The Stratton Story (1949)

8/10

bkoganbing5 July 2005

Warning: Spoilers

In everyone's list of the top 10 baseball films ever made are usually the Pride of the Yankees and the Stratton Story. No coincidence I think that neglected director Sam Wood is responsible for both.

James Stewart's biggest commercial post World War II hit was this gem of a film. It marked a return to his pre-war studio of MGM and in marked the first of three teamings with June Allyson.

Monte Stratton was a promising young pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in the late Thirties. An off-season hunting accident cost him a leg because in his very rural part of Texas, medical help was not readily available. But that did not keep him down.

The film has a nice baseball feel to it, no doubt helped like in Pride of the Yankees by the appearance of several ballplayers. Bill Dickey of the Yankees for one and long time Chicago White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes for another. The White Sox in the thirties were pretty much a middle rank team in the American League with two franchise players, shortstop Luke Appling and pitcher Ted Lyons, both now in the Hall of Fame. Actors Dean White and Bruce Cowling play both respectively and well.

Two other fine veterans round this cast out. Agnes Moorehead in a kinder gentler version of the rural farm wife she played in Citizen Kane is Stratton's mother. And Frank Morgan does very well as down and out baseball veteran Barney Wile who scouts Stratton and sees him as a meal ticket to get back in the big leagues.

The chemistry of Stewart and Allyson was discovered here and they made this film the hit it was and deserved to be. A truly inspiring story told here.

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8/10

Stewart Elevates This Baseball Story

ccthemovieman-120 March 2007

This was a nice baseball story, nothing exceptional but Jimmy Stewart's presence in the title roll elevates the movie.

Jimmy looks a bit old to be playing a rookie pitcher, and he doesn't throw like a professional, but at least he isn't pathetic in that regard like some of the other classic-era actors who attempted to do so (you know who they are). They faked enough of the pitching scenes here to get away with Stewart's baseball shortcomings.

Anyway, it's just as much a human-interest story as it is a baseball movie, the story of "Monty Stratton" (Stewart) and his girlfriend-then-bride "Ethel," played warmly by June Allyson. She and Frank Morgan, who plays the scout to discovers Monty, are excellent as the two other main actors of the film. In a supporting role, Agnes Moorehead gives her normal competent performance as Monty's mom.

On my second viewing I was surprised to discover that the key part of the film - the part which identifies this story as different from others - doesn't occur until the last third of the film. Then, after that, we see how a difficult and traumatic physical loss affects everyone and whether Monty can return to his baseball passion.

Overall, it's an entertaining film if you are a fan of Stewart's work, or a big baseball fan and most people fall into at least one of those categories. If remade today, I would suspect the script would be a little tighter, but stories were told slower 50 years ago and one has to expect that. I'm not complaining. I've enjoyed the movie both times I've watched it, and the DVD transfer is very good.

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7/10

Stewart and Allyson Hit It out of the Park

wes-connors13 August 2007

James Stewart and June Allyson look twice as old as the roles they are playing! Still, "The Stratton Story" is enjoyable. In the early scenes, Mr. Stewart's frame, and natural acting style, make him somewhat believable as a boy interested in baseball. Ms. Allyson doesn't try to play too "girlish"; instead, she wisely acts her part as a woman complimenting (by being in love with) Stewart's character.

Allyson, and her character, save the film the moment she appears, the focus is on the pair's relationship, and not on baseball. The Stewart/Allyson relationship is really what makes the film work, I thought -- the Stewart character could have been a golfer, doctor, whatever The scenes beginning with Stewart and Allyson in separate beds, backs turned, and unable to sleep, have an understated dignity.

Stewart and Allyson's nice performances are enhanced by: Frank Morgan, aka "The Wizard of Oz"; and Agnes Moorehead, Endora from "Bewitched". The later baseball scenes are more realistic, and fun to watch. It's strange to see the older baseball style; today, many of the players would be pumped up with steroids. I wish the sport would return to being more based on fun and skills.

Love is not something a surgeon can cut.

