Reviews (34)

Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig as True Hero
There are movies that involve the audience about the life of its star and there are others that use gimmicks to hide the fact that the audience never gets to look at the star from the inside. In PRIDE OF THE YANKEES director Sam Wood gave us a movie that has already stood the test of time as one of the best movies to come out of Hollywood. The high quality of this film is mostly because of Gary Cooper's startlingly realistic portrayal of a baseball icon whose playing career overlapped the cinematic career of the film icon who played him. The audience sees the man in a way that the fans in the stands could not. Cooper carries the movie in the same way that he carries SERGEANT YORK, by his straightforward radiating of emotion that is often at odds with the face that says one thing but the eyes that say another.
The young Lou Gehrig starts off as a youth loving baseball so much that he has to hide his love from a mother who wants Lou to surpass Uncle Otto as a symbol of success. Lou hears his mother praise Uncle Otto and assures her that he will follow in his footsteps, but his eyes tell another story. In fact, throughout this movie, it is his eyes that speak more eloquently than anything else he can say or do. Lou winds up in Columbia on a scholarship, and during a frat party hazing designed to test his ability to endure a razzing, Lou retreats within himself until he can retreat no more. For the first time in this film, and very nearly for his entire movie career as well, Cooper shows the anger that we all knew lay buried deep. Cooper made a career out of rechanneling emotion into productive ends, and as Lou Gehrig, he can redirect his inner chi into belting baseballs over walls well enough to earn a tryout with the New York Yankees. By this time, the audience is hooked by their caring for a man who combines the best of the American ideals of hard work and talent with the self-effacing that marks most film icons of that time.
Theresa Wright plays first his girlfriend, then later his wife. She is simply wonderful as the cultured girl who falls for the small town hero. They poke fun of each other but the audience knows that what they are really saying is the Real Thing. Theresa Wright knows exactly when to back off and let Cooper be at center stage and when to interact with him to produce some truly stirring moments. There are two scenes that stand out as unforgettable, one with Wright, the other without. The first occurs when Lou has been playing poorly. He has been striking out, dropping easy catches, and running awkwardly. His teammates are puzzled and mix anger with concern. After a loss caused by his poor play, Lou sits on a bench, trying to make sense of a body that had never before betrayed him. As he leans forward to untie his laces, he continues to fall, rolling over onto the floor. His mates pretend not to notice. Lou says nothing but his face tells the audience all that they need to know. The fear that often bubbles just beneath the skin in many of Cooper's movies surfaces, and that fear clicks in the hearts of all. Later, when he has seen a doctor and knows that his illness, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is terminal, he decides to hide this knowledge from his wife who nevertheless has already guessed the truth, but tries to hide that from him. There is a heartbreaking scene in which she tries to raise his spirits by donning a barker's hat and mustache. As she stares at him, she laughs. As she hugs him, her eyes reveal her own torment. Each actor is absolutely convincing in their respective attempts to hide what they know, while pretending all is well.
PRIDE OF THE YANKEES tells a story well-known to anyone who reads the sports pages. It features Cooper in center stage, with a supporting cast including Walter Brennan and Dan Duryea, both of whom interact credibly with him and Ms. Wright. This is more than a baseball bio of a man who hits it big in his game. It is more the story of a giant who continued to hit it big even after the fans have left the stadium.

Nostalgic Eye for the Baseball Guy
I hate people that can't seem to enjoy an old fashioned good feeling movie and call it sacharine because it has a happy ending. Which is why I am a little embarassed to give Pride of the Yankees just three stars. But the truth is that I really had to fight hard to surpress a smile at the level of schmaltz in this film that I didn't recognize when I saw this as a boy.

Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig with a childlike naivete which I know was charming in its day but today it feels like you would have to lock someone up who was his age and still that childlike. And I really did want to play along with the most classic scene in the film but found it funnier than any campy parody I have seen over the years. The little boy in the hospital who is sitting by the radio because the Babe and Lou promised him they would each hit home runs form him. "Little Billy" sits in pajamas in the hospital by the radio. He listens earnestly with a expectant vapid open mouth expression waiting. Its as if his ability to ever walk again hung on the success of that hit. Bottom of the sixth Gehrig disappoints by striking out for his second time in a row still one short of the two promised home runs, you can tell the kid is thinking "Damn" but instead says "Golly"! I am glad I wasn't drinking anything at the time because it would shot through my nose trying to hold back the laugh. Pride of the Yankess does hearken back to simpler times but is perhaps so gentle and guileless it crosses the line into accidental comedy.

However I did very much enjoy the relationship between the two competing sportswriters who mock each others favorite players much like Statler and Waldorf the two old geezers in The Muppet Show. Walter Brennan plays writer Sam Blake who roots for Lou and does a wonderful job. He is so slender of build here he is almost unrecognizable in this role.

I am sure most people will have a fine time enjoying this film and Lou Gehrigs touching farewell speech.

From NY Immigrants' Child to American Legend
This was probably my introduction, and for millions of others, to the legend that is Lou Gehrig. And for so many years, I had Gehrig and Gary Cooper completely confused in my mind--they seemed inseparable. But there's good reason for it: the role of the Iron Horse seemed to be made for Cooper. Gehrig was a low-key, almost self-effacing athlete and person, which was just the type of character that Cooper built his career on. Their sizes were just about the same. Cooper nailed down Lou Gehrig's voice, especially for the famous "luckiest man" farewell speech. Hell, Gary Cooper LOOKS like Lou Gehrig! Maybe my confusion is justified, at least on this subject.

