Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

In 1948, Busby Berkeley was hired to direct the all-American musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game but midway through production he had to withdraw due to health issues. That's when Gene Kelly stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun with a blockbuster! 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game was the first film to team Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin and this winning threesome were so entertaining they joined forces right afterwards for the classic On the Town, both directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. 

The Donen-Kelly duo were also responsible for penning this story, a wholesome blend of Americana, baseball, and good ol' gambling. Gene Kelly stars as Eddie O'Brien, short-stop of the fictional Wolves pro-ball team. When playing with his buddies, first baseman Dennis Ryan (Sinatra) and third baseman Nat Goldberg (Munshin), they're unbeatable. The owner of the Wolves recently passed away and his niece K.C. Higgins (Williams) arrives to take a "hands on" approach to ownership. At first, they resent this, but then they come to admire her.... all except Eddie, who is steamed that she moved up their curfew and increased the fine for breaking it. Eddie likes to entertain the girls at night, so that cramps his style. 

Eddie likes to entertain, period. When he isn't playing ball, he is cutting capers. Off season, he and Dennis are a popular vaudeville act. When Joe Lorgan (Edward Arnold), a big gambler in town, bets heavily against the Wolves, he uses Eddie's love of show business to lure him away from training. But when Eddie learns he has been made a stooge he rallies back to help the Wolves - and his buddies - win the pennant. 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game was a box-office success on its release and raked in nearly $3,000,000. It had that magical aura that only the Arthur Freed unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer could create. This one also bore the unique stamp of Busby Berkeley, Stanley Donen, and Gene Kelly, who directed most of the dance sequences. 

Berkeley and Kelly originally wanted Judy Garland to play the leading lady but she was having substance problems, so Ginger Rogers was cast as her replacement. Ginger then backed out a month prior to filming and Esther Williams took over. What a jim dandy substitute! 

Williams was ideal for the role and perfectly cast. She was already a leading star and this role let her take a quick break from swimming - she only had one simple pool routine in the picture. However, as Williams put it in her autobiography, filming Take Me Out to the Ball Game was an experience of "pure misery." Kelly was too demanding as a director and, along with Donen, seemed to resent her. 

Betty Garrett, who had a wonderful role as a boy-crazy girl chasing the girl-shy Dennis Ryan, had a different experience. In her autobiography she wrote that "making Ball Game.. was pure joy and Frank was an absolute delight to work with." 

"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

"There ain't nobody my size!"

Jules Munshin was making his breakthrough screen role in Take Me Out to the Ball Game. He had previously had a bit part in Easter Parade (1948) as a waiter and, on the strength of that performance, got this role. He made a great "third wheel" and was even more entertaining in On the Town.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game included a number of pleasant - albeit forgettable - musical numbers, the best of which feature Gene Kelly dancing. "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" and "It's Fate Baby, It's Fate" are the most fun to watch, but the patriotic "Strictly U.S.A" number is classic MGM - lavish and entertaining. 

All in all, Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a pitch-perfect blend of song, slapstick, and sentiment and - with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra rounding the bases - the film scores big in every inning so, if you're in a baseball mood, this one's a grand slam in entertainment. 

Easy to Love ( 1953 )

Julie Hallerton ( Esther Williams ) is the star attraction of the Cypress Gardens water show. She was groomed for success by her boss Ray ( Van Johnson ) ever since he discovered her at the age of 15, but Julie is tired of being exploited and working from morning till night with no time to herself. One day, she announces to Ray that she will be quitting to get married. This sends him into a panic ( he certainly doesn't want to lose his star attraction! ) so he decides to give her a vacation and invites her to New York with him. Julie has long been secretly in love with Ray, so she leaps at the chance...only to discover that he once again uses her and the trip to New York as a publicity opportunity. Luckily, she meets the dashing nightclub singer Barry Gordon ( Tony Martin ) in New York who not only shows her a night on the town but arouses Ray's jealous streak. 

Esther Williams teamed up with Van Johnson in four films, three of which I personally think were her best films: Thrill of a Romance ( 1945 ), The Duchess of Idaho ( 1950 ), and Easy to Love. Easy to Love was the last of these four, made in 1953, and it is a delightful romantic comedy - quite easy to love. 

Most of Esther Williams' films are light-hearted, amusing, and very colorful. Easy to Love is especially colorful. It was shot on location in Winter Garden, Florida at the beautiful Cypress Gardens and the area looked doubly lush and green in eye-popping Technicolor. The finale, filmed by helicopter, really showcases the talented waterskiers from Cypress Gardens. Esther Williams also got to don the famous Southern belle dresses with hoop skirts so often seen at Cypress Gardens. Tourism to the park surely must have gotten a boost after the film premiered.

