their team, the Wolves, to win another pennant, the boys must find a way to control themselves around Katherine, as well as work out some sort of cogent lines for respect when it comes to flirting and mingling with her.

Punctuating this muddled relationship triangle are the film's most enthusiastic and accomplished features - its musical numbers. One of the first involves both Eddie and Dennis singing an infectious, harmonious ballad about past lovers called "Yes Indeed" with a ravishing song and dance number to accompany it. This is where the film finds its energy put to good use being that scenes that take place on the actual baseball field are slight and the relationship drama is overall petty and largely uninteresting. Having Kelly and Sinatra serve as vaudevillian performers in addition to rather narcissistic baseball players is a nice touch that works to lift the film out of whatever drudgery it would've succumbed to had it just been about the love triangle.

With that, Williams holds her ground quite nicely in a film that's populated and controlled by men and their raging hormones and pride. Her character's snarky comments and incorruptible demeanor makes her a dominant force in the film that doesn't make her easily fazed by the multitude of sexually charged comments being spewed her way for much of the film. As a result, she becomes an admirable presence with a great deal of energy and charm to offset the frequently simple-minded behavior of Eddie and Dennis.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game was the final film directed by Busby Berkeley, but was originally supposed to be directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. With Kelly's success as a performer, he was originally contracted by MGM to direct this film, but after the studio hired Berkeley to helm the project, Kelly and Donen were shifted to a screen writing credit by their producer Arthur Freed. As part of a compromise, Freed allowed Kelly to direct some of the musical scenes he did with Sinatra, despite leaving the bulk of the directorial duties to Berkeley. The result is a film that's charming through all its discombobulation, yet always watchable thanks to its gifted performers, especially Williams, who shouldn't be overshadowed by the performers with bigger names.

Starring: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams. Directed by: Busby Berkeley.

All it needed was Betty Garrett...

[Tommy-92 · 6/10 · 30 December 1999]

The first half of this movie had its moments, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. It does indeed have many resemblences to On the Town, which came after it, only this time in a baseball field at the turn of the 20th century. The "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" number was okay, and so was Frank Sinatra (playing a young naif again!) crooning to Esther Williams. But all it really needed was Betty Garrett to come in and give it a big energy boost. Her "Fate" number, sung as she chases Frank around the bleachers, was the first number to really grab my attention, (repeated in a taxi cab in On the Town). Then came the clambake, with "Strictly USA" and Gene Kelly's "St. Patrick's Day" number to keep the energy level up and the nodding-off level down. (By the way, yes, Gene and Stanley Donen were in charge of the musical numbers. Busby Berkley directed the rest of the film.) From then on, it wasn't too bad, especially the clever little vaudeville number at the end, penned by Betty Comden and Adolph Green along with the rest of the songs, (except the title one, of course). So, all the movie needed was Betty Garrett to really get off the ground. Interesting.

Hits a home run!

[weezeralfalfa · 10/10 · 3 March 2012]

The second of 3 Kelly-Sinatra comedic musical romances, being released only months before their more highly acclaimed "On the Town". Kelly was coming off two swashbuckler roles in the previous year: the highly accaimed historical drama "The Three Musketeers", and the innovative, but poorly received, Minnelli musical "The Pirate".Sinatra had most recently starred in the much criticized musical "The Kissing Bandit"(which neither he nor Kathryn Grayson wanted to do).Thus, it was decided that Sinatra apparently needed to be reteamed with Kelly to make a blockbuster film. They hit a home run twice in one year, with different leading ladies for the aggressive Kelly, but the same man-hungry lady(Betty Garrett) immediately falling for the skinny shy Sinatra character. It was Kelly who conceived the idea of combining vaudeville with baseball. Thus, Kelly and Sinatra are an unlikely pair of vaudeville performers in the off-season, and key players on the hottest team in the American League. Even more unlikely, their new owner is a beautiful single classy woman(Esther Williams, as K.C. Higgins), who insists she knows more about how to play the game than the players. Naturally, there is a clash with the braggart Kelly: the offensive and defensive star of the team, leading to some comedic moments.I have not read it as fact, but I strongly suspect that the name Higgins is derived from M.J. Huggins, who managed the NY Yankees during the Babe Ruth years of the 1920s.

