Review of The Pride of the Yankees (1942) by Jonny P — 14 Jan 2012

There are a lot of amazing sports movies out there, but few are as moving as "The Pride of the Yankees." Lou Gehrig comes to life in this historically accurate biopic that focuses more on Gehrig's relationships than his sports successes.

It creates a lasting memory of "the man," properly depicting the important relationships with his parents and with his wife. Being released only a year after his death, it created an admiration from the fans who had memories of him fresh in their minds, and continues to do so for those of us who never had an opportunity to see him play.

Although the film only won one Academy Award, it is still fantastic and deserving of its 10 Oscar nominations. Gary Cooper (nominated for an Oscar) was absolutely astounding as this gentle giant, despite his real-life lack of interest in baseball.

Interestingly, he couldn't master a left-handed swing, so the film editors reversed the film negatives and Cooper ran to third base after hitting - very clever. Teresa Wright (also nominated for an Oscar) is equally wonderful with a charming performance as Gehrig's wife.

She is adorable and thoughtful, and any man would be crazy NOT to want her as his wife after this film! Aside from the leads, my favorite characters were Walter Brennan as one of Lou's closest friends, as well as Elsa janssen in the role of Gehrig's strong-willed mother.

She provided a lot of the comic relief while making this character an integral part of Gehrig's upbringing and relationship with his wife. Even more than the film itself, it is so touching that all of these real-life friends of Lou Gehrig came together to be a part of this wondering tribute to their beloved friend.

Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel, Mark Koenig, and Bill Dickey all returned to Yankee Stadium to play themselves, further bringing this story to life. Though Lou Gehrig came to a tragic end, the film honors his life instead of mourning his death with a very fitting ending in this tribute to one of baseball's finest representatives.