I first saw this film in 1962 on "Saturday Night At The Movies", and it's a pleasure to see it again now 51 years later! I always remembered it as a "fun film", and it still is.
The story is simple: A college professor (Ray Milland) accidentally invents a liquid that repels wood. He's also a lover of baseball, so decides to become a major league pitcher and use the fluid to stymie the batters on the other team and win the pennant. If he makes enough money, he can marry his sweetheart, the daughter of the college's dean. But, who is this mystery man (remember, in 1949 there were only a million television sets in the whole country). And, on the other hand, why did he disappear from the university? Had he become a gangster? I do have to say a word about the special effects here. Not bad. It's the general effects that are a little pathetic. In a number of the shots of Milland pitching, you can clearly see that he's standing in front of a screen since you see his shadow directly behind him. That's pretty sloppy for a major studio! But aside from that, this is a film to savor for its simple fun. And, there's a pretty decent cast here. Ray Milland is perfect as a professor and not bad as a pitcher...that's believable. Jean Peters is suitable as the fiancée. Paul Douglas (no favorite of mine) is wonderfully likable as the catcher who pals around with the professor; this may be his most engaging role. It's nice to see Ed Begley as the baseball club owner -- I used to like him in lots of television shows. And Ted de Corsia is great as the manager (interesting that they named him Jimmy Dolan). And to round out the cast -- Ray Collins and Jessie Royce Landis, both wonderful character actors.
Of course, one thing not brought up in the film is that Milland's character is clearly cheating. Even the baseball commissioner when the film was made called it that, and refused to allow any participation of any baseball players or stadiums in the filming of the production.
But, that aside, it's still just a good fun movie! Enjoy!
The story is simple: A college professor (Ray Milland) accidentally invents a liquid that repels wood. He's also a lover of baseball, so decides to become a major league pitcher and use the fluid to stymie the batters on the other team and win the pennant. If he makes enough money, he can marry his sweetheart, the daughter of the college's dean. But, who is this mystery man (remember, in 1949 there were only a million television sets in the whole country). And, on the other hand, why did he disappear from the university? Had he become a gangster? I do have to say a word about the special effects here. Not bad. It's the general effects that are a little pathetic. In a number of the shots of Milland pitching, you can clearly see that he's standing in front of a screen since you see his shadow directly behind him. That's pretty sloppy for a major studio! But aside from that, this is a film to savor for its simple fun. And, there's a pretty decent cast here. Ray Milland is perfect as a professor and not bad as a pitcher...that's believable. Jean Peters is suitable as the fiancée. Paul Douglas (no favorite of mine) is wonderfully likable as the catcher who pals around with the professor; this may be his most engaging role. It's nice to see Ed Begley as the baseball club owner -- I used to like him in lots of television shows. And Ted de Corsia is great as the manager (interesting that they named him Jimmy Dolan). And to round out the cast -- Ray Collins and Jessie Royce Landis, both wonderful character actors.
Of course, one thing not brought up in the film is that Milland's character is clearly cheating. Even the baseball commissioner when the film was made called it that, and refused to allow any participation of any baseball players or stadiums in the filming of the production.
But, that aside, it's still just a good fun movie! Enjoy!