PRIDE OF THE YANKEES is the grand-daddy of all baseball movies. Cooper's performance, as I can't help but keep mentioning, is stellar. Teresa Wright as his wife helps keep the hankies moist but she is also very spunky and strong. Walter Brennan (who also played opposite Cooper in MEET JOHN DOE where John Doe is a semi-pro pitcher) is in a supporting role here but provides desperately needed comic relief.

And perhaps I'm wrong to categorize PRIDE OF THE YANKESS as merely a baseball film. It is about human potential, human frailty, and above all human strength during times of crisis. Lou Gehrig's tragedy occurred during a time of extreme crisis in America, and, I believe, his strong steady public appearances helped the nation through it. PRIDE OF THE YANKEES could easily have been named "Strength of America" in my mind. It's that important a film.

The story of Lou Gehrig and the classiest sports biopic
There are all sorts of little imperfections in the 1943 film "The Pride of the Yankees." The screenwriters rearranged Lou Gehrig's famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium so that the best line, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth," becomes his exit line (it was the second line in his speech with his actual last line being, "So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for"). Gary Cooper had enough problems batting right-handed let alone left-handed like Gehrig, so the actor wore a uniform with "KROY WEN" on the front, ran to third base when he managed to hit the ball, and then they reversed the print. Gehrig is shown wearing his famous number 4 when the Yankees play the World Series, but that happened in 1926 and 1928 while the Bronx Bombers did not start wearing uniform numbers until 1929 (Gehrig batted cleanup and was 4, Babe Ruth batted in front of him and was therefore 3). The film talks about how Gehrig won the Triple Crown on the day he was married but Gehrig won the Triple Crown in the 1934 season, the year after Lou and Eleanor were married in 1933.

But none of that really matters because "The Pride of the Yankees" remains the standard by which all sports biopics, whether of baseball players or anyone else, are judged. Even those who were not weaned and raised on baseball know that the title character is going to die of Lou Gehrig's disease and the film takes full advantage of that foreshadowing: when Gehrig gets into his first game and refuses to come out after being hit in the head by a thrown ball, manager Miller Huggins asks, "What do we have to do to get you out of the game? Kill you?" Irving Berlin's song "Always" becomes a recurring musical theme throughout the film, another reminder of Gehrig's mortality.

In many ways "The Pride of the Yankees" is more of a love story than a baseball theme. It starts off as a rags-to-riches story, where Gehrig's mother (Elsa Janssen) insists her son will be an engineer and does want him wasting time playing baseball. Eventually the fame and money opens her eyes, but then Lou meets Eleanor Twitchell (Teresa Wright) and has a new "best girl." One of the most impressive aspects of this film is how it touches on the two darker sides of the Lou Gehrig story, the friction between his overbearing mother and his society wife along with the strained relationship that developed between Gehrig and Babe Ruth. The film really only touches on these aspects and Ruth, playing himself, is usually a smiling figure when he shows up on screen, except for when Gehrig is eating his new hat and he is listening to Gehrig's farewell speech.

Cooper was nominated for an Oscar for his performance and even though he is rather awkward and a bit old for the role, he captures the essential dignity and class of Gehrig. It makes sense that one American icon is being played by another. Having been nominated of a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for "The Little Foxes" in 1941 she received another nomination in that category in 1942 for "Mrs. Miniver" and also one for Best Actress that same year for "The Pride of the Yankees." Wright won for "Mrs. Miniver" and lost out to Greer Garson for Best Actress (because of the war the Oscars were made of plaster for the first time, but were replaced by "real" Oscars when the war ended). "The Pride of the Yankees" was nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, but only won for Daniel Mandell's Film Editing.

Walter Brennan as sportswriter Sam Blake and Ludwig Stössel as Pop Gehrig provide a lot of the comic relief in the film. Brennan's role is rather low-keyed for him while Stössel has several fine moments where he tries, usually without success, to stand up to his wife. Appearing as themselves are Yankee players Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, and Mark Koenig, and the familiar voice of Bill Stern makes it on screen as well.

Gehrig's tragic death at the age of 38 makes all of his records even more astounding given that his career was cut short. Sportswriter Jim Murray once described the tall, strong Gehrig as a "Gibraltar in cleats," and "The Pride of the Yankees" provides a sense of that. For me the most poignant scene comes before Gehrig enters Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, when he encounter 17-year-old Billy (David Holt), the lame boy in the hospital (Gene Collins) for whom Gehrig hit two home runs in a World Series game in the film's most extended baseball sequence. The irony that Gehrig could inspire Billy to rise up and walk but Fate had conspired to strike down the Iron Horse who played in 2,130 is enough to reduce most of us to tears before Gehrig ever steps to the plate for the last time to talk about how lucky he is.

Courage and Heroism in Perfect Form
"The Pride of the Yankees" is without a doubt one of the best baseball films of all time. Why? Because it isn't just about baseball. It's about a real person seeking that seemingly impossible American dream and capturing it, only to lose it all too soon. Cooper plays Gehrig with so much heart in this film, that the movie almost seems unreal due to the fact that Gehrig was such a good person, both as a human and as a star athlete.