Sinatra(as Ryan) and Kelly(as O'Brien) vie for the heart of Miss Higgins, Shy, seemingly a bit retarded, Ryan has the initial lead but, as always, the more experienced extrovert Kelly character ultimately triumphs. Ryan gets the man-hungry baseball enthusiast Shirley(Betty Garrett) as a consolation prize. Betty had established vaudevillian talents, which film writers Kelly and Stanley Donen apparently thought were deficient in Esther. Hence, the much discussed unhappiness of Esther during much of the making of this film. Obviously, Kelly and Donen would have much preferred Judy Garland, the original choice as Higgins, or some other established top female known as a singer or dancer. Esther was most famously billed as a stunt swimming beauty, but she showed she could sing and do the comedy and dancing bits well enough. I'm not sorry she got the part. The ego-sensitive Kelly was also put off by the fact that Esther was a bit taller than him, which he thought looked bad when they were standing close.

The drama of the last portion of the film centers around O'Brien's decision to moonlight as a show performer shortly before the end of the baseball season, baited by bookies who have bet his team won't win the pennant. His performance on the field greatly suffers and he is fired for violating curfew. A hesitant offer to rejoin the team for the last game has dangerous consequences for O'Brien, which precipitates the resulting drama. The closing scene has Kelly and Sinatra back on a vaudeville stage, now accompanied by Esther and Betty, and instead of singing the title song again, they do a reprise of the patriotic song "Strictly USA". Although not quite the flag waver of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and some of the other musicals made during WWII, this film has its pro-America moments.

I found all 5 of the vaudevillian song and dance routines entertaining, including Kelly's famous solo "The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore Upon St. Patrick's Day", part of which reminded me of Cagney's classic "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Vaudevillain Jules Munshin, who played the third leg of the double play trio, added an additional comedic element and would find an expanded role in "On the Town". The long chorus-accompanied "Strictly USA", at the claim bake, was also good, and served as a build up to Kelly's solo dance.

Of the musical numbers, only two are romantically centered, one("The Right Girl for Me") sung, ironically, by Sinatra to Esther, the other("It's Fate, Baby, It's Fate") sung primarily by Betty to Sinatra. They are both good songs, but we are missing romantic ballads sung by Kelly to or with Esther, and sung by Sinatra to Betty. These would have provided additional breaks from the drama-comedy scenes and helped cement these relationships. Actually, such were filmed, but cut: a big mistake to my mind! They can be seen as outtakes on the 2008 Warner DVD. My rating of the film would go up a notch to nearly the equal of "On the Town", if these has been included. Cut was the catchy Harry Warner-Johnny Mercer "Baby Doll", sung by Kelly, with some comedic gesturing by Esther and prancing by Kelly. Later, Astaire would sing it to Vera-Ellen, followed by their dance, in "The Belle of New York".

In summary, I found this a top notch entertaining musical, nearly the equal of "On the Town", with multiple good vaudevillian song and dance routines and lots of comedy, but missing two of the best filmed songs. I only wish they didn't always make Sinatra seem so dopy and naive compared to Kelly(no doubt a Kelly-directed characterization). It gets better each time I view it:the mark of a true classic. Rating 9.5

Energetic, amiable and lots of fun to watch...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 29 November 2006]

For me, the only drawback to TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME is the fact that I read the ESTHER WILLIAMS biography and in it she expresses what I can only describe as contempt for the way GENE KELLY and his director pal Stanley Donen unfairly treated her on the set of this very entertaining little musical.

Seems that neither one of them was impressed with her popularity as a swimming star (big at the box-office) and out of spite and jealousy razzed her about why on earth she was appearing in a musical at all. Obviously, their first choice for the part (I forget who it was), was unavailable and MGM decided to give her the part of the baseball manager who is the romantic interest of both FRANK SINATRA and GENE KELLY.

Well, watching it without knowing these facts, you can sit back and enjoy the film the way it was meant to be. Actually, Esther acquits herself well in both the acting department and whatever else she does, including a brief swimming scene, and it only makes the treatment she received seem even more unfair as the film unwinds.