In addition to the lovely locales, Easy to Love features beautiful costumes by Helen Rose ( William's NY evening gown is especially easy on the eyes ), an easy-to-follow script, and an easy-going cast of pros, along with some familiar character actors. 

Van Johnson is always good at comedy and, although his demeanor here is much more gruff than usual, it is still apparent why Julie wants to marry him so fervently. After all, he's Van! 

Tony Martin was never much of a leading man but he always makes a wonderful "other man". Here, he nearly lures Julie away from Ray with his affability, good looks, and crooning tenor voice. All of the songs in Easy to Love are performed by Tony Martin and include the delightful "Did'ya Ever?", "That's What a Rainy Day is For" ( penned by Lennie Hayton and George Stoll ) and the titular "Easy to Love" written by Cole Porter. 

Also in the cast is King Donovan in an Allen Jenkins-style part, Edna Skinner ( Mr. Ed ) as Julie's roommate, John Bromfield as a Cypress Gardens beefcake with his eyes on Julie, and Carroll Baker in her film debut. 

Easy to Love is available on Volume 2 of the TCM Spotlight Esther Williams DVD collection. 

From the Archives: Texas Carnival ( 1951 )

Esther Williams and Ann Miller are pictured alongside Red Skelton in Texas Carnival, one of his best films for MGM. The publicity department promoted the film as an Esther Williams vehicle but Red Skelton was really the star of this show, the last of four films the twosome made together. 

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store : http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures

Nugget Reviews - 26

It is has been long, long time since we have shared some nugget reviews, so we are starting up that series once again with a motley assortment of American and British classics. 

Chasing Yesterday ( 1935 ) 14k

Sylvestre Bonnard, a Parisian bibliophile, is in search of an old and rare book that he and his long-lost love once tore a page from. He travels to her country estate and discovers that she had a daughter, who has only recently become an orphan. Sylvestre attempts to adopt her after he meets with her cruel and miserly guardian. Anne Shirley, O.P. Heggie, Elizabeth Patterson, Etienne Girardot. Directed by George Nicholls Jr., RKO Pictures. 

When I first heard about this story I thought it was about an old man who fell in love with a teenage girl and I stayed cleared of it for many years, but I should have known that RKO would only put out wholesome fare with their favorite child actress - Anne Shirley. It is really a sweet film and O.P. Heggie is adorable as the Parisian book lover. Simple 1930s entertainment, but enjoyable. 

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Moment to Moment ( 1966 ) 14k 

A married woman meets a handsome young sailor while vacationing on the French Riviera and, while attempting to break up their affair, accidentally shoots him. Together with her neighbor, she disposes of his body over a cliff but quickly finds the police on her doorstep asking questions. Jean Seberg, Sean Garrison, Honor Blackman, Arthur Kennedy. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Universal Pictures. 

Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense films throughout the 1950s and 1960s but director Mervyn LeRoy clearly gave him some competition with this production. Moment to Moment is classified as a "psychological thriller" which means if you like cat-and-mouse detective films you'll love this one. It has a clever twist at the end, features beautiful on-location filming in France, a lush Henry Mancini score, and who can resist pretty Jean Seberg? Especially when she gets to have a romance with a John Gavin look-a-like!

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The Franchise Affair ( 1951 ) 14k

A lawyer is called to defend two women who are accused of kidnapping and imprisoning a young schoolgirl in their house. Michael Denison, Ann Stephens, Dulcie Gray, Marjorie Fielding. Directed by Lawrence Huntington. Associated British-Pathe. 

The British always had such great scriptwriters! This film has a simple plot and yet it is so engrossing. Two spinsters are accused of kidnapping a schoolgirl...everyone in town believes they did it, all the evidence points towards them, and yet Michael Denison believes them innocent ( and so does the audience ). So what is going on? A good mystery, that's what. 
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Tarzan the Magnificent ( 1960 ) Eltc.

Tarzan must escort a prisoner out of the jungle in order that he can claim the reward, however, the prisoner's father and brother are hot in pursuit and are bent on killing Tarzan. Gordon Scott, Charles Tingwell, Lionel Jeffries, Betta St. John. Directed by Robert Day. Paramount Pictures. 

Ever since Johnny Weismuller first donned the loincloth as the jungle man Tarzan, he was a good box-office drawer throughout the 1930s-1950s. By the 1960s, Weismuller was showing his age, so Gordon Scott took over the role and quite admirably, too. This film had great African location filming, a good cast ( Lionel Jeffries is always a delight ) but unfortunately, the script was too simple. It was mainly a chase between the bad guys and the good guys. 