******* The Stratton Story (1949) Sam Wood ~ James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan

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"I guess I started my slide too soon!"

slymusic18 July 2006

Warning: Spoilers

James Stewart's career in motion pictures was in a terrible slump during the late 1940s, and "The Stratton Story" was the movie that saved him. The subject of this film is one of America's favorite pastimes: baseball. Based on the true story of pitching legend Monty Stratton (played by Stewart), "The Stratton Story" is truly a pleasant, touching movie. The major climax occurs when Monty, while hunting with his dog Hap, trips and accidentally discharges a bullet in his right leg, forcing an amputation in order to save his life. After a period of despondency, Monty finally has the courage to move forward. He straps on an artificial leg and, with the sincere encouragement of his family and friends, resumes an inspirational pitching career.

The cast of "The Stratton Story" could not have been better. The hard-working James Stewart is superb as the equally-hard-working Monty Stratton, whether it be on the farm or on the pitcher's mound. (Monty Stratton himself, serving as technical adviser on the film, met with Stewart every morning to help improve his pitching, and Stewart proved to be a great pupil.) June Allyson is wonderful as Monty's sweet-natured wife Ethel. When she first meets Monty on a blind date, she expresses absolutely no interest in baseball, so it does not appear to be a match made in heaven. But she soon realizes that Monty is a pleasant young man of strong moral character, and she decides she cannot be without him. Throughout Monty's rise to fame and his eventual hardship, Ethel proves to be a very loving, encouraging, and supportive wife. Frank Morgan is terrific as the lovable Barney Wile, a down-on-his-luck former big-league catcher who finds a hot new prospect in sandlotter Monty. Barney decides to lay off the bottle and work with Monty all winter long in smoothening out his pitching so that Monty will be ready for the big leagues. Barney eventually becomes a friend of the family and rekindles his baseball career as a pitching coach. Agnes Moorehead was the perfect choice to portray Monty's widowed mother. She, like Ethel, originally believes that Monty is completely wasting his time on the baseball field, surmising that farm life would serve him much better. But once she accepts her son's choice of career and meets Ethel, she could not be any prouder of her son, hence she does away with her close-mindedness and treats Monty, Ethel, & Barney like royalty.

My favorite moments from "The Stratton Story" include the following. Monty surprises Ethel when he starts dancing with her and doing quite well at it (the "press interviews" he kept telling her about secretly turned out to be dancing lessons). Ethel reads Monty's press notices while Monty playfully pitches balls of socks at her. Monty's mind is clearly not on the game when he learns that Ethel had a baby boy. In probably the most heartwarming moment of the film, Monty straps on his prosthetic leg and takes his toddler son out for a walk in the backyard; the sight of both father and son learning to walk together is quite a joy for Ethel and Ma. And after Monty regains his spirit and becomes used to his artificial leg, Ethel helps him get his pitching arm back into shape.

Directed by Sam Wood, "The Stratton Story" was a big hit, just what James Stewart needed to revitalize his career. It is a movie about overcoming a severe physical hardship in order to pursue a dream, and Monty Stratton did just that!

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7/10

"I guess I shot the wrong rabbit."

utgard149 May 2014

Highly entertaining biopic about baseball pitcher Monty Stratton (Jimmy Stewart). Stratton is on his way to becoming one of the major leagues' best pitchers when he loses a leg in a hunting accident. It looks like his career is over. But with the support of his loving wife (June Allyson), Monty begins to pitch again. First of three movies that paired Stewart and Allyson. They're both terrific. Good support from Frank Morgan and Agnes Moorehead. Also some nice work from real-life baseball players like Bill Dickey and Jimmy Dykes. The baseball parts are fun to watch and contrast the old with the new. The sport is a shadow of its former self today. Anyway, this is one of those fine uplifting biopics Old Hollywood did so well. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

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7/10

In there pitching...

