Pride of the Yankees The (1942)
Pride of the Yankees The (1942)
Gary Cooper does it again believably plays a real-life hero this time it’s baseball legend Lou Gehrig in this essential biographical drama. His performance earned him his third (of five) Best Actor Academy Award nomination. Teresa Wright received her third consecutive acting Oscar nomination in only her third performance on screen. Though she lost Best Actress to Greer Garson’s Mrs. Miniver (1942) she won the Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in that film. Walter Brennan is his usual excellent self in this Samuel Goldwyn produced Best Picture Oscar nominee; actor Dan Duryea also appears as do Babe Ruth Bill Dickey and several other major league baseball players (as themselves). The film received a bunch of other nominations including for Paul Gallico’s Original Story and its Herman Mankiewicz (Citizen Kane (1941)) & Jo Swerling (his only) Screenplay; it won for Editing (Daniel Mandell’s first of three statuettes). The film’s Special Effects Score Sound and B&W Art Direction-Interior Decoration & Cinematography were also nominated. "Coop"’s Gehrig is AFI’s #25 hero. Gehrig’s real quote "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." was voted #38 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movie Quotes list. #22 on AFI’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies list.
Ranks up there with The Hoosiers, Rudy and Brian’s Song as most inspirational sports movies ever.