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Easy to Love ( 1953 ) 14k

An overworked and underpaid performer at Cypress Gardens finally decides to leave her boss and have a fling in New York City, but then discovers that she loves her boss and wishes to return. Esther Williams, Van Johnson, Tony Martin, Edna Skinner. Directed by Charles Walters. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 

Who can resist a Esther Williams film? They're colorful, comical and often feature some great musical numbers, too. Easy to Love has a particularly catchy-tune performed by Tony Martin: "That's What a Rainy Day is For".  It's a jolly fun film and the water-skiing finale at Cypress Gardens is uber impressive. 

The Annual Great Hollywood Auction - This Sunday!

Every year in August, Silverbanks Pictures ( the modest little business my sister and I operate ) launches the Great Hollywood Auction offering a unique selection of rare candids, publicity photos, and original stills. 

This year we have over 300 photos going up on auction, and we think it is a particularly swell collection. All of the images start at just $9.95 ( and many remain at that price ) so if you never owned a piece of original Hollywood memorabilia, buying photographs is a great place to start. Here is a small selection of what will be going up Sunday evening beginning at 8pm EST. 

If you like these images, check out this link to see all of the rest. Viewing is free! Bidding is free, too ( unless you win, then we expect you to pay ). 

Hitchcock didn't trust Edith Head to make sure all of Grace Kelly's safety pins were in place so he's giving Ms. Kelly a once over before they go back to filming the grand ball finale of To Catch a Thief ( 1955 ).

Did Una really faint, or is she faking it? Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray are certainly looking concerned in True Confession ( 1937 ).

Maureen Sullivan is enraptured by Greta Garbo, who doesn't "vant to be alone" in this scene from Anna Karenina ( 1935 )

Warren William ( the dashing Perry Mason of film ) posing with a horse and not Della Street for photographer Irving Lippman

Romance was blossoming between Marian and Shane in Shane ( 1953 ) but off the set, Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur were sharing happy hungry looks over salami sandwiches. 

Jane Russell shimmying all that she has to shimmy in Gentleman Prefer Blondes ( 1953 )

Now here's a very rare photo. Ralph Crane was a photographer for many years for LIFE and TIME magazine and this candid of Debbie Reynolds and Fred Astaire he captured in 1960, when these two actors were behind the scenes during the making of The Pleasure of His Company. Crane photos are very hard to come by, and this one actually appeared in the March 21, 1960 issue of LIFE. We have a reserve price set for it, but it's a low reserve so a good deal can be had!

Robert Wise directs Ruth Roman in a scene from Three Secrets ( 1950 ). "Give me a dying look, Ruthie"

Madge Evans looking lovely in a publicity photo for Espionage ( 1937 ). Who would guess she's a spy?

The principal cast of Brooklyn Orchid ( 1942 ). That's William Bendix with Grace Bradley ( Mrs. Hopalong Cassidy, folks ) clasping him. 

Two cuties enjoying the splendid West....this is before they get lost in the woods. Van Johnson and Esther Williams in Thrill of a Romance ( 1945 ).

Paul Muni and Anne Baxter in Angel on My Shoulder ( 1946 ). Anne is wondering why her sweetheart changed so much....she doesn't realize his body was inhabited by the spirit of a dead gangster!

Ooh, look at those dark eyes of Nils Asther, and can you believe that's Walter Huston he is glaring at? Kay Francis looks unimpressed. Storm at Daybreak ( 1933 )

Mildred Natwick is posing as "the witch" in this rare publicity photo from The Enchanted Cottage ( 1945 ).

Kindly Angela Lansbury certainly knew how to play vixens when the part called for it. Here she is with Keenan Wynn and Ethel Barrymore in Kind Lady ( 1951 ).

This is a fabulous photograph from Down to Earth ( 1947 ) taken by that marvelous still photographer Ned Scott. That's Larry Parks and Rita Hayworth standing center stage. 

My favorite Legionnaire...Errol Flynn! Olivia de Havilland is giving him google eyes while he issues orders to the entrapped soldiers and their families in The Charge of the Light Brigade ( 1937 ).

Hollywood's youngest grandmother, in a candid with her daughter. Can you believe Lenore Lombard is only 30 here? Her daughter was expecting a baby at the time. This was taken on the set of Johnny O'Clock ( 1947 ).

During the wrap party for Anastasia, Cary Grant stopped by to wish Ingrid Bergman the best of luck. What a gentleman. Can you guess who that blonde is behind Grant?