There are few professional athletes in the world who show so much character and so much love to others as Gehrig did. He faced death with honor and courage. He was and is a true hero. If you're looking for an athlete for your children to look up to, pick the "Iron Man of Baseball."

This film does exceptionally well in capturing the heart and soul of Gehrig. It is a great family film and I highly recommend it. Gehrig might have been in Ruth's(and later, DiMaggio's)shadow, but he was so much bigger than these guys. He was honest, hard-working, and approached people long after the cameras were gone.

Add this one to your collection. It's a keeper, even if you don't know the difference between a baseball and a ball of yarn. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

A wonderful movie
When eight-year-old Heidi (played by Shirley Temple) is orphaned, her maternal Aunt Dete (Mady Christians) takes her to live with her gruff and unsociable paternal grandfather, Adolph Kramer (Jean Hersholt). Through her sweetness and love, she brings the Grandfather out of his shell, and back into the company of men. Disaster strikes when Aunt Dete steals Heidi away to be the companion of a rich man's invalid daughter (Marcia Mae Jones). Showing nothing but kindness to all around her, she holds out hope that somehow she will be reunited with her grandfather and all of her friends. [Black-and-white, created in 1937, with a running time of 1 hour, 28 minutes.]

Perhaps a little saccharin compared to today's movies (thank God!), Heidi still has a powerful storyline. Combining rich dialogue with beautiful scenery, this movie even includes a sleigh-chase scene! I must also mention that this movie includes Arthur Treacher (playing Andrews the Butler), one of my personal favorites.

This movie is such a wonderful echo from another time. I must say that I doubt that the Hollywood of today could produce such an uplifting story, full of wonderful values. I have two children (7 and 10), and this was a great movie to watch with them, having nothing objectionable--in fact quite to the contrary. So, if you have children, then I can't recommend this movie enough!

CLASSIC TEMPLE
The classic European tale, done up vehicle for Shirley is an excellent choice for Temple, allowing for a couple of musical routines done as dream sequences. Heidi is an orphan who warms the heart of her bitter grandfather (Jean Hersholt) who has not spoken since his son ran away with a girl. Marcia Mae Jones is touching as the invalid whom Heidi befriends,and Mary Nash is the nasty governess. Mady Christians plays Aunt DeDe, the cruel aunt. Children will love this movie and it's available colorized.

It's Okay....
I didn't see anything totally special or touching about this movie. The Alps don't even look that pretty. If you want to see the best Heidi I suggest watching the 1993 version of it.

Fox owes Shirley Temple and her fans better
I've always loved this movie and was thrilled to get it on DVD but the picture quality is horrendous. This is the worst DVD I've ever seen from a major studio. The colorized version was done back in the 80's before the process was refined and it looks awful. The black and white version is even worse. It looks like someone dragged the film down the street and then transfered it to DVD. Shame on Fox for leaving this version the only one available.

Shirley Temple delivers again!
I thought this was a great make movie of Joanna Spyri's timeless classic Heidi. They got all the characters right, and they at least got the plot right this time. I hope they come out with more books made into movies like this!

Heidi is a little orphan girl left under the care of her isolated Grandfather Adolf Kramer by her neglectful Aunt Didi. Heidi makes the best of staying with her Grandfather and learns to like it. Without knowing, she is bringing the life back into her Grandfather all by just being herself. When both soon learn to love each other, and Heidi gets the town to like her Grandfather again, Didi comes back and sells Heidi to a rich family in Frankfurt, Germany. There, she meets Clara, the invalid daughter of Heir Sessman. Heidi tries to teach her to walk, but she's too afraid, for both of them know that Frauline Rottenmeir the housekeeper doesn't want Clara to get better. The old woman makes Hiedi's stay there even worse by threatening her, and even smashing both Clara's, and Heidi's breakable Christmas presents. Heidi must get back to the Alps of Switzerland fast or else she'll sold to the Gispsies by evil Rottenmier.

Shirley Temple was a great actress for Heidi. If they tried, they couldn't get a better Heidi. She delivers all the time. The noly movie I don't recommend with her in it is the Blue Bird. That was boring as heck. I do recommend Curly Top though, and Wee Willy Winky. Those are both classics along with Heidi. Instant 5 stars! ... Read more

Amazon.com

With a little too much leisure, but no lack of pageantry, this love story for the ages (part of Columbia's informal Song series that began with the 1945 Chopin bio-pic, A Song to Remember) concerns the marriage of composer Robert Schumann (Paul Henreid) and Clara Wieck Schumann (Katharine Hepburn). The latter, a concert pianist with a thriving career, gives it all up to support her husband's artistic efforts, but after years of heartbreaking disappointments he ends up dying in an asylum, leaving behind seven childrenand a mountain of debts. The other important player in this tale, Johannes Brahms (Robert Walker), subsequently proposes to Clara, having been infatuated with her all along. But she returns to the stage to resume her old work and keep alive the memory of her late love. There's nothing like the guilty pleasure of watching a film with a parade of actors portraying famous contemporaries, and Song of Love even throws in Franz Liszt (played very nicely by Henry Daniell) for good measure. Hepburn, understandably, is the soul of this handsome movie directed by Hollywood stalwart Clarence Brown, and the actress learned to play several piano pieces well enough to do justice to her close-ups in performance. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great Portrait of a Musical Era
I must differ with a previous reviewer ---

"Even a subdued Hepburn seems to be more than a match for the men in this movie, although as portrayed in the film Schumann and Brahms are a pretty clueless pair."

