The Stratton Story

The Stratton Story

1949 theatrical poster
Directed by Sam Wood
Produced by Jack Cummings
Written by Douglas Morrow
Guy Trosper
Starring James Stewart
June Allyson
Frank Morgan
Agnes Moorehead
Music by Adolph Deutsch
Cinematography Harold Rosson
Edited by Ben Lewis
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • May 12, 1949 (1949-05-12)
Running time
106 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1,771,000[1]
Box office $4,488,000[1]

The Stratton Story is a 1949 film directed by Sam Wood which tells the true story of Monty Stratton, a Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1934-1938. This is the first of three movies that paired stars Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson, the others being The Glenn Miller Story and Strategic Air Command. Stratton commented that Mr. Stewart "did a great job of playing me, in a picture which I figure was about as true to life as they could make it".

The Stratton Story was a financial success and won the Academy Award for best Writing Motion Picture Story.

Plot

Texas farm boy Monty Stratton (Stewart) demonstrates a knack for throwing a baseball. He manages to get a tryout with the Chicago White Sox that is followed by a contract. A teammate introduces him to a young woman named Ethel (Allyson) and soon they are married and raising a family.

In the off-season of 1938, Stratton accidentally shoots himself in his right leg while on a hunting trip. When his leg has to be amputated, it looks as though his pitching career is over. Nevertheless, with a wooden leg and the support of his wife, Stratton is able to make a successful minor league comeback in 1946.

Cast

Ronald Reagan had sought the title role but was under contract with Warner Bros., which did not want to release Reagan for the film because they thought the movie would be a failure. Van Johnson was also announced at one stage to play the lead.[2] |image= James (Jimmy) Stewart is seen playing the role of a pitcher for the White Sox, not to be confused with Jimmy Stewart (baseball) who also played in real life for the Cubs and the White Sox.

Production

Scenes were staged at various baseball parks, including:

Moorehead reportedly met her second husband, actor Robert Gist, during the making of this film.

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $3,831,000 in the US and Canada and $657,000 overseas resulting in a profit of $1,211,000.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. "THE STARRY WAY.". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane: National Library of Australia). 13 March 1948. p. 2. Retrieved 6 July 2012.

External links

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