Fascino del West

A couple years before he died, Lou Gehrig (yes, THAT Lou Gehrig) co-starred in an amiable little western called "Rawhide". The title refers to the name of Gehrig's ranch---to which he's retiring. However, when he arrives he finds there is a 'protective association' that controls all the local ranches. What this actually turns out to be is a protection racket run by some mobsters. In other words, if you don't join, 'accidents' happen to your spread and you can't buy needed materials. However, Lou is tough and he and his new buddy (the crooner Smith Ballew) decide to fight instead of knuckling under to their bullying tactics. Much of the rest of the film is a battle of wills and fists between these men.

The film had some very nice singing. Ballew had a very good voice and the lyrics were catchy. As for Gehrig, I am pretty sure his singing was dubbed. I also was surprised by his speaking voice, as it was 100% New York--and sounded nothing like Gary Cooper in "Pride of the Yankees". Because of this, it further accentuated the 'fish out of water' aspect of the film with this city boy taking up an odd new life as a rancher! It's all a bit surreal but also pleasant and worth seeing just for its curiosity factor.

Famed New York Yankees baseball star Lou Gehrig retires and buys a ranch in Montana, Rawhide. He is hoping for the quiet life but soon discovers that a protection racket is being run by a local gang and they expect him to pay up. Luckily Gehrig has an ally in lawyer Larry Kimball.

Accidentally watched this because I wanted to watch the 1951 Rawhide (directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward) and Plex misidentified and mistagged the 1938 version as the 1951 version. So instead of a 7.1 on IMDB I get a film that's a 5.6 and instead of Tyrone Power I get Lou Gehrig!

The fact that the film stars Lou Gehrig, superb baseballer but hardly renowned as an actor, sums up why it was made, i.e. To cash in on his fame.

It's as bad as you'd think: weak, predictable plot, unconvincing performances. Just to make it even more cheap and cheesy, it includes some musical numbers!

Not worth watching, even if you are a Lou Gehrig fan.

Take away the participation of the great Gehrig and this is just another Saturday morning kid movie that youngsters shelled out nickels for in the day. From a baseball perspective it's most interesting to see Lou right after the 1937 season, his last one in which he put up the kind of statistics that he was known for. As the 1938 season went on his level of play began to slip and the next year, visibly weakened he left the game. ALS, the disease that bears his name, took him only 3 years after this film was made.

Singing cowboy/crusading attorney Smith Ballew is looking for a brave cattleman to go up against the crooked Rancher's Protective Association, which has been shaking down local ranch owners. He finds what he's looking for in baseball star Lou Gehrig (!), who's quit baseball and along with his sister, bought a local spread.

In all, this celebrity-driven production isn't half bad. It's a pleasant enough hour of entertainment, with some good action and an irresistible chance to see Gehrig at the height of his career, in his only acting gig. Evalyn Knapp, who play's his sister, is pretty cute too!

As a Saturday matinée hero, the rough and tumble Gehrig is surprisingly good. One amusing scene has him taking out a pool hall full of bad guys by pitching billiard balls against their heads and another has Lou belting out a (lip-synched?) cowboy song with Ballew, while riding the trail!

...then you must watch this movie. I've been a big fan all my life and have always thought that there just wasn't enough extended film footage on him. There are lots and lots of interviews with Babe Ruth yet it's difficult to find anything like that with Gehrig so I had searched for a long time to get a good copy of Rawhide - Lou's one and only full length movie. Of course this movie was made in 1938 so the quality is not the best, but all and all, the movie was entertaining. Lou plays himself. After finishing the baseball season, he heads out to Montana for some rest and relaxation on his sister's ranch. Well, as it turns out, she is being pressured to join the "association" which provides protection for local ranchers. Yet it's really just a bully organization that bleeds all of the local ranchers of their profits. Gehrig's performance is enjoyable. He's almost giddy in his acting which makes the movie all that more watchable. There's a real good fight scene in the local saloon where Lou takes out his opponents one-by-one by throwing billiard balls at him. And of course, the movie ends on a happy note. Hope you're able to get a copy of this movie. Watch it and enjoy.