Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

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.

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....

Stratton Story, The (1949) *** (out of 4) True story of Monty Stratton (James Stewart), a star baseball player who loses a leg during a hunting accident but makes a comeback. Here's another film I've been meaning to catch for a while since I've heard about it from my father since I was very young. He loves baseball and Stewart so I'm not sure why it took me so long to see this. This certainly isn't in the same league as The Pride of the Yankees but it remains entertaining throughout. I know the story was changed around for the movie but it still works pretty well. The one thing that hampered the film was during the pre-accident scenes you have Stewart just being Stewart and I never really felt he was playing Stratton. After the accident is when Stewart really begins to shine, especially during the depression part of the film. June Allyson steals the show as Stratton's wife.

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!