Best movie ever!

An action-packed slog

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Having read almost all of the comments on this film by IMDb reviewers, the thing that surprises me more than anything else is that no one mentioned the age disparity between Professor Vernon Simson/King Kelly (Ray Milland) and his fiancée Deborah (Jean Peters). Give or take a year either way, Milland was twice as old as his co-star in the picture, and the relationship didn't seem credible to me at all. It didn't help that the story didn't reveal any chemistry between the two either. I wonder why film makers took that route back in the day; it happened quite frequently with other actors too, like Randolph Scott and John Wayne for example. I think we're pretty much beyond that kind of casting by now.Otherwise the story has the kind of whimsical fantasy perspective of movies like Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor" (1961) and "Son of Flubber" (1963). Attempting to formulate something akin to an anti-termite solution, Professor Simpson accidentally stumbles upon a concoction that makes baseballs allergic to baseball bats. One of the students helping him test his theory was Alan Hale Jr. looking remarkably young, and it was funny to hear him calling Milland 'Professor' instead of Russell Johnson, a fellow castaway on Gilligan's Island.An interesting theme the story line treads on in describing the character of Professor Simpson was one of possible mental illness. The subject is broached early in the story when Professor Greenleaf asks a colleague what he thinks of Simpson and the response suggests that he's okay from November through April but then he suddenly starts to exhibit erratic behavior, corresponding as we learn, with the annual baseball season. Later, when Simpson approaches Greenleaf for an extended and indeterminate leave, it's without a coherent reason that he makes his request. So there's good cause to question Simpson's mental state. I bring this up because later on in the scene outside the jewelry store with Simpson and Deborah, they pass under a movie marquee featuring "The Snake Pit", which dealt with a woman who's confined to an asylum. I thought the connection was pretty interesting and wondered whether it was done intentionally. Incidentally, another movie on the marquee was "Jungle Patrol", both films from 1948.Considering what the modern era has wrought in the way of technological advances, it seems almost impossible that the Professor could have pulled off his ruse as an incognito pitcher for a Major League baseball franchise, even as far back as 1949. I suppose it could have been possible, but by the time he breezed past his thirtieth win as a pitcher, I would think the home town fans would have made the connection. Heck, even Wyatt Earp was recognizable from illustrations in pulp magazines of the 1870's.Anyway, sports fans can have some fun with this picture despite the quirky stuff going on with the nitrocyclohexane juiced baseball, fully understanding that it's all done simply for entertainment. Catch the quick reference comparing King Kelly to Dizzy Dean, pitching legend for the St. Louis Cardinals during the Thirties. A couple years after this picture was made, a film on Dean came out titled "The Pride of St. Louis".

I haven't followed baseball since I was a child. The only sport that's ever interested me is trying to get out of bed in the morning. But this is a movie that convulsed me as a youth and that I still enjoy watching, along with "The Natural" and "Damn Yankees" (except for Tab Hunter, a black hole in any production).Ray Milland is quite good as a slightly aged-in-the-wood chemistry graduate student and professor. He loves his work; he loves his girl, Jean Peters. The only problem is that through the Spring and Summer he's distracted by baseball, which he monitors religiously.One of those lab accidents takes place that produces an unidentifiable mixture of some white fluid -- about a quart -- that is repelled by wood. Scientist that he is, Milland discovers that rolling a baseball around in the stuff makes it impossible for a wooden bat to hit the ball. The ball leaps like a rabbit before returning to its original trajectory. Milland forces his way onto a major league team, leaving everyone to wonder if he's been kidnapped or become a gangster.It's a raw but engaging comedy. Milland pass off the little bottle of fluid as hair tonic and when anyone borrows it and tries to brush his hair, the hair crackles and tries to escape the brush. Paul Douglas is the catcher who first tries Milland out -- "He ain't got a prayer" -- and then is assigned to keep an eye on him because Milland reads books with titles like "The Atom, The Stars, And The Universe", and "Fundamentals of Ballistics," so he's an odd ball, though a valuable odd ball.Don't expect subtlety or sophistication and you'll enjoy yourself.

This is a great comedy. The fact that a college professor uses a chemistry formula (that makes most things repel wood) to win the World Baseball Championship actually makes it funnier. And it's wholesome fun, despite what some moralists may think. The premise that Ray Milland can't actually pitch too well is what makes this a true screwball comedy - and he is redeemed at the end (I won't say how so I won't spoil the fun of watching it). Absurd situations is what makes funny films. This definitely has the formula for comedy: Witty, lots of jokes, madcap romantic situations, and abundant twists and turns. Milland chose to star in this flick right after his Best Actor Oscar for a reason -it became a top comedy of the era. Paul Douglas is outrageously funny as his bemused catcher (the scene where he rubs Milland's wood-repelling formula into his hair is priceless). And the gorgeous Jean Peters comes across with top honors -she can actually do comedy and it's a shame Fox didn't assign her to more of these. Some other Fox actresses without a knack for comedy, were persistently featured in comedies that could have been much funnier if Miss Peters or Marilyn Monroe had been assigned the female lead. See this film. Like "Some Like it Hot" or "It Should Happen to You" (two films featuring Jack Lemmon), this one's full of fun and you'll laugh every other minute. It should have been selected as one of the 50 top comedies ever, but you know how critics love films with a message (which should never be the case with comedies).

Yes, it is unrealistic that a pitcher could get away with doctoring up a baseball so that it's impossible to hit, but there are many great comedies that are far-fetched. In fact, I believe MOST good comedies are part fantasy! That's part of what makes them funny! My father looked forward to watching this movie every Spring, when it used to be rerun on one of our four local TV channels available during the 60's. To this day, my brother and I still enjoy occasionally watching this movie, so maybe you will too. By the way, a young Alan Hale Jr. (who goes on to play the Skipper on Gilligan's Island) is one of the college jocks that help the professor test his wood-repellent on the field.