Angels In The Outfield (1951)

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Angels In The Outfield (1951)
Topic Started: Aug 23 2008, 09:15 PM (159 Views)
Laughing Gravy	Aug 23 2008, 09:15 PM Post #1
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,070 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	The Pittsburgh Pirates stink. The only reason they're not in last place is 'cause they're in 7th place and haven't quite gotten 'round to it yet. Whoops, they've just lost again -- 8th place, here we come. The manager, Paul Douglas, is a gnarly old grump with a foul mouth (he speaks in garbled soundtrack) with a team full of guys that can't stand him. Even his few friends don't really like the guy. Then, he meets a pretty, young female sportswriter (Janet Leigh) and starts hearing a voice that claims to represent the Heavenly Choir, a team of angel ballplayers who are going to help the Pirates out if the manager can keep his potty mouth shut. (Douglas: "Do you have a lot of ballplayers in heaven?" Angel: "Yes, but not many managers.") Is Douglas crazy? Most people seem to think so, especially nasty-tempered sportscaster Keenan Wynn, who's trying to get Douglas fired. Then, one day, an 8-year-old girl attending a game with the Sisters from St. Gabriel's School for Orphan Girls claims she can see angels standing behind the Pirates in the field. I thought this movie was charming and had all the thrills of a real baseball game (a good game, that is). I got choked up at the end when Douglas is trying to decide whether or not Bruce Bennett should finish the 9th inning. I wanted to sock Keenan Wynn in the beezer myself. What more should you ask for in a movie? Contains a lot of cameos, including Bing Crosby and some well-known ballplayers. May be my favorite baseball movie, as of today.



Laughing Gravy	Aug 24 2008, 09:28 AM Post #2
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,070 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	I've been doing some more thinking about this movie, particularly about a scene in which a protestant minister, a priest, and a rabbi discuss the possible existence of angels, because the question of "faith" is something my friends and I have discussed on several occasions. I'm not even sure where I'm going to go with this, I'm just musing this mo'nin'. I guess what the film made me think about was that nobody needs to "prove" the existence of angels. "Proof" is the antithesis of faith, isn't it? I believe in angels, by the way. I've known a few, actually. Sometimes I recognized them as angels, sometimes I didn't. They are angels just the same.



WranglerRory	Oct 15 2008, 05:24 PM Post #3
Balcony Gang Posts: 14 Group: Members Member #671 Joined: October 8, 2008	A lot of the outdoor scenes were shot on the streets of Pittsburgh, and the baseball action in Forbes Field. Bing Crosby must have made some connections, because he owned part of the Pirates at the time. The little girl in it is funny, not sickening sweet.


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