Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

Director: Busby Berkeley

Cast: Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly

Synopsis: Despite being key players for the Wolves, baseball players Dennis Ryan and Eddie O’Brien harbour a passion for vaudeville…

It’s difficult to accept Frank Sinatra (The Devil at 4 O’Clock, Assault on a Queen) as a naïve young goof when we know so much about his colourful life and infamous connections, but that’s probably the least of Take Me Out to the Ball Game’s problems.

Usually, because the musical numbers leave very little screen time for plot development, a musical’s story – as lightweight as it might be – zips along between songs. But in Take Me Out to the Ball Game, the storyline about the romantic entanglements between a couple of baseball players – Sinatra and Gene Kelly (Singin’ in the Rain) – and the female owner (Esther Williams) of their team plods along interminably. The songs – apart from the title song and ‘St Patrick’s Day’ – are largely unmemorable.

On the plus side, MGM’s typically high production values are clearly evident, Kelly’s dance sequence during ‘St Patrick’s Day’ is superb, and Betty Garrett provides accomplished support.

(Reviewed 13th February 2002)