The Pride Of The Yankees

D: Sam Wood

RKO (Samuel Goldwyn)

US 🇺🇸 1942

128 mins

Biopic/Drama

W: Jo Swerling & Herman J. Mankiewicz

DP: Rudolph Maté

Ed: Daniel Mandell

Mus: Leigh Harline

Gary Cooper (Lou Gehrig), Teresa Wright (Eleanor Gehrig), Walter Brennan (Sam Blake), Dan Duryea (Hank Hannerman), Elsa Janssen (Mom Gehrig), Ludwig Stossel (Pop Gehrig), Babe Ruth (himself)

A biopic of Lou Gehrig, a professional New York Yankees baseball player, who died at the age of 37 due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which later became better known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”.

Gary Cooper delivers a fantastic performance as Gehrig, whilst Teresa Wright is excellent as his wife, Eleanor.

The mid-section of the film does get a little too bogged down in the personal aspects of Gehrig’s life, his romance and home life with his family, where the opening act focuses more on his career achievements.

Despite the narrative snag, it’s worth a watch for Cooper’s superb performance, especially with his iconic closing speech which is an all-time classic cinematic scene.

8/10