Sinatra and Kelly rehash their roles in ANCHORS AWEIGH, with Sinatra again mooning over the girl while Kelly at first resents her before falling in love. For added fun, JULES MUNSHIN is another ball player who gets to strut his stuff once in awhile.

It's all prettily Technicolored in the way that only MGM could do when it came to musicals and it's easy to see that Kelly and Sinatra could kick up their heels in dance routines the way they did in ANCHORS AWEIGH and ON THE TOWN.

And speaking of ON THE TOWN, BETTY GARRETT as a fun loving gal who chases Sinatra around a ball park, seems to be doing a rehearsal for her role in that film.

Summing up: Good summer entertainment, light as a feather stuff from the studio that knew how to make musicals.

Trivia note: On a cable interview several years ago, Donen was still bitter about Williams and made snide remarks about her abilities to an audience that giggled at his comments.

Frankie and Gene again

[HotToastyRag · 4/10 · 15 September 2017]

Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra reunite for third time in Take Me Out to the Ball Game, but instead of sailors on leave, they play baseball players who work as vaudeville performers in the off-season. Just as in On the Town, they're joined by Jules Munshin and Betty Garrett, and they sing and dance their way through a pretty silly story.

Esther Williams is the new owner of the guys' baseball team, and while most of the players aren't happy with a woman in charge, Frank Sinatra falls madly in love with her. Once again Gene Kelly enters the love triangle; the plot isn't a difficult one to predict. Of the three Gene and Frankie pairings, this one is the least famous since there aren't any well-known musical numbers to come out of it—no offense to Betty Comden and Adolphe Green. If you're looking for the "Gene and Jerry" number, watch Anchors Aweigh, and if you're looking for "New York, New York", check out On the Town. This one is really only to be watched by die-hard fans of the three leads. Anyone looking for a good quality musical should look elsewhere.

Kelly and Sinatra Do It Again!

[jem132 · 8/10 · 28 January 2007]

This second Kelly-Sinatra vehicle brings together the winning combination of the previous 'Anchors Aweigh'- overtly masculine, dame-chasing Kelly and shy Sinatra with a NEW member of the gang, the comic relief of Jules Munshin. MGM bosses must have been impressed with the gang, as the trio would be repeated the same year in 'On The Town' to greater success.

'Take Me Out To Ball Game' is a fairly formulaic Kelly-Sinatra musical with some memorable numbers. The plot involves a baseball team and some mild romantic complications for Kelly and Sinatra as they win the girls, water-babe Esther Williams and the great Betty Garret.

Kelly and Sinatra had already established the screen personalities they would inhabit opposite each other in 1945's Anchor's Aweigh. Sinatra, considering the shenanigans of his private life, somehow gets away with playing the lovable shy, boyish foil to Kelly's brash, bold American-Irish lad. The plot is basically a rehash of Anchors Aweigh, with Sinatra falling for a dame out of his league (Williams) who really isn't right for him anyway. Kelly is initially indifferent and sometimes encouraging to the match, but all that changes when he starts developing feelings for Williams. Of course, Garret is the right gal for Frank, and somehow it all turns out OK with new romances blossoming, and a friendship intact. Ain't movies grand?!

Kelly and Sinatra do a couple of memorable numbers together, the title tune and'Yes, Indeedy' (very catchy indeed!). The numbers are designed to showcase Kelly's dancing and Sinatra's vocals, with Sinatra only getting some light dancing to disguise his limitations. Sinatra and Garret warm up for the funny and sexy 'Come Up To My Place' of 'On The Town' with 'Baby, It's Fate'. Kelly gets one solo with some energetic dancing in an Irish-influenced jig. Munshin joins with Kelly and Sinatra for the physical 'O-Brian to Ryan to Goldberg' number, and Sinatra contributes his usual ballad, this time sung to Williams. The cast all get together for a barn-storming rendition of 'Strictly USA', which is repeated in the musical finale with some tongue-in-cheek lyrics (catch the references to Kelly and Sinatra's frequent co-stars, Judy Garland and Kathryn Grayson).

