User Reviews

The same year that "Damn Yankees" scored a home run on Broadway, the Shower of Stars TV variety hour made its own foray into baseball territory with this original musical story and popular songs from the world of musical comedy and opera. Tony Martin took a break from hitting the deck at MGM to serenade opera star Marguerite Piazza with a Cole Porter standard while William Frawley and Vivian Vance took a break from Big Red and the Cuban hot tamale on TV to play the coach of the fictional baseball team and his wife, providing the comedy while Martin and Piazza provided the romance. It's your typical musical comedy set up using the songs of various composers of various worlds to tell it's story. So you got about 40-45 minutes of top notch entertainment and another 15 of clever automobile commercials. Nice to see Fred and Ethel doing something else other than arguing or scheming with the Ricardos, and it appears that they are getting along just fine. I too felt the song coming on in this well staged bit of classic TV nostalgia that has something for everyone, not just baseball fans.

Ted Warren (Tony Martin) is an egotistical baseball player for the Brooklyn Hooligans. An opera singer who is mad about baseball buys the team and falls in love with red. Ted thinks she is friendly only as long as he keeps hitting home runs. The Hooligan's coach and his wife William Frawley and Vivian Vance play cupid. Mel Allen plays himself, adding an air of credibility during the filmed baseball scenes. Marguerite Piazza is wonderful as a Brooklyn girl who just also happens to be an opera singer. Her two arias from La Boheme and Carmen are wonderful. Yma Sumac appears too, but she doesn't have much to do. Tony martin is all charm and talent. He really makes the production fun. It's also interesting to see William Frawley and Vivian Vance together, although really they're playing the Mertz's with different occupations. The best part is where the opera singers are watching their first baseball game. The ending is weak, but it's worthwhile watching because everyone puts their all into it.