Chatverock Takes itself way too seriously

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Steve Pulaski 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.

Michael_Elliott 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.

Gord Jackson When I was about ten years old, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed. In recovery back home, I well remember sitting up on our sofa with my my loving, supportive parents offering encouragement to me that "Yes Gordon, you will get your voice back, no Gordon your throat will not always be sore." I equally well remember my father excitedly promising me that if I was good and did everything I was supposed to do and got well, we would all go (me, my parents and my brother) to see TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME when it opened next week at a local neighbourhood theatre for a Thursday-Saturday run . I was madly in love with the movies then (as I still am) and you bet, I wanted to see that picture. My father, bless his heart loved most sports and he took my brother and me to see almost everything he went to - football, baseball, hockey, wrestling, lacrosse, etc. Not surprisingly he also loved sports movies so tantalizing me with the prospect of seeing TMOTTBG was a slam dunk. (Trust me, my recovery trajectory had only one way to go.) Last week, when I saw the film available on DVD through our local public library I got to thinking about those events, so much so that I decided I would pick it up for a re-see, the nostalgia associated with the title proving too hard to ignore. More an occasional base hit than a grand slam home-run, the picture is the sort of pleasant, breezy musical-comedy entertainment as only MGM could produce them. Starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Jules Munshin and Betty Garrett, it's based upon a Kelly idea/homage to the early days of America's national sport, not that the plot means anything. It's well acted, comical, corny and interspersed with enough musical numbers to retain one's attention. What it does not have for me is very little that is memorable about those musical numbers. Betty Garrett's energetic "It's Fate, Baby, It's Fate" has its moments but only "O'Brian To Ryan To Goldberg" really registers thanks more to Jules Munshin than either Kelly or Sinatra.I am sure as a ten year old kid sitting in our favourite row in the Strand Theatre I would have loved TMOTTBG. As an adult re-viewing it sixty plus years later, not so much.

vincentlynch-moonoi I hadn't seen this film for decades, and I had forgotten what a fine movie it is.Set in 1908, this period piece revolves around the Wolves baseball team, which is suddenly taken over by female owner! The shy character, played by Frank Sinatra falls for her, while the suave character played by Gene Kelly initially holds her in contempt...although he later falls for her, as well. The other part of the plot is that gangsters are trying to fix the games.It is said that Esther Williams didn't like making this film, and in particular didn't like working with Gene Kelly. It never shows. They are quite good together. However, the real chemistry here is between Sinatra and Kelly. While Sinatra cannot match Kelly at dancing, and Kelly cannot match Sinatra at singing, they are very good together. To top it off, the film is visually pleasant to watch with its rich, warm color photography.The other key player in the film is Jules Munshin, who was a remarkably talented performer. He has some very good moments in this film, as he did in the previous Sinatra-Kelly effort "Anchors Aweigh". Later in the film, Betty Garrett becomes enamored of the Sinatra character, and once towering character Edward Arnold plays one of the shady characters haunting the team with gambling overtures.I was tempted to give this film an "8", but I realized that not one truly memorable song came out of this film...a musical!