Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

Gene Kelly: Eddie O'Brien

Photos 

Quotes 

• Eddie O'Brien : Denny talks about you in his sleep. He keeps waking me up. Like, last night, for instance, all of the sudden he woke up yelling, "Slide, Katherine, Slide!"

  K.C. Higgins : Denny even dreams baseball.

  Eddie O'Brien : He wasn't dreaming about baseball.

  K.C. Higgins : Well, how do you know?

  Eddie O'Brien : Because when I leaned over to wake him up he embraced me. Like this! And then he kissed me. Like this.

  [kiss] 

• Eddie O'Brien : How many times have I told you to pick on somebody your size?

  Dennis Ryan : There ain't nobody my size.

• Eddie O'Brien , Dennis Ryan : [singing]  Keep your seats, hold your hats, It's not the finish of the show! The love scene must be played out, Before the final fade out.

  Eddie O'Brien : Sinatra gets Garrett.

  Dennis Ryan : Kelly gets Williams.

  Eddie O'Brien , Dennis Ryan : For that's the plot the author wrote! So, turn this duet, into a quartet, And end it on a happy note...

• Eddie O'Brien , Dennis Ryan , K.C. Higgins , Shirley Delwyn : [singing]  It's strictly USA

  Eddie O'Brien : Take Judy Garland.

  Dennis Ryan : Take Kathryn Grayson.

  Shirley Delwyn : Take Mr. Crosby!

  K.C. Higgins : Or Fred Astaire!

• Eddie O'Brien : I've been behaving like an idiot, haven't I?

  K.C. Higgins : Yes, you have.

• Shirley Delwyn : [to Dennis Ryan]  You bad boy, I've got a good notion to take you on my knee.

  Eddie O'Brien : You mean over your knee, don't you?

  Shirley Delwyn : I know what I mean.

• Eddie O'Brien : Oh, Miss Higgins! You're the prettiest manager in baseball.

  K.C. Higgins : You're certainly the prettiest shortstop.

• Dennis Ryan : Why, I could have knocked the big lug for a loop! It's just that - well, I didn't want to hurt my hands.

  Eddie O'Brien : Oh, sure.

  Dennis Ryan : Well, you don't want me to show up to Spring Training with a busted hand, do ya?

• Dennis Ryan : Gee, it's gonna be great to be back in that ol' ball game again! I can hear the umps now, "Batteries for the day, Rube Waddell and Ossee Schreck." Kinda chokes you up, doesn't it.

  Eddie O'Brien : [sarcastically]  Yeah, it chokes me. When I think of all the dames I lost cause I had to be in bed by ten o'clock.

  Dennis Ryan : Play a lot of checkers by ten o'clock.

  Eddie O'Brien : No, sir, brother. Give me vaudeville, any time. And maybe a musical show: Fifty girls, fifty. Maybe even a hundred girls, a hundred. Oh, boy!

  Dennis Ryan : Gee, I suppose it would be more fun than playin' checkers.

• Eddie O'Brien : [two girls walk past]  Hey, they smiled at us. Let's go talk to them.

  Dennis Ryan : We don't even know them.

  Eddie O'Brien : But, I feel like talking. I'm a very sociable fellow!

  Dennis Ryan : Well, eh, let's go talk to those fellows over there.

  Eddie O'Brien : Denny, it ain't the same.

• Eddie O'Brien : Now, look baby doll, just put yourself in my hands.

• K.C. Higgins : Aren't you ball players supposed to be in training?

  Eddie O'Brien : Training? Who me? I don't believe in it.

  K.C. Higgins : You don't say. Well, what time do you usually get in?

  Eddie O'Brien : Well, we're supposed to be in by ten o'clock. But, well, it's all right for the other fellas; but, I usually get in about midnight - except, of course, when I have an extra special date and then I get in about two or three. Tonight, I could stay out till five.

  K.C. Higgins : Really? Won't Mr. Gilhuly get mad?

  Eddie O'Brien : Well, what I always say is, what the boss doesn't know, doesn't hurt me.

