Take Me Out to the Ball Game Overview:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) was a Comedy - Musical Film directed by Busby Berkeley and produced by Arthur Freed.

SYNOPSIS

Williams takes over a turn-of-the-century baseball team and comes into conflict with two of the team's best players, Sinatra and Kelly (who take their song-and-dance act on the road in the off-season). But Williams comes to the rescue when Kelly gets involved with gambler Arnold. This was Berkeley's last directorial effort; Kelly and Donen directed the musical sequences, preparing them for On the Town the following year. The title song, "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg," and "The Hat My Father Wore on St. Patrick's Day" are musical home runs.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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BlogHub Articles:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

By The Metzinger Sisters on Aug 9, 2025 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

In 1948, Busby Berkeley was hired to direct the all-American musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game but midway through production he had to withdraw due to health issues. That's when Gene Kelly stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun with a blockbuster! Take Me Out to the Ball Game was the first fil... Read full article


Musical Monday: Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

on Jun 29, 2020 From Comet Over Hollywood

It?s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week?s musical: Take Me Out to the Ball Game... Read full article


Take Me out to The Ball Game (1949)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 17, 2018 From 4 Star Films

There’s something perfectly in sync between Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor so I could never choose another duo over them but Kelly and Frank Sinatra are such wonderful entertainers that they help make this period baseball number a real musical classic even if it has to fall in line behin... Read full article


Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

By Cameron on Nov 16, 2016 From The Blonde At The Film

via: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Out_to_the_Ball_Game_(film) Unless otherwise noted, all images are my own. In the summer of 1946, Gene Kelly and his dance collaborator Stanley Donen got the idea for a musical about baseball set at the turn of the century. They sold their story to MGM and ... Read full article


Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

By Beatrice on Jun 18, 2015 From Flickers in Time

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Directed by Busby Berkeley Written by Harry Tugend and George Wells from a story by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen 1949/USA Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer First viewing/Netflix rental K.C. Higgins: You’re certainly the prettiest shortstop. MGM puts two-thirds of the cast o... Read full article


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Quotes from

Eddie O'Brien: Oh, Miss Higgins! You're the prettiest manager in baseball.
K.C. Higgins: You're certainly the prettiest shortstop.


Shirley Delwyn: [to Dennis Ryan] You bad boy, I've got a good notion to take you on my knee.
Eddie O'Brien: You mean over your knee, don't you?
Shirley Delwyn: I know what I mean.


Eddie O'Brien: How many times have I told you to pick on somebody your size?
Dennis Ryan: There ain't nobody my size.


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Facts about

The idea for the movie was conceived by Gene Kelly, who wanted to pay tribute to the early days of baseball. The movie takes place between 1909 and 1911, as evidenced by Ryan's picture on a new T206 baseball card.
Director Busby Berkeley came up with an imaginative swimming number for Esther Williams and Gene Kelly but Kelly didn't want it in the movie. So instead they did "The Baby Doll" number. Eventually the "Baby Doll" number was taken out of the final film.
Frank Sinatra's career was struggling at the time and this was made during a period when the only time he did well at the box office was when paired with Gene Kelly.
read more facts about Take Me Out to the Ball Game...
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