It's fun, it's corny,it's formulaic...it's Kelly and Sinatra...see it!

"Denny, I've got a hunch that girl is human".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 14 March 2016]

Fans of the principals and early MGM musicals will find this film entertaining enough, however I got the impression that it was terribly dated in the way it portrayed it's leading men. Gene Kelly in particular mugged his way through too many of the musical numbers, and I imagine the Frank Sinatra of a few decades later would have thought the one in this picture a cream puff. I can't say it's all Sinatra's fault either; MGM typecast his character in their early films as a nerdy type, more relaxed while reading a book than chasing skirts. The first part of the picture portrays him that way here, and Sinatra fans may seem baffled by it.

I liked the premise well enough, a new owner of the 'Wolves' baseball team turns out to be a woman, and it sets up expectations that she'll try to run the team her own way to the detriment of the players. But it didn't really turn out that way. K.C. Higgins (Esther Williams) utilized her own love of the game to champion the team on the field, while dodging the affections of both Eddie O'Brien (Kelly) and Denny Ryan (Sinatra) in the early going. An obligatory pool scene is inserted into the picture to capitalize on the star's status as a former swimming champion, and it added some credibility to her position running a sports team.

A sub-plot with Kelly's character involves a crooked sports gambler (Edward Arnold) attempting to influence the outcome of the Wolves' pennant run, but in an All-American MGM musical this idea won't gain traction for long. O'Brien and Ryan, with some help from the third member of their triple play battery, Nat Goldberg (Jules Munshin), lead the Wolves to their championship victory. Directed by Busby Berkley, the film is heavy on the musical numbers (I counted nine) with the dance choreography handled by Kelly and long time collaborator Stanley Donen. Some are built around a baseball theme, and the film wouldn't have been complete without that old standard, 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'.

Take a pass on this one

[richard-1787 · 4/10 · 12 December 2013]

You might imagine, looking at the title of this movie, that it has something to do with baseball. You would be wrong. It's yet another Hollywood musical about vaudeville performers. Once in a blue moon two of them step on a baseball diamond, but nothing ever comes of it.

You might also, looking at the list of those involved in the creation of this movie - director Busby Berkeley, starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, with musical numbers staged by Stanley Donen - imagine that this would be a great musical. You would, again, be wrong, unfortunately. All those individuals were, at one time or another, involved in the creation of some of the greatest American movie musicals, but this certainly isn't one of them.

In fact, alas, it's pretty much of a dud. There isn't a memorable musical number in it, the choreography is nothing special, and the plot is both obvious and uninteresting.

I sat through the whole thing, hoping something would get better, but it never did.

I suggest you don't bother.

Charming Gem

[Michael_Elliott · 19 December 2015]

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

*** (out of 4)

Eddie (Gene Kelly) and Dennis (Frank Sinatra) are two leaders of their baseball team who also like to sing and dance on the side. The championship team learns that a new person has taken control of the team and to everyone's shock it turns out to be a woman (Ester Williams). The two men are soon fighting over the woman while Eddie also gets caught up with a gambler (Edward Arnold).

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME isn't nearly in the same league as ON THE TOWN, the previous Sinatra and Kelly teaming but if you're a fan of the men then there's no doubt that you'll want to check this film out. While it isn't in that tier of classic MGM musicals it's still a pretty darn fun film to watch.

I think it should go without saying that the main reason to watch the film is for its cast. Both Kelly and Sinatra would obviously do much better things in their careers but they certainly had a chemistry that was undeniable. The two play well off of one another and it's somewhat shocking that Sinatra would get top-billing even though he's not in the film nearly as much. The two open and close the film with very good musical numbers and there are fun tunes throughout.

Williams is also extremely good in her role playing a tougher-than-normal woman who gives it to bother the men. Betty Garrett is good in her part as is Arnold and Richard Lane. The entire cast really does a nice job at capturing the spirit of baseball. The musical numbers, staged by Stanley Donan and Kelly, are quite good and will certainly leave you with a smile on your face.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME isn't a masterpiece but it's hard to deny its charm.

