Damn Yankees (1958)

A frustrated fan of the hopeless Washington Senators makes a pact with the Devil to help the baseball team win the league pennant.

Directors:

George Abbott, Stanley Donen

Writers:

George Abbott (screenplay by), George Abbott (based upon the play "Damn Yankees" book by)

Stars:

Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete 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:
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:

baseball movie | based on stage musical based on book | faust | based on stage musical | world series | 

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Taglines:

The Picture That Cops the Pennant for Great Entertainment!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film of Jean Stapleton.

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Goofs

When Mr. Applegate and Joe meet for the first time, Applegate states he will be 22-years-old. However if he was turned into a 22-year-old, but with Joe states he has married to Meg since he was 20, Meg would've recognized him.

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Quotes

Rocky: It's not that I'm dumb, Benny!
Van Buren: Nobody said anything about your being dumb... exactly.

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Connections

Referenced in Madea Goes to Jail (2009)

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Soundtracks

A Little Brains, A Little Talent
Music by Richard Adler
Lyrics by Jerry Ross
Performed by Gwen Verdon

User Reviews

THE "OTHER" NAUGHTY LOLA (You GO, Gwen!)

All I'm going to do here is rave about a Broadway Legend. We have to be grateful for film, because otherwise some of the theater's greatest performers would exist only in memory. The film version of the 1955 Broadway smash is definitely Gwen Verdon's most memorable screen appearance - as the movie of CALL ME MADAM is probably the closest film approximation we have to what Ethel Merman was like on-stage, so DAMN YANKEES is for Gwen Verdon. No other film performance captures her presence and sparkle, the incredible movements her body was capable of - she's at her best here, and viewers familiar only with the comic roles she played later in her career will be amazed at this consummate musical comedy performer. She's completely infectious and delightful, even when she's not singing or dancing - the lady had PRESENCE, and she displays enough vulnerability to make us like a character who doesn't always do very likable things. She's elegant as she matter-of-factly explains her work methods in "A Little Brains, A Little Talent" and has a whopper of a dance duet with Bob Fosse called "Who's Got the Pain?" (they weren't married yet, but she was already becoming his favorite instrument of dance; his was a cameo appearance added to the film - on stage Verdon's partner was another of the show's characters - if you listen closely you'll hear Tab Hunter say "That was wonderful, Fosse!" at the number's conclusion). And she looks gorgeous in a series of colorful costumes, although in her signature number, "Whatever Lola Wants..." the costume grows skimpier and skimpier as she increases her efforts to seduce Tab Hunter. In THE BLUE ANGEL Marlene Dietrich's "Naughty Little Lola" used a chair as a prop to sing about "Falling in Love Again," (which would resonate decades later as Liza Minnelli sang about "Mein Herr")- in DAMN YANKEES Verdon uses a locker-room bench, and this "other Naughty Lola" ends up almost as scantily dressed! A word about Ray Walston's Mr. Applegate: He is NOT a nice guy!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1959 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Damn Yankees

Filming Locations:

Midwest Business and Residential Street, Warner Brothers Backlot, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., A George Abbott and Stanley Donen Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1