Plot: What’s it about?
In the realm of professional baseball, few teams can hold a candle to the Wolves and that is obvious thanks to their current status as league champions. The team works very well together and another championship season seems to be the horizon, but then things take a turn for the unexpected. It seems as though the team has been inherited by one K.C. Higgins (Esther Williams) and if the rumors are true, this new owner plans to have a hands on approach to the team. This upsets the players, as they assume a rich fool with no knowledge of the game will greet them as the new owner. As it turns out though, K.C. is a beautiful woman who also happens to know a lot about baseball, more than some of the players in fact. The players aren’t sure what to make of this new owner, but second baseman Dennis Ryan (Frank Sinatra) does, as he falls in love with her as soon as their eyes meet. But short-stop Eddie O’Brien (Gene Kelly) has different plans on how to deal with her, though he doesn’t have time to plot much, since some shady betting parties are always hot on his trail. What will become of the team under this new ownership?
I like baseball movies, so I figured Take Me Out To The Ball Game couldn’t be that bad in the end. I don’t care for most musicals and as such, I was hoping the sports side of this film would make this one go by a little faster than usual. That wasn’t the case, but this one turned out to be better than I expected it to be, though that isn’t saying much. I am sure there is an audience for these Frank Sinatra musicals and all, but it ends up lost on me and I usually like older films. I do like Gene Kelly, but even he can’t keep me interested in this one and that means I have to give this movie a thumbs down. The sports side worked well enough, but the musical numbers left me cold and never really worked out to be as catchy as I figured they would. The technical side is in order, as the music goes well and all, but the style just didn’t click with me. I can understand how some folks would like this movie though, so I am not saying it is without positives. If you’re a fan of this movie or musicals from this era, then this disc is worth a look.
The leads here are played by Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, both which have a lot of talent and experience in the business. I know some will disagree with me on this, but I think both fall short of their usual standards in this film. Kelly is more than solid here, but seems to be sleepwalking at times and that brings the film down a notch, to be sure. He gives a nice turn in the end, but not as good as we’re used to seeing from him. Other films with Kelly include Summer Stock, Singin’ In The Rain, Anchors Aweigh, Cover Girl, and An American In Paris. As if Gene Kelly’s lackluster performance wasn’t enough, Frank Sinatra (Pal Joey, Cannonball Run) turns in an even weaker at-bat and sinks the film even deeper. I know Sinatra can be good when he tries, but here he just seems to be asleep behind the wheel for much of the film, which is sad. The real star here is Esther Williams (Bathing Beauty, Pagan Love Song), but she doesn’t have to work too hard for that honor in this one.
Video: How does it look?
Take Me Out To The Ball Game is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the film’s original aspect ratio. This film is over fifty years old, but Warner Bros. has done a fine turn on this disc and made the movie look terrific. The print looks clean as can be, with minimal debris & damage and that impressed me. There is some grain evident at times, but other than that this is an above average transfer. Colors look solid on the whole, with only a few minor exceptions and flesh tones appear natural also. The black levels are well balanced also and I saw few instances of compression errors, a solid transfer for this older film.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes the original mono track and though it is decent, it lacks the range needed for a musical release like this. In terms of mono this sounds good, but the musical numbers just don’t have the extra punch a surround track would offer. I wasn’t disappointed with this track on its own merits though, so no real complaints. The track always sounds clean and shows no age related flaws, impressive for a film this old (1949). The vocals sound good on the whole, though dialogue turns out better than the singing aspects of the film. This disc also has subtitles in English & French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes talent files, the film’s theatrical trailer, and two deleted musical sequences. I am pleased to see more extras included on these older titles and I am sure fans will love these two. As usual with deleted scenes it is easy to see why these were trimmed, but it is still fun to watch them.