Better Than Average MGM Musical

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 4 November 2015]

The Wolves baseball team gets steamed when they find they have been inherited by one K.C. Higgins, a suspected "fathead" who intends to take an active interest in running the team. But K.C. turns outs to be a beautiful woman who really knows her baseball.

There were many MGM musicals, and there were a few pairings of Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. Allegedly, Sinatra at this time had bad box office success, except when paired with Kelly. I can see why. Kelly is really the stronger of the two in this film, and Sinatra would not come into his own until his later tough guy movies in the 50s and 60s.

This should not be seen as a classic, but it was a good showpiece for Esther Williams, who seems to be largely forgotten these days (2015). Who even remembers her as a swimming mermaid?

But where is the baseball?!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 8 January 2013]

Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra play baseball players who are vaudevillians in the off-season. However, if you watch "Take Me Out To The Ball Game", it looks like it's the other way around. In other words, they sing and dance practically all the time and only rarely do we see them playing ball. And, when they do sing, it's not about baseball! I really think this film would have been improved tremendously had it really been about baseball and if they eliminated a few songs in favor of injecting more plot into the movie.

The plot, scant as it is, often concerns Kelly and Sinatra chasing women--and vice-versa. While the romance between Kelly and Esther Williams was not very believable, I really liked the one between Sinatra and Betty Garrett. In particular, she was NOT a girl who played hard to get--and it was funny seeing her chasing (literally) her man! Additionally, there's another plot involving Kelly being manipulated by gamblers--though this seemed almost tacked on to the end of the film.

Overall, there are a few nice musical numbers and a nice romance--but not a lot more to this one. And, oddly, so many disparate plot elements (including a swimming number by Williams in a baseball film and some comedy numbers) that the film never really connected with me. Not a bad film but it should have been so much better.

"It's going to cost you fifty bucks...baby doll."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 18 December 2015]

Fun MGM musical, directed by the Busby Berkeley and starring three screen legends. The story centers around two turn-of-the-century baseball players (Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra), who also happen to be vaudevillians during the off-season, and their relationship with their team's beautiful new owner (Esther Williams). There's more music than baseball to this one. So if you're not typically into sports movies, don't worry. Some of the great numbers include "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg," "Strictly U.S.A.," and, of course, the title song. Frank and Gene are both in good form, despite Frank being somewhat miscast for the role of a guy who's awkward and girl shy. Esther is lovely as ever and holds her own with the boys. She doesn't have any aquatic numbers in this one, although she does manage to get into a bathing suit once. The romance between Esther and Gene is off. I've read that the two did not get along during filming, which probably contributes to their weak chemistry here. The real scene stealer of the picture is Betty Garrett as a man-crazy baseball fan. She's a real hoot in this. It's an enjoyable musical, for sure, but not one of my favorites from the period. The songs are good, the production is top notch, and the Technicolor is gorgeous. But there's just something missing that keeps it from being one of the best efforts from Berkeley or any of the stars.

Curiously disappointing

[guswhovian · 6/10 · 21 May 2020]

At the turn of the century, two baseball players face trouble when they both fall in love with the new owner of their team.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a disappointing film. Its got all the people involved to make a great musical: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Busby Berkeley. But what came out was a disjointed, badly paced mess.

The main problem is Gene Kelly. Kelly often played unsavory characters, but Eddie O'Brien is a jerk, and his character gets grating after a while.

The songs and dances are forgettable, but I did enjoy Sinatra and Betty Garrett's "It's Fate, Baby". Esther Williams gets next to nothing to do.

Perhaps if I was a bigger baseball fan I'd like this more. As it is, I'd recommend watching On the Town instead. First time viewing. 3/5

Sinatra's Irish-American Character

[blissfilm · 9/10 · 5 August 2017]

***SPOILER ALERT*** (kind of)

It's a great film and a great musical. But, perhaps with my perspective of today, I just wonder why -- at a time when popular baseball greats were named Rizzuto, DiMaggio, and Berra -- Sinatra's character wasn't given an Italian name. Perhaps it didn't fit with the time period in which the musical was set. But it still perplexes me. All of the stars are great in this film.

