The Babe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Babe | |
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 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
| Produced by | Walter Coblenz Bill Finnegan |
| Written by | John Fusco |
| Starring | John Goodman Kelly McGillis |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Cinematography | Haskell Wexler |
| Editing by | Robert C. Jones |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 17, 1992 |
| Running time | 115 min. |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $17,530,973 (USA) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Babe is a 1992 biopic about the life of famed baseball player Babe Ruth. Ruth is played by John Goodman.
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[edit] Reception
The film was not a financial success. It grossed over $17.5 million at the box-office and was pulled from theatres after five weeks.[1] It received mostly negative reviews from critics.[2] In an interview on Inside the Actors Studio, John Goodman admitted that he was disappointed in his own performance.[3]
[edit] Production
The film took several liberties with Ruth's life and career. Most notably in its portrayal of his "Called Shot" and his hitting of two home runs for a sick child. While the sick child story is a long-standing Ruth myth, the Called Shot's authenticity is still debated to this day. Nevertheless, the dramatic scene portrayed in the movie is mostly fabrication. The film also takes license with Ruth's first and final career homers. In the film, Ruth hits his first homer as a newcomer to the Red Sox in 1914. Ruth actually played sparingly for the Sox in 1914 and did not homer until 1915. His three final home runs did indeed come at Forbes Field in one afternoon, however unlike in the film, he did not retire following (or during) the game, but rather played five more games that year before injuring his knee and hanging it up.
Chicago's Wrigley Field stood in for Yankee Stadium during filming. Temporary walls were placed over the ivy-covered brick for the New York scenes. The ivy can be seen during the 1932 World Series scenes, where the action is taking place at Wrigley Field, although in 1932, the ivy had not yet been planted. Also in a scene when Ruth played for the New York Yankees in a 1925 game vs. the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, he hits a home run and you can see the Green Monster. The Green Monster at that time would be covered with advertisements . It was not painted green until 1947.
[edit] Cast
- John Goodman — Babe Ruth
- Kelly McGillis — Claire Hodgson Ruth
- Trini Alvarado — Helen Woodford Ruth
- Bruce Boxleitner — Jumpin' Joe Dugan
- Peter Donat — Harry Frazee
- James Cromwell — Brother Mathias
- J.C. Quinn — Jack Dunn
- Joe Ragno — Miller Huggins
- Richard Tyson — Guy Bush
- Ralph Marrero — Ping Bodie
- Bob Swan — George Herman Ruth Sr.
- Bernard Kates — Colonel Jacob Ruppert
- Michael McGrady — Lou Gehrig
- Danny Goldring — Bill Carrigan
- Guy Barile — Johnny Torrio
- Bernie Gigliotti — Al Capone
- W. Earl Brown — Herb Pennock
- Thom C. Simmons — Bill McKechnie
- Rick Reardon — Ernie Shore
- Randy Steinmeyer — Ty Cobb
- Wayne Messmer — Yankee Stadium Announcer
- Larry Cedar — Forbes Field Announcer
- Michael Kendall — Jack Warhop
- Harry Hutchinson — Tris Speaker
- Irma P. Hall — Fanny Baily
[edit] References
- ^ The Babe. Box Office Mojo.
- ^ The Babe. Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "John Goodman". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2003-09-14. No. 18, season 9.
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