Nebraska farmer Ronald Reagan (as Grover Cleveland Alexander) wants to be a baseball player so bad he drops the ball on dating pretty Doris Day (as Aimee Arrants), for the big games. This makes father Frank Ferguson (as Sam) reluctant to approve the wedding, but Reagan and Ms. Day are quickly married, anyway. The big event occurs after Mr. Reagan gets hit in the head by a ball; he recovers, but with what the doctor calls "double vision." This on-again, off-again setback eventually drives Reagan to drink, threatening both his career and marriage. Can "The Winning Team" (their marriage) survive?
In "Her Own Story", Day confirmed she and "Ronnie" had a brief, real-life romantic relationship, while they were both between marriages. Interestingly, Day states the future President had a lovely apartment, was a great dancer, and spoke enough to give her the impression he was "a very aggressive liberal Democrat." Their best scenes are with (later in the picture) each other, and with (earlier in the picture) movie family members Mr. Ferguson and young Russ "Rusty" Tamblyn (later residents of "Peyton Place").
"This Is the True Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander," is the film's opening proclamation. It looks more like the studio shoved the early 1900s baseball player's life story into the typical formula film. As usual, the early scenes reveal a lead actor clearly too old for the part, as Reagan is playing a man half his age; this was something more convincingly done by Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart. Unfortunately, you spend the whole film wondering what Reagan's "double vision" problem is, exactly - and, don't expect the film to give you the answer. Day sings a very pretty Christmas song ("Ol' Saint Nicholas").
**** The Winning Team (6/20/52) Lewis Seiler ~ Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Frank Lovejoy, Frank Ferguson
In "Her Own Story", Day confirmed she and "Ronnie" had a brief, real-life romantic relationship, while they were both between marriages. Interestingly, Day states the future President had a lovely apartment, was a great dancer, and spoke enough to give her the impression he was "a very aggressive liberal Democrat." Their best scenes are with (later in the picture) each other, and with (earlier in the picture) movie family members Mr. Ferguson and young Russ "Rusty" Tamblyn (later residents of "Peyton Place").
"This Is the True Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander," is the film's opening proclamation. It looks more like the studio shoved the early 1900s baseball player's life story into the typical formula film. As usual, the early scenes reveal a lead actor clearly too old for the part, as Reagan is playing a man half his age; this was something more convincingly done by Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart. Unfortunately, you spend the whole film wondering what Reagan's "double vision" problem is, exactly - and, don't expect the film to give you the answer. Day sings a very pretty Christmas song ("Ol' Saint Nicholas").
**** The Winning Team (6/20/52) Lewis Seiler ~ Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Frank Lovejoy, Frank Ferguson