Lejink1 January 2008

Baseball means little to me, living in Scotland, so it was with some ignorance of the sport's finer points that I approached this lesser known James Stewart vehicle. Whilst ball-game live-action, with some real-life baseball personalities in the cast, does play a major part in the movie, the underlying story is simply a true tale of overcoming unexpected adversity, a prototype role Stewart delivered time and again in his distinguished career. Following on from the above, Monty Stratton as a sporting hero means nothing to me so I have no idea how far Hollywood bowdlerised the story, so I'll take the narrative at face value and give kudos where they are due to a well-paced film, with natural dialogue and well-crafted scenes, even the baseball match recreations. Stewart's "pitching action" looks natural and he acts his disability convincingly. The Stewart/Allyson pairing gets its first outing here and their natural playing and obvious simpatico from the start has you rooting for them both all the way through. The support is equally strongly played, particularly Agnes Moorehead playing her stock-in-trade "Whistler's Mother" come to life. The direction by Sam Wood is sure and I particularly appreciated the sensitivity shown in the lengthy scenes where Stewart initially broods and gives in to the loss of his leg before Allyson, in a memorable scene, encourages him to fight his disability and helps him achieve his self-respect as well as his place back at the pitching mound. In the main though, as ever, it's Stewart in all his drawling, winking, glory who garners your sympathy from the "Play ball" of a very entertaining family film. It's interesting too, to see his playing of the Stratton part as the unwitting precursor to his more celebrated part as an invalid in the later classic "Rear Window".

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7/10

the Stewart charm

SnoopyStyle16 March 2021

It's the biopic of Chicago White Sox pitcher Monty Stratton (Jimmy Stewart). He was recruited by former drunken manager Barney Wile. He enchants Ethel (June Allyson) with his sincere earnestness and charming goodness. He's a rising star for three years before he loses his right leg in a hunting accident.

Stewart's charms are legendary and he uses the full arsenal here. His date with Ethel is utterly charming. It sells their relationship right from the start. They are just simply endearing. Essentially, it's a very simple biopic. The second half gets a little long but the closing game is well worth watching. It's a very solid biopic with a lovely couple at its center.

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9/10

Timely Topic for This Film

Piafredux23 September 2006

Made in 1949 - at about the time that WWII veteran amputees were emerging from their VA hospital prosthetics rehab program and thus beginning to appear among the general population - 'The Stratton Story' topic of a man working hard to overcome the wound he suffered was timely, and it helps to explain the film's resonance with the audiences of its day.

Well crafted in all respects 'The Stratton Story,' though certainly a rather fictionalized Hollywood treatment, gives a straightforward, honest look at a man, a farmer, a baseball player, a husband, a father facing his amputation squarely and making the best of himself despite his handicap - and the real Monty Stratton accomplished this feat in the days before every mosquito bite or knee-scrape prompted the callout of armies of professional counsellors. The pairing of June Allyson with James Stewart proved to yield attractive screen power as the two thespians work together very well here in their first effort as a movie couple. The supporting cast give solid performances, though I give special mention to Agnes Moorehead for her restrained, dignified portrayal of Stratton's mother which in the hands of a lesser actress could have been turned into a cliché of the farm-earth-mother.

There's fraught drama here as well as lighthearted and inspiring moments, and none are overindulged or wrung out beyond their intrinsic value. 'The Stratton Story' is a nicely balanced example of forthright cinematic storytelling of a self-reliant man supported unflinchingly by his clear-eyed, plain-spoken family and his baseball fraternity. Over time the film stands up well and it needs no third millennium explication or embellishment; it's fine fare for adults and children alike.

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7/10

Tales of another baseball legend!

mark.waltz18 August 2012

Warning: Spoilers

Director Sam Wood was the man behind "Pride of the Yankees" which told the story of Lou Gehrig. Seven years later, he took on another real-life hero who survived tragedy-Monty Stratton. A farmboy with great talent as a pitcher, Stratton's career took a sudden tragic turn which cost him a leg. Jimmy Stewart adds on another American hero to his career of fictional and real-life men in MGM's touching tale that manages to be inspiring rather than a pale imitation of its predecessor. In their first of three pairings, Stewart and June Allyson are a perfect coupling, while veteran actors Frank Morgan and Agnes Moorehead give excellent performances as the man who discovered Stratton and his hard working mother. Morgan adds humor without being silly, while Moorehead is initially grim, a world-weary character who shows sudden sweetness the moment Stewart marries Allyson and brings her a grandson.

Some real-life ball players make cameos as themselves to offer authenticity. The film manages to be sweet without overdoing the sentimentality, and Allyson doesn't get too teary as she would in later films. She's very peppy in the scene where they play catch after Stewart's hunting accident. This is a feel-good All American story of survival, what Gary Cooper referred to in "The Pride of the Yankees" as a bad break which made him feel the luckiest man alive.