I don't quite get that statement. "More than a match"? Schumann and Brahms are clueless about what? They all seem to have a wonderful time together.

"The audience ends up identifying with Liszt, who you get the feeling always knows how talented the lesser beings really are in this story."

That's a pretty pompous thing to say. Brahms and Schumann are the "lesser beings" to Liszt? That's like saying Beethoven was a lesser being to Mozart. What he may be responding to is Liszt as played by Henry Danielle, who is always masterful, whether playing his usual heel or, as here, a good guy.

He also refers to Song of Love as being "sanitized." That implies that there was something in the true story to be sanitized. I didn't think there was. I always thought of the Schumanns like the Brownings: love conquers paternal tyranny.

And as did the Brownings, so did the Schumanns help define an age - the Romantic Age. This is the era when artists were supposed to suffer for art or love. Schubert and Shelley were the icons. "Live for your art and die young!" If you weren't an artist, just plug in "love," like Rudolf at Mayerling. If one is aware of this context, then the film's melodrama becomes easier to accept.

Another issue I have with the other reviewer is his dismissal of how Hollywood treats history. I think if one did more research and less opinionating, they would find that the Hollywood of the studio system is conscientious about historical accuracy, unless one wishes to quibble. The major studios took pride in their products, and audiences of the time, unlike the dumbed-down ones of today, demanded and usually got an accurate rendering of history. Dramatic license is another matter, which one might debate, but one can make that debate for all scripts, whether for stage or screen.

One thing I agree about. Henry Danielle is always a treat to see, in particular when he plays sympathetically, against type, as he does here.

Finally, I believe Paul Henried has been unfairly neglected in the comments. Henried plays Schumann's torment perfectly. He is pitiable, yet possessed of a dignity and strength. Clarence Brown has chosen to have Schumann's progressive dementia caused by a kind of hideously loud tinnitus. I have tinnitus, and I can attest, that were it at the level depicted in the film, I'd have gone bonkers, too!

Schumann was very aware of his condition, and much of his music is a commentary on his descent into and occasional remission from madness. This plight, of being both victim and observer, is particularly poignant. Even more poignant is Clara and Brahms and Liszt, as well as Robert, helplessly watching the process, especially given their unsordid devotion to each other and to making beautiful music.

I see no bathos here, only a well-rendered, classic love story. I think if one has a problem with that, then one has a problem with the genre.

A great film!
I highly recommend this film, and would give it more stars if I could! It is a very entertaining film to watch and one well worth seeing. Robert Walker, Paul Henreid, and Katherine Hepburn are all wonderful in it.

Hepburn stars in Hollywood musical bio-pic
Ironically, in the film where Katharine Hepburn plays a subservient wife her character, Clara Wieck Schumann, is one of the most talent women she ever played in her career. Clara was a brilliant pianist, performing the works of Franz Liszt (Henry Daniell), but goes her father's objections to marry the struggling composer Robert Schumann (Paul Henreid). Clara retires and raises seven children, totally dedicated to her family. However, Schumann is unable to deal with his lack of success. After her husband breaks down during a concert performing the Cantata from his version of "Faust," Clara has him committed to an asylum. After his death, she returns to the concert stage to share her husband's music with the world.

There is also a strong soap opera element in that young Johannus Brahms (Robert Walker) comes to live with the Schumanns, falls in love with Clara, and even proposed to her after Robert dies. Without spending a lot of time reading about the lives of the Great Composers, it is my understanding that this particular romantic plot twist did not really happen. But then you know how Hollywood feels about being historically accurate.

"Song of Love" opens with Clara playing the dazzling finale from Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2. The actual piano playing for the film was performed by Artur Rubinstein. Hepburn worked daily with one of his pupils, pianist Laura Dubman, on fundamentals and techniques down to the distinctive hand posture for playing the piano used during that period. This Meryl Streep like devotion to the details paid off brilliantly and the illusion that Hepburn is actually playing is quite impressive.

Even if she were not played by Katharine Hepburn, I end up feeling it is rather difficult to really accept Clara throwing away her career for the man she loves. Her love of music is as deep as Schumann's and she clearly has the respect of the musical community, with the notable exception of her stern taskmaster father (Leo G. Carroll). Even a subdued Hepburn seems to be more than a match for the men in this movie, although as portrayed in the film Schumann and Brahms are a pretty clueless pair. The audience ends up identifying with Liszt, who you get the feeling always knows how talented the lesser beings really are in this story.

In one of those delightful Hollywood twists of fate, Robert Walker, who played Hepburn's son in her previous film "Sea of Grass," plays young Brahms. Based on the play by Bernard Schubert and Mario Silva, the film had four scenarists, which perhaps explains the unevenness of the script. Director Clarence Brown does a fine job, but this is one of those sanitized biographies that Hollywood loved to produced in those days, where you only get a taste of the emotion turmoil of Clara Wieck Schumann's life.