• Eddie O'Brien : Remember this time last season, we were playing Scranton. Great town. Great town! Anyways, there's a dame there named Maxine who's kinda sweet on me. Very refined, artistic little chick, with plenty on the ball.

• Eddie O'Brien : Denny, this is it. If she's a dame, she wants romance. And she's a dame. Denny, here's your chance. A touch of the hand, a subtle caress, a few tender little nothings whispered in the moonlight. Denny, it's up to you.

  Dennis Ryan : But, I don't know any tender little nothings, Ed.

  Nat Goldberg : It's been my experience the athletic type girl, like Higgins, might go for the cave man approach. Like this, "Come here! Err - Err. Errr! And wham!" Handle her rough, Denny.

• Nat Goldberg : Hey, the kid's all right.

  Eddie O'Brien : Yeah. It's gonna be a gay, social season.

• Eddie O'Brien : Don't spoil it?

  K.C. Higgins : Spoil what?

  Eddie O'Brien : Well, eh, the whole picture. The moonlight on the ocean and the garden and the night and you on a balcony.

  K.C. Higgins : Why, Mr. O'Brien, you're very poetic for a Shortstop.

• Eddie O'Brien : Call me Edward.

  K.C. Higgins : Edward.

  Eddie O'Brien : By the way, what'll I call you? Miss K.C. Higgins? What does the K stand for?

  K.C. Higgins : Katherine.

  Eddie O'Brien : Katherine. That's nice. What does the C stand for?

  K.C. Higgins : Catherine!

• Eddie O'Brien : What's the matter? Didn't you like it?

  K.C. Higgins : I don't like to mix clowning with baseball.

  Eddie O'Brien : Maybe I ought to give up the baseball and stick to clowning.

• Nat Goldberg : What are you running away for? What's the matter with you?

  Eddie O'Brien : She just wants to mother ya.

  Dennis Ryan : What? With a whip in her hand? Are you crazy or something?

• Eddie O'Brien , Dennis Ryan , Slappy Burke , K.C. Higgins , Shirley Delwyn , Party-Goers : [singing]  Look away, look away, It's a lovely day today in the USA! Like a great big strawberry short-cake, Or a turkey on Thanksgiving Day, Like the Fourth of July or apple pie, It's strictly USA, Like a hot dog covered with mustard...

• K.C. Higgins : [singing]  Back East it's "Hey, Bud!"

  Dennis Ryan : Down South it's "Hi Ya'll!"

  Shirley Delwyn : Cowboy's say "Howdy!"

  Nat Goldberg : Injuns say "How!"

  Eddie O'Brien : No matter where you meet folks, It's the real American way of greetin' folks...

• Dennis Ryan : Katherine is beautiful. She's smart.

  Eddie O'Brien : And she's got a great throwing arm.

  Dennis Ryan : A great throwing arm. You just don't look any further. Remember that night we saw her swimming in the pool? Remember?

  Eddie O'Brien : No.

  Dennis Ryan : No, he says. In that gold bathing suit. Mmmm. Hey, you're droolin'. Yeah, but, Shirley's my type. Yeah, she's kinda timid and sorta shy. You should have seen me sweep her off her feet. That's what they like: the rough stuff. Yesiree. You gotta treat 'em rough. Cave man stuff! Yeah, they like that cave man stuff.

• Dennis Ryan : So, she hits me over the head with her own club. Slings me over her shoulder. Carries me out of the cave into the woods.

  Eddie O'Brien : And what'd you do?

  Dennis Ryan : I don't know. I was unconscious.

  Eddie O'Brien : You dope. You missed the best part of the dream.

  Dennis Ryan : You think so?

• K.C. Higgins : Maybe you're getting restless. You should relax more. Get out and just bust out! You know? I really think it would do you some good. Get yourself a girl maybe and just - bust out!

  Eddie O'Brien : And what girl am I gonna - bust out with?

  K.C. Higgins : Well, I don't know. But, well if you can't find one, there's always me.