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9/10

True Life Biography of Courageous, Hard Luck Pitcher of The Perrenially Hard Luck Chicago White Sox

redryan6419 June 2007

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Baseball Movies; ah yes, just what could be more American! Ever since the earliest days of the motion pictures as both Business and Art Form, we've had them with us. Some were not so good, whereas most were pretty good and some were truly outstanding.

THE STRATTON STORY has to rank in the uppermost tier when it comes to placement. It is not only in the First Division*, but it also Wins the Pennant! This is one biopic that just had to be made! First of all, a Great Man, my own Dad, the late Clem Ryan, had a saying that, "Truth is Stranger than Fiction." He didn't claim that it was his original, just a favourite. Monty Stratton's real life story was certainly a good example to use.

The cast was excellent both in the choice of Actors to fill the roles. Mr. Stratton,was very much like his movie biographical counterpart, James Stewart. Stratton was listed at 6'6" in height, but weighing a slender 180 lbs. Stewart also used a slow, deliberate manner of speech. He is practical, even economic in not wasting any words needlessly. This may even be an indication of the personality of a man shaped by the life on a farm and dealing with the realities of the Great Depression.

June Allyson and Agnes Morehead provide their best characterizations as the women in Stratton's life; being Wife and Mother, respectively. Miss Allyson is very beautiful, sweet and fragile, and yet demonstrates a strength of character that rises to the occasion when the tragedy strikes her husband. Miss Morehead goes the 'less is better' route by underplaying her part as Stratton's Mother and brings her across firm, loving and kind.

The real life Major Leaguers in the film do adequately in the roles given them, like playing themselves-a not so easy thing to do before an audience or rolling cameras.Pitcher Gene Beardon,Catcher Mervyn Shea and Yankee Great,Catcher and Manager, Bill Dickey, all add a certain authenticity to the story. And long time player and White Sox Manager Jimmy Dykes turns in a yeoman's job in managing before the camera.

It is Frank Morgan, who portrays a former Big League Catcher, now a down and out hobo.Ity is he who discovers the young Monty Stratton and in turn, he finds his own worth as a man and useful person. Now, we just don't know if his character of Barney Wile was a real person or not. Mr. Morgan shows the deep acting talents in bringing the character to the screen. Even in the scenes when he is instructing Baseball Fundamentals, he appears to be a real, old veteran Ball Player who has been through it all.

THE STRATTON STORY is a good example of what a Hollywood can be. Its ilk is timeless and the Film Moguls would do well to give the making of this kind of Movie a try again. They might be surprised at that old Barometer of The Film Business, namely Box Office.

* First Division is a now outmoded Baseball term. In the days before League Expansion, about 1961, both the National League and the Amwercan League had 8 teams each. In reference to the standings First Division meant the teams ranked in 1st through 4th Place. 5th through 8th Place was called Second Division, with the 8th Place team was referred to as being in 'The Cellar'. The First Division Teams also received a share of World Series Money.

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7/10

You can't keep a good man down.

hitchcockthelegend15 May 2015

Monty Stratton (James Stewart) was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in the 1930s. From humble farm yard beginnings he became a top player, but tragedy struck and he lost a leg after a hunting accident. This is his inspirational story.

It is what it is really, a film heavy on sentimentality that is virtually impossible not to warm to. Perfect casting pitches (ahem) Stewart as the homespun Stratton, an American hero who defied the odds to play again the game he loved so much. His wife is played by June Allyson, who at times is a bit too precious, but again it works out as astute casting as the love and support Ethel gives to Monty positively booms out of the screen. This is a couple who are very easy to root for under trying circumstances.

It's not exactly kosher as per the facts, but the essence, the driving spirit rings true. Baseball sequences are well handled by director Sam Wood (see also The Pride of the Yankees 1942), while there's a distinct feeling of respect portrayed by all involved in baseball at the time which is ultimately nice. Agnes Moorehead and Frank Morgan add some solid weight to key characters, and it's nice to find that the writers (Douglas Morrow & Guy Trosper) don't write Stratton as some dumb farm boy in a big man's world.