A GREAT movie
Song of Love is poignant and tender with excellent acting and story. Katharine Hepburn makes the character Clara Schumann believable (as with all Hepburn's roles). The story is true to life and is funny and touching at the same time. This not an action movie, however, but it is a great love story. My being a musician, the music was great, but maybe I'm a little partial to Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms. This movie sticks to the facts of Clara Schumann's life. It introduced me to two fantastic women, Katharine Hepburn and Clara Schumann. It remains one of my all-time favorites (I have seen it five times). If you're going to buy Song of Love, go for it.

Emotional. Makes you a fan of classical music.
I first saw this movie on TNT in 1994. I have been searching for the title for years. This movie is an emotional, moving story of madness, and undying love between Schumann, Clara, his wife ,and Brahms. It is what first turned me on to classical music. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

One thing Shirley Temple did extremely well (besides sing, dance, and act) was turn the cranky cuddly. She'd done it effectively, two years prior, in 1935's The Little Colonel with grandfather Lionel Barrymore. Now in Heidi she turns her reclusive grumpy grandfather, Adolf (Jean Hersholt), into the loving sort she knows he really is. Heidi is an orphan, dumped into the Swiss Alps by self-centered Aunt Dete (Mady Christians) onto a grandfather she's never known, but they soon learn to love each other. Heidi's mercenary aunt returns and sells (!) Heidi to a cruel woman, appropriately named Fraulein Rottenmeier (Mary Nash). Adolf sets out on a quest to find his granddaughter. Meanwhile, Heidi charms Klara Sesemann (Marcia Mae Jones), the wealthy handicapped girl in Fraulein Rottenmeier's care. Look for a delightful Arthur Treacher as the Sesemann butler. There's a cute fantasy production number, "In Our Little Wooden Shoes," featuring Temple in various period costumes. Throughout Heidi, Temple is, as always, wonderfully joyful. This is perhaps the best-known rendering of the popular children's story by Johanna Spyri (it's been filmed some 10 times). --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (29)

A wonderful movie
When eight-year-old Heidi (played by Shirley Temple) is orphaned, her maternal Aunt Dete (Mady Christians) takes her to live with her gruff and unsociable paternal grandfather, Adolph Kramer (Jean Hersholt). Through her sweetness and love, she brings the Grandfather out of his shell, and back into the company of men. Disaster strikes when Aunt Dete steals Heidi away to be the companion of a rich man's invalid daughter (Marcia Mae Jones). Showing nothing but kindness to all around her, she holds out hope that somehow she will be reunited with her grandfather and all of her friends. [Black-and-white, created in 1937, with a running time of 1 hour, 28 minutes.]

Perhaps a little saccharin compared to today's movies (thank God!), Heidi still has a powerful storyline. Combining rich dialogue with beautiful scenery, this movie even includes a sleigh-chase scene! I must also mention that this movie includes Arthur Treacher (playing Andrews the Butler), one of my personal favorites.

This movie is such a wonderful echo from another time. I must say that I doubt that the Hollywood of today could produce such an uplifting story, full of wonderful values. I have two children (7 and 10), and this was a great movie to watch with them, having nothing objectionable--in fact quite to the contrary. So, if you have children, then I can't recommend this movie enough!

CLASSIC TEMPLE
The classic European tale, done up vehicle for Shirley is an excellent choice for Temple, allowing for a couple of musical routines done as dream sequences. Heidi is an orphan who warms the heart of her bitter grandfather (Jean Hersholt) who has not spoken since his son ran away with a girl. Marcia Mae Jones is touching as the invalid whom Heidi befriends,and Mary Nash is the nasty governess. Mady Christians plays Aunt DeDe, the cruel aunt. Children will love this movie and it's available colorized.

It's Okay....
I didn't see anything totally special or touching about this movie. The Alps don't even look that pretty. If you want to see the best Heidi I suggest watching the 1993 version of it.

Fox owes Shirley Temple and her fans better
I've always loved this movie and was thrilled to get it on DVD but the picture quality is horrendous. This is the worst DVD I've ever seen from a major studio. The colorized version was done back in the 80's before the process was refined and it looks awful. The black and white version is even worse. It looks like someone dragged the film down the street and then transfered it to DVD. Shame on Fox for leaving this version the only one available.

Shirley Temple delivers again!
I thought this was a great make movie of Joanna Spyri's timeless classic Heidi. They got all the characters right, and they at least got the plot right this time. I hope they come out with more books made into movies like this!

Heidi is a little orphan girl left under the care of her isolated Grandfather Adolf Kramer by her neglectful Aunt Didi. Heidi makes the best of staying with her Grandfather and learns to like it. Without knowing, she is bringing the life back into her Grandfather all by just being herself. When both soon learn to love each other, and Heidi gets the town to like her Grandfather again, Didi comes back and sells Heidi to a rich family in Frankfurt, Germany. There, she meets Clara, the invalid daughter of Heir Sessman. Heidi tries to teach her to walk, but she's too afraid, for both of them know that Frauline Rottenmeir the housekeeper doesn't want Clara to get better. The old woman makes Hiedi's stay there even worse by threatening her, and even smashing both Clara's, and Heidi's breakable Christmas presents. Heidi must get back to the Alps of Switzerland fast or else she'll sold to the Gispsies by evil Rottenmier.

