The Pride of St. Louis
Encyclopedia
The Pride of St. Louis is a 1952
biographical film
of the life of Major League Baseball
Hall of Fame
pitcher
Jerome Herman "Dizzy" Dean
. It starred Dan Dailey
as Dean, Joanne Dru
as his wife, and Richard Crenna
as his brother Paul "Daffy" Dean
, also a major league pitcher.
Guy Trosper
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story
.
covers Dean's rise to pitching superstardom, the early end of his career, and his redemption
through radio broadcasting. Dean, played by Dan Dailey, reacts to his career-ending injury with a combination of resentment
and stoic acceptance.
In the film's climax, Dean faces a local coalition of English teachers who are determined to remove him from the air for repeatedly using lower-class grammatical tropes, which they feel are a bad influence upon baseball-loving youth. In an emotional scene somewhat reminiscent of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
, Dean defends his sincerity and "love of the game," and retains his honor and his job.
1952 in film
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
of the life of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Jerome Herman "Dizzy" Dean
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
. It starred Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
as Dean, Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru was an American film and television actress, known for such films as Red River and All the King's Men.-Career:...
as his wife, and Richard Crenna
Richard Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
as his brother Paul "Daffy" Dean
Paul Dean (baseball)
Paul Dee "Daffy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Born in Lucas, Arkansas, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals , the New York Giants , and the St. Louis Browns ....
, also a major league pitcher.
Guy Trosper
Guy Trosper
Guy Trosper was an American screenwriter. He came to prominence in Hollywood because of his scripts for two baseball movies: The Stratton Story in 1949, a big hit for James Stewart, and The Pride of St...
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story
Academy Award for Best Story
The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1957, when it was eliminated in favor of the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay, which had been introduced in 1940.-1920s:...
.
Plot
Much of the plotline of this movie is reasonably close to the facts of Dizzy Dean's life and baseball career through the early 1940s; however, the climax is fictionalized. The story arcStory arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
covers Dean's rise to pitching superstardom, the early end of his career, and his redemption
Redemption (theology)
Redemption is a concept common to several theologies. It is generally associated with the efforts of people within a faith to overcome their shortcomings and achieve the moral positions exemplified in their faith.- In Buddhism :...
through radio broadcasting. Dean, played by Dan Dailey, reacts to his career-ending injury with a combination of resentment
Resentment
Resentment is the experience of a negative emotion felt as a result of a real or imagined wrong done. Etymologically, the word originates from French "ressentir", re-, intensive prefix, and sentir "to feel"; from the Latin "sentire"...
and stoic acceptance.
In the film's climax, Dean faces a local coalition of English teachers who are determined to remove him from the air for repeatedly using lower-class grammatical tropes, which they feel are a bad influence upon baseball-loving youth. In an emotional scene somewhat reminiscent of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr...
, Dean defends his sincerity and "love of the game," and retains his honor and his job.
Cast
- Dan DaileyDan DaileyDaniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
as Jerome Herman Dean - Joanne DruJoanne DruJoanne Dru was an American film and television actress, known for such films as Red River and All the King's Men.-Career:...
as Patricia Nash Dean - Richard CrennaRichard CrennaRichard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
as Paul Dean - Richard Hylton as Johnny Kendall
- Hugh Sanders as Horst
- James Brown as Moose
- Leo Cleary as Houston Manager Ed Monroe
- Chet HuntleyChet HuntleyChester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956.-Early life:...
as KWK Announcer Tom Weaver