Easy to like entertainment. 7/10

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10/10

Heartwarming story

MJones413 July 2006

Warning: Spoilers

I love this story, and Jimmy Stewart along with June Allyson are, in my opinion superb. Great supporting cast! The type of movie, that I go back to and watch again and again. Gets the point across without a lot of foul language!

Though it isn't true to fact. I recently discovered, after having watched this movie many times, that he is a cousin to my mother in law.

Mom says Monty had to crawl home after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. Subsequently having to have it amputated above the knee.

He was a pretty nice guy, according to her and they spent time together as kids and young adults. After adulthood, they drifted apart.

If you are a baseball fan and love Jimmy Stewart as I did and want a clean movie to share with your family, then by all means...this one is a keeper.

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7/10

Solid Baseball Film - The Stratton Story

arthur_tafero21 August 2022

Jimmy Stewart does an admirable job in his role as Monty Stratton, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, who had gained some success before a shooting accident that left him an amputee. June Allison plays his faithful wife and Agnes Moorehead his patient mother. The Wizard of Oz is also featured in this film (Frank Morgan). Baseball films can roughly be divided into two types; the sappy and the inspirational. Films like the Babe Ruth Story with William Bendix would fall into the former, while films like Field of Dreams and Pride of the Yankees would fall into the latter. This film is definitely in the inspirational category. Enjoy the story.

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3/10

The movie is unadulterated cornpone

steiner-sam2 March 2022

Warning: Spoilers

It's a baseball romantic drama set in the late 1930s, and is "based on" the experience of Monty Stratton, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox whose career was cut short by a hunting accident that resulted in the amputation of his leg.

Monty Stratton (James Stewart) was a big (6' 5") Texas country boy working the family cotton farm with his mother (Agnes Moorehead) after his father died. An ex-major-league catcher, Barney Wile (Frank Morgan) happens to see Stratton pitch in a local game and believes he has the stuff to be a big-league pitcher. Wile wrangles a try-out with the Chicago White Sox. Stratton impresses enough to get a contract and has a brief tour in the majors. He meets Ethel (June Allyson) and they marry.

Stratton's career goes well for two years, but the accident knocks him for an emotional loop that takes a while to bounce back from. He finally tries a prosthetic leg and teaches himself to pitch again after a fashion. The film closes with Stratton appearing in a semi-pro all-star game.

The movie is unadulterated cornpone that is just another 1940s romance that has little relationship to reality. Most of the baseball images are mediocre, and the dialogue is brimming with clichés. Stewart is his "aw-shucks" worst and June Allyson is overly saccharine.

In real life Stratton did not pitch again until 1946, eight years after his accident. He had two years in the minors (1946 & 1947), with a few additional appearances after the movie came out.

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Uplifting with each viewing

jarrodmcdonald-128 February 2014

Supposedly Jimmy Stewart did not really want to do this film. However, he changed his mind when it was pointed out to him by the bosses at MGM that it would inspire veterans of World War II who had limited mobility. One inspirational scene that occurs is the one where he and his son walk together for the first time. It is complemented nicely by June Allyson who is exceptional and perfectly cast as Stewart's wife (this was the first of three films they made together).

The supporting roles are worth noting, too. Agnes Moorhead refrains from chewing the scenery, in a performance that is very understated as the mother. And this is another film where Frank Morgan plays a paternal role to one of Stewart's characters. Morgan seems very lively in this offering. The game scenes are equally lively, and the film continues to remain uplifting with each viewing.

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7/10

NOT A HOME RUN BUT A SOLID DOUBLE...!

masonfisk13 March 2019

Based on Monty Stratton, a ballplayer who became an inspiration to his family & teammates starring James Stewart, June Allyson & Frank Morgan. Stratton was an up & coming pitcher working his way in the minor leagues when he was discovered by a down on his luck scout who encourages & nourishes his talent enough for him to make a try for the majors. Being irresolutely decent & a family man, Stratton succeeds admirably but never forgets his roots as he continues to support his mother & cousin (who has taken up duties on his farm as a helper) but when a hunting accident (he trips & fires his rifle into his leg) turns life threatening, his leg has to be amputated causing a crossroads to be reached as his doting & understanding wife & his newborn son stand by his side as he makes a return to the baseball diamond. A feel good story to be sure but not as mythical as say The Natural or emotional as the Pride of the Yankees but like any capable baseball unit, it gets the job done.