Shirley Temple was a great actress for Heidi. If they tried, they couldn't get a better Heidi. She delivers all the time. The noly movie I don't recommend with her in it is the Blue Bird. That was boring as heck. I do recommend Curly Top though, and Wee Willy Winky. Those are both classics along with Heidi. Instant 5 stars! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Good, if not the best, Deanna Durbin movie.
"His Butler's Sister", was released in 1943 by Universal. The movie includes Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone, and Pat O'Brien. A usual time limit of about 1 and a half hours, and directed by Frank Borzage.

Deanna Durbin plays the part of Ann Carter. She is a woman who is wanting to make a career of singing, but she needs to be noticed. She is going to New York to see her half-brother, Martin (Pat O'Brien) whos boss, Charles Gerard (Franchot Tone) happens to be a songwriter. Ann finds herself going to work, being Gerard's maid. So determined to follow her choice of being a singer, she continues trying to sing to him. A love story follows, and I leave it there.

I agree with what a few others have said about the script not really being very good. It does not stop the enjoyment. I guess the singing is the main thing, even with an odd storyline to go by, but its quite an amusing movie too. I like the film, although I do not feel it is perfect in any way, and its not my favourite Durbin movie. It is good movie for repeated viewings though, not really one that people get easily bored of. I can recommend it, maybe more to Durbin fans as opposed to those who are not.

Wonderful Deanna!
This must be the lowest budget movie made starring Deanna Durbin. What's up with the fake food? Where they limited because of the war effort? But as usual, beautiful Deanna with her great voice makes this movie worth watching.

His Butlers Sister
Since I have bought this video I have watched the film about 40 times,the voice of Deanna Durbin is just incredible,I have all her films but this one has to be the best for me,they don't make films like this anymore.
I am now waiting for this to come out in colour and on DVD then I will also add it to my collection.
Thanks to Amazon for providing all the golden oldies keep it up a very satified customer Thanks again for a great service.

Wonderful Songs
I really like this film. OK, the plot isn't brilliant but when it comes to Deanna Durbin and her amazing voice, you won't find a much better film than this.

The 'Russian Medley' and 'Nessun Dorma' are fantastic - I'm in awe when I listen.

The film revolves around Ann Carter (Durbin) going to stay with her brother, Martin (Pat O'Brien) a rather shady character who's told her he's better off than he actually is.

She wants to make it bigtime as a singer and when she learns that her brother's boss, Charles Gerard (Franchot Tone) is a famous songwriter/playwright she gets herself hired by him as a maid.

What follows is quite an amusing film where she constantly tries to sing for Gerard, but keeps getting prevented. Of course, then she falls for him and he her, but, Martin, doesn't like it and decides to ruin the day.

Add to the mix about seven butlers from the other households within the apartment building who develop a crush on her and do their utmost to please her and aggravate each other and you've got yourself quite a funny movie.

True, the plot and writing isn't a great standard, but it's still a very charming, feel good film that's very easy to watch.

A definite must for all fans of Ms. Durbin.

Cinderella-like story from Durbin's prime-exquisitely filmed
Though hailed as one of her hits from the 40's, the film itself is routine and makes her up to be this goddess figure through the film (all 7 of the butlers hopelessly fall in love with her) and having Franchot Tone as her leading man did not help matters either. On the Lux Radio program, Robert Paige had played the role (her co-star in "CAN'T HELP SINGING") and seem to be a much better choice, but his name was not big enough as yet--(it never got any bigger either). However, this happens to be one of my favorite Durbin picture, since this is the first "grown-up" film I have ever seen of hers. She is simply gorgeous in the film (possibly the prettiest, despite the fact that they gave her 3 different eyebrows..one thicker, one pencil-thin (a left over from her previous film HERS TO HOLD), and the third one in-between. Watch the first number, her eyebrows change in mid-song, twice!) and the songs are all out of this world. IN THE SPIRIT OF THE MOMENT, WHEN YOU'RE AWAY, RUSSIAN MEDLEY, and finally, NESSUN DORMA (The Prince). Great selection for a fabulous talent. The British people would kill me if they read this review, since this film is a cult classic over there, but let's be honest about the script. It is Hollywood fluff. But it is also extremely enjoyable, and I do remember not being able to keep my eyes off the screen for a second. It is simply wonderful as an entertainment piece. So, despite what anyone says, I would say it is one of her best. ... Read more

