Pride of Yankees

WITH
GARY COOPER AND TERESA WRIGHT

How heartwarming to see Gary Cooper's portral of the baseball great Lou Gehrig who became a first baseman for the Yankees. His mother had her heart set on him becoming an engineer like his brother. She felt being involved with baseball was “good for nothing.” Later in the film, she becomes her son's biggest fan. “Pride of Yankees” was not only about baseball but also love. The love between Lou and his mother, the affection and devotion between Gehrig and his wife, Eleanor. In Gehrig's first game with the Yankees, he loses his footing after walking into a row of bats lying on the ground. Miss Eleanor Twitchell says “How's tanglefoot?” Before a world series game, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth told a little boy in the hospital that they would hit a home run (Gehrig—2 home runs) for him. With hard work, that same boy does learn to walk again. This film garnered 11 Oscar nominations including best actor and best actress. There was enormous response of women to this story. This movie was also a story of relationships such as Gehrig's relationship with his parents, his wife, his game, his teammates, Babe Ruth and the press.

Gehrig was left handed while Cooper was right handed. To compensate for this difference, a scene would be filmed with Cooper using his right hand then the negative would be reversed. This technique allowed us to see Gehrig as left handed.

Walter Brennan worked with Cooper as his sidekick on six different films. The Gehrig's last speech to his fans has been considered baseball's Gettysburg Address. While talking to his fans for the last time, Cooper repressed a tear which added an extra dimension to his talk.

Lou Gehrig was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mrs. Gehrig donated a great deal of memorabilia to the museum. In the film, he gave her a bracelet which depicted special events in his illustrious career. This bracelet represented Gehrig's love for his wife and baseball. Mrs. Gehrig willed this bracelet to the museum after she died. During their marriage, Mrs. Gehrig kept a scrapbook of all of her husband's baseball accomplishments. This scrapbook is now in the museum preserved so the pages won't yellow. Also found in the museum is her copy of the film Pride of the Yankees as well as his uniform he wore in 1939, the year he retired.

Lou Gehrig was known not only for his baseball legacy but for the qualities he demonstrated as a man such as courage, modesty, devotion, fortitude, valor, and simplicity. 


I'm Louise and this is my point of view.