A solid 1 out double

[dabbercubsfan · 7/10 · 27 October 2021]

This second film of the Sinatra & Kelly partnership, shows the boys as two baseball players who are vaudevillians in the offseason, Eddie O'Brien (a ladies man and womanizer) and Dennis Ryan (a shy player who focuses on playing baseball, vaudeville and getting muscles).

The cast is top notch, Sinatra, Kelly, Williams and Garret were all very talented individuals. However what hurts the film is how short it is with it only being 93 minutes long, compared to the other two Sinatra Kelly movie which were both over two hours long. With some extra time it may not feel as rushed. It also seemed like there was some production term oil, with 3 other female leads leaving through production. (Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson and Ginger Rogers) along with Frank Sinatra not joining until very late in pre production The numbers are really good minus Yes Indeedy. The opening song and the St. Patrick's day number are some of my favorite musical numbers ever. 7/10.

Only the costumes shine in this Kelly-Sinatra misfire

[Turfseer · 3/10 · 1 August 2012]

You would think that any musical starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra has to be superb, but 'Take me out to the ballgame' is proof that even megastars are capable of the occasional misstep. The only catchy number in the entire film is the title track, and I guarantee that you will not leave the theater humming any of the others.

The big problem with 'Take me out to the ballgame' is that the writers decided at the outset that the principal characters, Eddie O'brien (Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (Sinatra), would be more entertaining if they were portrayed as a bunch of buffoons instead of actualized human beings. Sinatra in particular is portrayed as Kelly's spineless buddy, who immediately crumples to the ground whenever socked (many times quite lightly) in the head. It's quite deflating to see an icon who usually plays manly roles, reduced to a certified wimp, but unfortunately that's what happens here.

The plot takes quite a long time to pick up. O'brien and Ryan are the stars on the fictional major league baseball team, the 'Wolves', circa early 1900s. During the off-season, they're vaudevillians, which accounts for all the song and dance routines throughout the film. The big joke which constitutes the inciting incident of the film, is that the Wolves are taken over by a new owner, K.C. Higgins, who (wouldn't you know it) is a woman (played by Esther Williams). Before she reveals her identity, O'brien and Ryan speak disparagingly of the new owner in her presence, with the team's manager playing a little game of Charades in a fruitless attempt to get them to shut up.

The film's first act involves O'brien devising a scheme to 'break camp'—the players have a 10 o'clock curfew and risk a $50 fine if they're found outside their hotel room during the late hours. O'brien eggs Ryan on to ask Higgins out on a date and he ends up serenading her with a romantic song. O'brien's plan is ask two other girls out for himself and Goldberg (Jules Munshin), the third member of the dynamic infield combination of O'brien to Ryan to Goldberg (an obvious play on the Dead Ball era's famed 'Tinkers to Evers to Chance'). O'brien makes it clear that once the three couples find themselves out on the town, he'll have free reign to go after Higgins himself. Unfortunately for O'brien, Higgins sees through his ruse and ends up fining him the $50 for breaking the players' curfew after he too serenades her past the 10 PM deadline.

Because of this, O'brien basically sours on Higgins and it's not until a plot development late in the second act of the film, that O'brien begins pursuing the team's owner again. Meanwhile, Ryan falls for the ditzy Shirley (Betty Garrett) who basically has been stalking the hapless ballplayer all over the ball park. Why Ryan falls for the goofy Shirley is never really explained, unless of course you realize that Ryan is just as silly as the girl who has fallen in love with him.

It's not until the midpoint that we're introduced to the true antagonist of the story, Joe Lorgan, a slick gambler played by Edward Arnold. Lorgan lures O'brien into a scheme, offering him double his salary if he rehearses for a vaudeville show he's producing. Lorgan's true intent is to tire O'brien out so he's no longer able to play effectively on the ball field and then he can bet $20,000 on the Wolves' opponent during the final playoff. Higgins mistakenly comes to believe that O'brien's poor play on the field at the crucial hour is due to her rejection of him rather than exhaustion from all the rehearsals. But when Lorgan confronts O'brien with Higgins present, and reveals that he's been rehearsing every night, she benches him for not only breaking curfew but basically betraying her.