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Gary Cooper's natural nobility made him the perfect choice to play Lou Gehrig, the New York Yankee legend whose career was cut short by disease. Sam Wood (King's Row) directs this touching story of Gehrig's love of baseball from childhood, his friendship with Babe Ruth (who plays himself in the film), his marriage, career triumphs, and eventual resignation from the game. Teresa Wright is wonderful as Gehrig's supportive wife. Cooper's heartbreaking re-creation of Gehrig's farewell speech to Yankee fans is a magnificent moment. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig as True Hero
There are movies that involve the audience about the life of its star and there are others that use gimmicks to hide the fact that the audience never gets to look at the star from the inside. In PRIDE OF THE YANKEES director Sam Wood gave us a movie that has already stood the test of time as one of the best movies to come out of Hollywood. The high quality of this film is mostly because of Gary Cooper's startlingly realistic portrayal of a baseball icon whose playing career overlapped the cinematic career of the film icon who played him. The audience sees the man in a way that the fans in the stands could not. Cooper carries the movie in the same way that he carries SERGEANT YORK, by his straightforward radiating of emotion that is often at odds with the face that says one thing but the eyes that say another.
The young Lou Gehrig starts off as a youth loving baseball so much that he has to hide his love from a mother who wants Lou to surpass Uncle Otto as a symbol of success. Lou hears his mother praise Uncle Otto and assures her that he will follow in his footsteps, but his eyes tell another story. In fact, throughout this movie, it is his eyes that speak more eloquently than anything else he can say or do. Lou winds up in Columbia on a scholarship, and during a frat party hazing designed to test his ability to endure a razzing, Lou retreats within himself until he can retreat no more. For the first time in this film, and very nearly for his entire movie career as well, Cooper shows the anger that we all knew lay buried deep. Cooper made a career out of rechanneling emotion into productive ends, and as Lou Gehrig, he can redirect his inner chi into belting baseballs over walls well enough to earn a tryout with the New York Yankees. By this time, the audience is hooked by their caring for a man who combines the best of the American ideals of hard work and talent with the self-effacing that marks most film icons of that time.
Theresa Wright plays first his girlfriend, then later his wife. She is simply wonderful as the cultured girl who falls for the small town hero. They poke fun of each other but the audience knows that what they are really saying is the Real Thing. Theresa Wright knows exactly when to back off and let Cooper be at center stage and when to interact with him to produce some truly stirring moments. There are two scenes that stand out as unforgettable, one with Wright, the other without. The first occurs when Lou has been playing poorly. He has been striking out, dropping easy catches, and running awkwardly. His teammates are puzzled and mix anger with concern. After a loss caused by his poor play, Lou sits on a bench, trying to make sense of a body that had never before betrayed him. As he leans forward to untie his laces, he continues to fall, rolling over onto the floor. His mates pretend not to notice. Lou says nothing but his face tells the audience all that they need to know. The fear that often bubbles just beneath the skin in many of Cooper's movies surfaces, and that fear clicks in the hearts of all. Later, when he has seen a doctor and knows that his illness, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is terminal, he decides to hide this knowledge from his wife who nevertheless has already guessed the truth, but tries to hide that from him. There is a heartbreaking scene in which she tries to raise his spirits by donning a barker's hat and mustache. As she stares at him, she laughs. As she hugs him, her eyes reveal her own torment. Each actor is absolutely convincing in their respective attempts to hide what they know, while pretending all is well.
PRIDE OF THE YANKEES tells a story well-known to anyone who reads the sports pages. It features Cooper in center stage, with a supporting cast including Walter Brennan and Dan Duryea, both of whom interact credibly with him and Ms. Wright. This is more than a baseball bio of a man who hits it big in his game. It is more the story of a giant who continued to hit it big even after the fans have left the stadium.

Nostalgic Eye for the Baseball Guy
I hate people that can't seem to enjoy an old fashioned good feeling movie and call it sacharine because it has a happy ending. Which is why I am a little embarassed to give Pride of the Yankees just three stars. But the truth is that I really had to fight hard to surpress a smile at the level of schmaltz in this film that I didn't recognize when I saw this as a boy.

Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig with a childlike naivete which I know was charming in its day but today it feels like you would have to lock someone up who was his age and still that childlike. And I really did want to play along with the most classic scene in the film but found it funnier than any campy parody I have seen over the years. The little boy in the hospital who is sitting by the radio because the Babe and Lou promised him they would each hit home runs form him. "Little Billy" sits in pajamas in the hospital by the radio. He listens earnestly with a expectant vapid open mouth expression waiting. Its as if his ability to ever walk again hung on the success of that hit. Bottom of the sixth Gehrig disappoints by striking out for his second time in a row still one short of the two promised home runs, you can tell the kid is thinking "Damn" but instead says "Golly"! I am glad I wasn't drinking anything at the time because it would shot through my nose trying to hold back the laugh. Pride of the Yankess does hearken back to simpler times but is perhaps so gentle and guileless it crosses the line into accidental comedy.

However I did very much enjoy the relationship between the two competing sportswriters who mock each others favorite players much like Statler and Waldorf the two old geezers in The Muppet Show. Walter Brennan plays writer Sam Blake who roots for Lou and does a wonderful job. He is so slender of build here he is almost unrecognizable in this role.

I am sure most people will have a fine time enjoying this film and Lou Gehrigs touching farewell speech.

From NY Immigrants' Child to American Legend
This was probably my introduction, and for millions of others, to the legend that is Lou Gehrig. And for so many years, I had Gehrig and Gary Cooper completely confused in my mind--they seemed inseparable. But there's good reason for it: the role of the Iron Horse seemed to be made for Cooper. Gehrig was a low-key, almost self-effacing athlete and person, which was just the type of character that Cooper built his career on. Their sizes were just about the same. Cooper nailed down Lou Gehrig's voice, especially for the famous "luckiest man" farewell speech. Hell, Gary Cooper LOOKS like Lou Gehrig! Maybe my confusion is justified, at least on this subject.

PRIDE OF THE YANKEES is the grand-daddy of all baseball movies. Cooper's performance, as I can't help but keep mentioning, is stellar. Teresa Wright as his wife helps keep the hankies moist but she is also very spunky and strong. Walter Brennan (who also played opposite Cooper in MEET JOHN DOE where John Doe is a semi-pro pitcher) is in a supporting role here but provides desperately needed comic relief.