George Sanders was such a dashing actor. Here, he is sharing a concerned look with Alan Napier, wondering about the killer roaming loose in Hangover Square ( 1945 ).

Johnny Weissmuller, sans Cheetah, in Savage Mutiny ( 1953 ), one of the many Jungle Jim films Weissmuller made in the 1950s. 

"Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me"....Robert Taylor is intent on doing all three to Greta Garbo in this publicity photo from MGM's Camille ( 1936 ).

Hard to believe, but that's Helen Hayes tapping toes with an unknown gentleman. This was taken during her Ziegfeld Follies days. 

Silverbanks Pictures holds auctions on eBay every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday night, usually starting around 8-9pm EST. Be sure to check out our other photos if you miss this auction! 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame ( 1949 )

" Like a hotdog covered with mustard, Or an amateur hometown play, Like a circus parade or lemonade, It's strictly USA. " 

These are the lyrics to just one of the many exuberant songs to be heard in Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's baseball themed musical of 1948. 

Bobby-sox idol Frank Sinatra, and the star of the tap field, Gene Kelly, were a great pair of sailors in Anchor's Aweigh ( 1945 ), and so they teamed up again for this outing ( or should I say "inning"? ) on the baseball diamond, this time donning the knickers and knee-highs of ballplayers. When they aren't leading their team, the Wolves, to victory, they're singing and dancing on stage as vaudevillians. Eddie O'Brien ( Gene Kelly ) feels the greatest thrill when he has an audience to entertain, whereas Denny Ryan ( Frank Sinatra ) finds nothing as absorbing as a baseball game.....that is, until K.C. Higgins ( Esther Williams ), the shapely new manager of the Wolves, comes along and sends his heart flying out of the ballpark. 

MGM loaded the bases for Take Me Out to the Ballgame with a stellar cast, gorgeous Technicolor, and memorable songs by Adolph Green/Roger Edens/Betty Comden, but the film fails to make a true home run. 

Esther Williams gave an adequate performance as Miss Higgins but she failed to make a splash ( not surprisingly since she didn't have a pool to swim in ). Judy Garland could have done wonders with the part. Also, this project was Busby Berkeley's last full assignment as director and, while he directed it with his customary flair, the script he had to work with could have featured less romance and more baseball fun. However, there are a few curve balls thrown in that give it an added punch ( Kelly does an especially rousing tap sequence to "The Hat Me Dear Old Father Wore" ) and it offers a wonderful foretaste of the fun to be had in On the Town, released just four months later. 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame was a box-office success upon its release and it was because it did so well that the big brass at MGM gave Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly the green light for On the Town, Kelly's directorial debut. All three of the Sinatra-Kelly films were made within the "Arthur Freed Unit" at MGM and really showcased the wonderful talent that the studio had during the late 1940s. Helen Rose and Valles created some eye-popping turn-of-the-century costumes and the production design was top-notch. 

Also cast in the film were Betty Garrett ( who reprised her man-hungry role in On the Town ), Jules Munshin, Edward Arnold, and Tom Dugan. Keep your eyes peeled for an uncredited appearance by Danny Kaye too, he's reading a newspaper on board the train. 

Nugget Reviews - 19

If You Knew Susie ( 1948 ) 14k

A show business family retires from the stage in the hopes of opening a restaurant in a small village in New England but find themselves snubbed by the locales for their lack of an illustrious forefather. When they find that a letter from George Washington expressing his debt to their ancestor, the town accepts them - and the billions of dollars that the US government supposedly owes them! Eddie Cantor, Joan Davis, Allyn Joslyn, Bobby Driscoll. RKO Pictures. Directed by Gordon Douglas.

Eddie Cantor rolls his eyes and friskily skips about in this delightful outing with comedienne Joan Davis, riddled with some fine one-liners and plenty of vaudevillian humor. They were such a great team in Show Business it's no wonder they were reunited for another picture. Keep your eyes out for Bobby Driscoll and Margaret Kerry ( as their children ). These two talented youngsters later worked together in Walt Disney's Peter Pan with Driscoll voicing and modelling for Peter and Margaret modelling for Tinkerbell. 

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Artists and Models ( 1955 ) Elct. 

An artist and his roommate try to break into the booming comic book industry after meeting a famous comic illustrator and her creation - "Bat Lady".  Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Dorothy Malone, Shirley MacLaine. Paramount Pictures. Directed by Frank Tashlin. 