O'brien won't be undone and conscripts a bunch of kids to root for him to be re-instated during the final playoff game. Higgins relents and it looks like O'brien will be back in, but Ryan, fearing that the gamblers will do his buddy harm, beans O'brien with a real baseball during their vaudeville routine before the game. Lorgan sends his two henchman into the clubhouse, posing as physicians, who rough him up even more, as he lies unconscious after being beaned by Ryan. O'brien only wakes up after Higgins whispers in his ear that Ryan is getting all the glory while he's off the field. O'brien's jealousy propels him to hit the winning home run but ridiculously continues to chase Ryan even after they've both crossed the plate!

If this isn't silly enough, Kelly and Sinatra sing one last number but step out of character, pronouncing that Kelly has gotten Williams and Sinatra, Barrett. The little chemistry between Kelly and Williams is borne out by Williams' account of her experience on the set. According to Williams, she was treated poorly by Kelly, who felt uncomfortable because she was taller than him.

In the end, it's the poor script that sinks 'Take me out to the ballgame'. Should we really care about characters who can do nothing more than engage in a petty rivalry while prancing about in a series of base slapstick routines? If there is one saving grace, it's the excellent work of the costume department. It's a joy to see such colorful costumes that evoke the bygone era of our national pastime.

Frisky, Entertaining Romp

[LeonardKniffel · 9/10 · 11 April 2020]

An Esther Williams movie with no swimming! And she is delightful as the savvy female owner of a baseball team in the early days of the sport. Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett, and Jules Munshin keep the fun coming, even as a crook threatens the team. Busby Berkeley directed this exuberant romp that includes, of course, the title song, the hilarious "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg," and a closing number completely outside the plot, "Strictly U.S.A." ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

The national pastime: Baseball

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 21 April 2011]

This 1949 MGM musical came out in April of 1949, a mere eight months before than "On the Town", which was a much better film. Not having seen it, we took the opportunity when it showed on a classic cable channel recently. Although we were not disappointed, this musical was not in the same league of other great productions of the studio, something hard to imagine by the talented people involved in the making of the movie.

This was the second of the three films that Frank Sinatra made with Gene Kelly. Mr. Sinatra played the naive Dennis Ryan, a ball player of the Wolves, recently bequeathed to K.C. Higgins, who turned out to be a lady. Gene Kelly appeared as Eddie O'Brian, a more mature player that acts as the guide of the less experienced Dennis. Jules Mushkin is also reunited with his two partners as the affable Nat Goldberg. The other female lead is Betty Garrett, who shows what she was capable of doing in a film. There is also Edward Arnold, one of the best character actors of that era, playing a gambler.

There are songs and dance routines, as befitting a movie of this genre, but aside from the title song, none of the others heard on the picture stays with the viewer after it is over. It is surprising that the musical was directed by a master choreographer, Busby Berkeley, who only provides with one big production number that takes place in the clambake.

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a pleasant movie to sit through, but it is not an inspired piece of filmmaking.

An MGM Musical Dud with an Unwatchable Performance by Gene Kelly

[evanston_dad · 3/10 · 8 May 2017]

A film that proves even the MGM musical formula of the 1940s could result in some real duds.

Apparently, several principals involved in the making of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" didn't get along while filming, and it shows. But even if they had, I don't know that the film would have been much better for it. Under the best of circumstances, I'm usually pretty resistant to Gene Kelly's charms, but he's nearly unwatchable in this, mugging constantly for the camera like he's playing to the back row of a vaudeville house. Frank Sinatra fares better as his bumbling sidekick, and Esther Williams is inoffensive if pretty bland as the love interest for Kelly. A dingbat plot is strung together with a bunch of songs, which can work if the songs are good enough, but they're not here. In fact, aside from the title tune, which I associate with the seventh inning stretch of Cubs games anyway, not a single song in the film is memorable, and the musical numbers are all the same -- two or three characters standing in a line singing directly into the camera. My attention wandered greatly during this film; in fact, I might have even dozed off.

Three strikes and you're out.

Grade: D