Take me out to the ball game

To keep themselves occupied during the off season, Wolves baseball players O’Brien and Ryan (Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra) moonlight as a song and dance team, much to the chagrin of more dedicated players on the team such as Goldberg (Jules Munshin). When training begins for the new season, they are surprised to learn that the new coach - K C Higgins, is keen to take a more active role in coaching. Fearing the worst, O’Brien and Ryan are pleasantly surprised to learn that the new coach is an attractive woman (Esther Williams) who knows her way around the baseball field. Friendly rivalry rears its head as the two friends both fall for the new coach, but eventually she must decide on one, and does so by choosing O’Brien. All is not lost for Ryan either, who finds himself in the arms of Shirley. O’Brien and Ryans love for vaudeville could be the undoing of the teams success however, as O’Brien is approached with a bribe by Gambler Joe Lorgan (Edward Arnold) to ditch baseball for the entertainment industry. Musical numbers staged by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. Cast also includes Betty Garrett, Edward Arnold and Jules Munshin.

Credits

Directed by
Busby Berkeley
Written by
George Wells
Cast
Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Esther Williams, Betty Garrett, Douglas Fowley, Jules Munshin, Gordon Jones, Edward Arnold, Henry Kulky, Dick Lane, Sally Forrest, William Tannen, Murray Alper
Produced by
Arthur Freed
Cinematography
George J. Folsey
Music
Roger Edens
Edited by
Blanche Sewell

Sources

  1. 16mm Filmography (legacy record) — title, description, catalog record
  2. Wikidata · Q2530954 ↗ — year, creator, length, color, country, genre, credits