And perhaps I'm wrong to categorize PRIDE OF THE YANKESS as merely a baseball film. It is about human potential, human frailty, and above all human strength during times of crisis. Lou Gehrig's tragedy occurred during a time of extreme crisis in America, and, I believe, his strong steady public appearances helped the nation through it. PRIDE OF THE YANKEES could easily have been named "Strength of America" in my mind. It's that important a film.

The story of Lou Gehrig and the classiest sports biopic
There are all sorts of little imperfections in the 1943 film "The Pride of the Yankees." The screenwriters rearranged Lou Gehrig's famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium so that the best line, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth," becomes his exit line (it was the second line in his speech with his actual last line being, "So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for"). Gary Cooper had enough problems batting right-handed let alone left-handed like Gehrig, so the actor wore a uniform with "KROY WEN" on the front, ran to third base when he managed to hit the ball, and then they reversed the print. Gehrig is shown wearing his famous number 4 when the Yankees play the World Series, but that happened in 1926 and 1928 while the Bronx Bombers did not start wearing uniform numbers until 1929 (Gehrig batted cleanup and was 4, Babe Ruth batted in front of him and was therefore 3). The film talks about how Gehrig won the Triple Crown on the day he was married but Gehrig won the Triple Crown in the 1934 season, the year after Lou and Eleanor were married in 1933.

But none of that really matters because "The Pride of the Yankees" remains the standard by which all sports biopics, whether of baseball players or anyone else, are judged. Even those who were not weaned and raised on baseball know that the title character is going to die of Lou Gehrig's disease and the film takes full advantage of that foreshadowing: when Gehrig gets into his first game and refuses to come out after being hit in the head by a thrown ball, manager Miller Huggins asks, "What do we have to do to get you out of the game? Kill you?" Irving Berlin's song "Always" becomes a recurring musical theme throughout the film, another reminder of Gehrig's mortality.

In many ways "The Pride of the Yankees" is more of a love story than a baseball theme. It starts off as a rags-to-riches story, where Gehrig's mother (Elsa Janssen) insists her son will be an engineer and does want him wasting time playing baseball. Eventually the fame and money opens her eyes, but then Lou meets Eleanor Twitchell (Teresa Wright) and has a new "best girl." One of the most impressive aspects of this film is how it touches on the two darker sides of the Lou Gehrig story, the friction between his overbearing mother and his society wife along with the strained relationship that developed between Gehrig and Babe Ruth. The film really only touches on these aspects and Ruth, playing himself, is usually a smiling figure when he shows up on screen, except for when Gehrig is eating his new hat and he is listening to Gehrig's farewell speech.

Cooper was nominated for an Oscar for his performance and even though he is rather awkward and a bit old for the role, he captures the essential dignity and class of Gehrig. It makes sense that one American icon is being played by another. Having been nominated of a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for "The Little Foxes" in 1941 she received another nomination in that category in 1942 for "Mrs. Miniver" and also one for Best Actress that same year for "The Pride of the Yankees." Wright won for "Mrs. Miniver" and lost out to Greer Garson for Best Actress (because of the war the Oscars were made of plaster for the first time, but were replaced by "real" Oscars when the war ended). "The Pride of the Yankees" was nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, but only won for Daniel Mandell's Film Editing.

Walter Brennan as sportswriter Sam Blake and Ludwig Stössel as Pop Gehrig provide a lot of the comic relief in the film. Brennan's role is rather low-keyed for him while Stössel has several fine moments where he tries, usually without success, to stand up to his wife. Appearing as themselves are Yankee players Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, and Mark Koenig, and the familiar voice of Bill Stern makes it on screen as well.

Gehrig's tragic death at the age of 38 makes all of his records even more astounding given that his career was cut short. Sportswriter Jim Murray once described the tall, strong Gehrig as a "Gibraltar in cleats," and "The Pride of the Yankees" provides a sense of that. For me the most poignant scene comes before Gehrig enters Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, when he encounter 17-year-old Billy (David Holt), the lame boy in the hospital (Gene Collins) for whom Gehrig hit two home runs in a World Series game in the film's most extended baseball sequence. The irony that Gehrig could inspire Billy to rise up and walk but Fate had conspired to strike down the Iron Horse who played in 2,130 is enough to reduce most of us to tears before Gehrig ever steps to the plate for the last time to talk about how lucky he is.

Courage and Heroism in Perfect Form
"The Pride of the Yankees" is without a doubt one of the best baseball films of all time. Why? Because it isn't just about baseball. It's about a real person seeking that seemingly impossible American dream and capturing it, only to lose it all too soon. Cooper plays Gehrig with so much heart in this film, that the movie almost seems unreal due to the fact that Gehrig was such a good person, both as a human and as a star athlete.

There are few professional athletes in the world who show so much character and so much love to others as Gehrig did. He faced death with honor and courage. He was and is a true hero. If you're looking for an athlete for your children to look up to, pick the "Iron Man of Baseball."

This film does exceptionally well in capturing the heart and soul of Gehrig. It is a great family film and I highly recommend it. Gehrig might have been in Ruth's(and later, DiMaggio's)shadow, but he was so much bigger than these guys. He was honest, hard-working, and approached people long after the cameras were gone.

Add this one to your collection. It's a keeper, even if you don't know the difference between a baseball and a ball of yarn. ... Read more