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7/10

Does anyone notice that Stewart "bends" his prosthetic leg?

diana-222 February 2010

Warning: Spoilers

Don't get me wrong...I like this movie a lot.

But having watched it several times over the years, I never could figure out which leg was amputated and whether it was above or below the knee. Being in the medical field, I am interested in these things...

The reason I can't tell is that after the accident, Stewart bends his knees when he walks, even though he is supposed to have an above-knee amputation. And he does this throughout the last part of the movie...

Let's face it...Jimmy Stewart is so highly regarded that he got away with this. Even the director let this go? Still in all it's a wonderful cast and a nicely-paced story and I do really like this movie! It doesn't really matter what the adversity is, it's the fact that he goes on with his life and tries to get back to baseball. I came away with Agnes Moorehead's line...something like "Monty just seems to be able to figure things out. He's always been that way..." and I'm trying to be that way myself! Ya gotta roll with the punches....

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8/10

An excellent film even if you could care less about baseball

planktonrules7 June 2008

Warning: Spoilers

Considering that this film stars Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson, it certainly should come as no surprise that it's an exceptional and highly entertaining film. They had an excellent chemistry together and you just couldn't help but like their films. STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, THE GLENN MILLER STORY and THE STRATTON STORY were all terrific movies and for old movie fans like myself, they're absolute must-sees.

This movie, like most bio-pics of the era, plays a bit fast and loose with the facts, though the basic story of Monty Stratton is awfully exciting and remains intact. Stratton was a promising pitcher for the White Sox who accidentally shot himself while hunting and as a result had to have his leg amputated. Instead of completely ending his career, in the film he comes back for one more game--an exhibition game and proves he can still pitch. The real story is actually far more impressive, as he actually played a full season in the minor leagues with a prosthetic leg and went 18 and 8! However, Hollywood chose to heighten the drama and lump it all int one game. Not a bad idea as far as building the tension, but what is one game compared to a full season? Still, despite a few short-comings here and there, the film has the usual exceptional acting and scripts you'd expect in such a film. Inspiring, touching and a class act all the way--this is yet another great Jimmy Stewart film from the prime of his acting career.

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8/10

Stewart-Allyson + Baseball History = Surefire Enjoyment

kckidjoseph-130 March 2014

James Stewart brings his patented gusto to this portrayal of real-life pitcher Monty Stratton, who lost his leg in a hunting accident, but refused to give up, wearing a prosthetic leg as he made a comeback (Stratton went on to play in the minors from 1946-53). Stewart's frequent leading lady June Allyson plays his wife, who really did help Stratton make it back. If the movie never quite scales the heights of "Pride of the Yankees," it's not for lack of trying. Old pros Stewart and Allyson lift what might have been corny and even maudlin or predictable to a high level and something we believe and care about. And they deserve extra points for playing characters who were still living (and watching). Not many can do that, and do it well. Schmaltzy but moving and perfect in its own way. (Full disclosure: I still can't get over players who would lay down a bunt with Stratton on the mound.)

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8/10

Before Hollywood took to making "feel good" movies, this is what they made

richard-17875 October 2013

Before Hollywood took to making "feel good" movies, this is what they made: apparently simple stories that were intelligently and not at all simply written, performed by actors who knew how to act so well that, if you don't pay attention, you think they are just "being themselves," whereas they are actually building characters, a little piece at a time.

Yes, James Stewart is the star of this picture, and for very good reason. His Stratton is not a country rube. He's a young man with certain ideas, certain goals, and certain ideals. He's not perfect, and Stewart and his director, Sam Wood - who directed such a variety of masterpieces as the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera, Goodbye Mr. Chips (one of my favorite movies), and For Whom the Bell Tolls - do not sugarcoat that part of his character. Stewart builds a very complete, human individual from a lot of small details. He also looks like a real baseball pitcher on the mound, which amazed me.