The Martin and Lewis films rarely featured memorable plots ( or the scripts to enhance them ) but this one seemed particularly lacking in direction...at least for the first hour. Its splendid Technicolor, the peek into the comic industry of the 1950s, and Dino's songs redeem it somewhat, but on the whole it is an embarrassing entry in the comedic duos string of films with about twenty minutes of plot stretched to two hours. Kathleen Freeman, who had small parts in twelve different Jerry Lewis movies, plays a sour landlady. 

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Stowaway ( 1936 ) 14k

When invading armies attack a Chinese village, the young ward of a missionary family gets sent to Shanghai to safety. En route she meets an American playboy who takes to her fondly and becomes a stowaway on his ship. Shirley Temple, Robert Young, Alice Faye, Eugene Palette, Helen Westley. 20th Century Fox. Directed by William A. Seiter. 

Stowaway is not considered one of Shirley's most famous films, but - when compared to her classics Heidi and The Little Princess - I find it much more entertaining, especially since it is set in an exotic location - the Orient. Only the ending of the picture disappoints. Shirley Temple plays her usual oochie-coochie self in this Asian outing, save for a few Chinese proverbs tossed into her repertoire, while Alice Faye is lovely as ever, singing a great song - "Goodnight, Sweetheart". Robert Young was such a clean-cut young man during the 1930s, it is very difficult to believe him to be a wild playboy - especially since his parts with Shirley are so wonderful - however, Young did have problems with alcohol later in life, so perhaps he did enjoy an extra slug or two in his youth. 

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Father Goose ( 1964 ) 18k

An alcoholic island hopper gets blackmailed into accepting a job as a Navy coast watcher. He then - unwillingly - rescues a diplomat's daughter and the seven schoolgirls she is escorting. In spite of their hatred for each other, they try to work together until a rescue plane could come to their aid. Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard. Universal Pictures. Directed by Ralph Nelson.

Cary Grant takes his ten fine toes and wiggles them in the sand with ease for his role of the boozy beach bum, Walter. Years later, Grant claimed that this part was the most natural for him to play. Cary Grant wanted Audrey Hepburn to play the part of the French diplomat's daughter but she was already committed to My Fair Lady, which ironically, Cary Grant had turned down the lead in ( Henry Higgins ) in favor of this role. Leslie Caron did a great job on her own. Beautiful location filming and a highly entertaining script make this an all-around winning comedy. 

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On an Island with You ( 1948 )  14k 

A Hollywood star finds herself kidnapped by a navy officer and taken to a secluded island for the sole purpose of having one dance. Of course, she falls in love with him after that dance. Who can resist Peter Lawford in dress uniform? Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante, Cyd Charisse. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. Directed by Richard Thorpe.

After watching an Esther Williams film one can't help but have a lingering smile on the heart, it must be all that Technicolor, water, sand and rumba music. This outing to the "islands" ( filmed at Cypress Gardens, Florida ), has some particularly good hip-swinging music and a great overall look but lacks an engaging script. Even with all the right elements and a great cast, if it ain't got that zing, it ain't got that zing! It's a good Saturday night picture nevertheless. 

The Million Dollar Mermaid's Wedding Photos

Our exclusive feature of the month - Esther Williams wedding photos! Oh you lucky people you. It isn't every movie blog that would hire a photographer to travel back in time to get some exclusive photos for their readers, but that's exactly what we did ( if you'd like to imagine that ). Our chief photographer Peabody Snappit took a trip in the Wayback Machine and captured these lovely images of the wedding of Esther Williams and her first husband...and second...and third...and fourth. 


Actually, he couldn't find any pictures of her first husband, Leonard Kovner, so Van Johnson was kind enough to step into his place for a few ( reluctant ) snapshots. We don't know how Lucy got wind of the event. 

Esther Williams and second husband Ben Gage, a fun-loving ex-big band singer. They were married between 1945 and 1959 and had three children together. In that first photo he bears a striking resemblance to our grandfather, but I can't even doggy-paddle so we surely are not related to Esther Williams. MGM's big boss Louis B. Mayer thought of Gage as "an idiot, a moron, an asshole". He must of lived up to that description too because he left Esther up to her neck in debt when they separated. 

Esther Williams and Fernando Lamas ( 1969-1982 ). Argentine-born Lamas had previously been married to the rapturous red-head, Arlene Dahl. Esther first met Lamas when they were filming "Dangerous When Wet" but the orange blossoms didn't bloom until 1969. They were married until his death of cancer in 1982.

And lastly, but certainly not leastly...Edward Bell. This lucky fellow knew Esther for 14 years before he popped the question. It was quite a merger too, Mr. Bell played quite a role in making Esther William's swimsuit business what it is today....a million dollar splash!