Match d'amour

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).

'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

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.

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

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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.)