Allyson is not one of my favorite actresses, but she is good here, if not at Stewart's level. She doesn't seem cute - nothing like Meg Ryan at her worst, say. She, too, seems real. And when she has to play catch, she doesn't throw like a girl, which is pretty impressive!

You don't have to know a thing about baseball to enjoy this movie, since it actually has very little to do with baseball. It's the story of a fundamentally good man who is badly mistreated by fate, but who rises above that, eventually, not because he is a goody two-shoes, but because he has certain very fundamental values that he will not abandon.

It's not surprising that this movie won the Oscar for best script. The story seems simple, and it is, but it is developed in a very careful, very intelligent way.

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5/10

Tepid as Yesterday's Bath Water

evanston_dad29 August 2023

My favorite movie genre is film noir, and movies like "The Stratton Story" are why. There were filmmakers who finally, after the end of WWII, felt like they didn't have to churn out pro-American propaganda pieces and could instead poke at the open sores on America's psyche left by the war, and those folks made noirs. But then others felt like their mission was to maintain a wholesome, saccharine, and hopelessly bland image of America as a place where no problem was too big for a spunky but sexless dutiful wife like June Allyson to solve, and they made movies like "The Stratton Story."

Seriously, is June Allyson perhaps the least sexually appealing actress in film history? Agnes Moorehead, playing Jimmy Stewart's mom in this, has more sex appeal than she does.

This movie is a snoozer. No surprise that it was directed by Sam Wood, the go-to guy if you wanted a movie that avoided any potential artistic flourish like the plague and felt like it could have been directed by AI, had AI existed back then.

This film managed to become an Oscar winner by virtue of snagging the award for Best Motion Picture Story. I don't even know how they decided that award, since I think the motion picture story award went to the actual narrative treatment upon which a screenplay was based -- how on earth would someone know what was part of the treatment vs. Part of the screenplay when watching the actual film? But whatever. This movie didn't deserve to win any Academy Awards.

Grade: C-

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8/10

Some people just don't know when they are beat.

shell-2621 February 2000

Relax and enjoy this excellent story about a comeback against the odds.

Jimmy Stewart was made to play this small town ball-player who makes it to the big time only see his dreams. Apparently a true story and featuring several bona fide stars of baseball it is a good enough yarn, even for a Limey like me. Fans of Jimmy Stewart will just lap it up.

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My Father Knew Monty

ttrryosborn1 March 2017

I saw this movie many years ago with my father on television. He told me about his experience with Monty Stratton.

My father wanted to be a big league pitcher. He tried his luck with the White Sox in the late l930's. He only got as far as spring training before being sent down to the minors leagues. He liked to say that in the minors he made as much money as a soda jerk, but girls at parties were a lot more impressed with someone who played baseball than with some who made root beer floats.

As a rookie in spring training, My dad was too shy to walk with the veteran ball players to the field. He always walked a distance behind them.

One day, Monty Stratton turned back to him and said that if he wanted to be a big league ball player he had to walk with them.

My dad got to know Mr. Stratton very well that Spring. Years later, after WWII and marriage, my dad met Monty again at a ballgame. They talked and Mr. Stratton told him that Hollywood was going to make a movie about him.

My dad said they couldn't have picked a better man to make a film about.

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8/10

Powerful, moving story

grantss14 June 2016

The true story of Monty Stratton, a Major League pitcher who lost a leg and went back to playing baseball. We see his rise, in the 1930s, to be a world-class pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. In 1938 he loses his leg after a hunting accident and we see his recovery and eventual return to baseball.

Powerful, moving story, well told. Doesn't drift, or get overly sentimental.

Mr Nice Guy, James Stewart, is perfectly cast in the lead role, and doesn't disappoint. Plays the role perfectly. The radiant, always- cheerful June Allyson is perfect as his wife. Good supporting cast.

A lesser-known Jimmy Stewart gem.

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8/10

Sooooooooo Great!

michaelgarykelley199410 July 2019

This is an honest-to-God classic. Such powerful performances. Such a powerful script! There are no words to describe how low filmmaking has come, in 2019, when this kind of film existed, once upon a time.

Gotta love Jimmy Stewart. He and his love interest shine fantastically, here.

And to think, I'm not even a baseball fan. This still remains one of my new favorite finds in movie history.

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