Movie Time: "Big Leaguer" (1953)

I had mentioned that a pre-name change Jeff Richards was features as a baseball player in 1950's "Kill the Umpire" starring William Bendix.

Post-name change and under contract MGM, he had a larger role as a baseball player in "Big Leaguer" from MGM in 1953!

The movie isn't really any great shakes, but I like baseball movies and it has one thing that sets it apart from other B-movies: Edward G. Robinson!

Robinson is cast as real-life former big-leaguer Hans Lobert, who now runs kind of a baseball tryout school for the New York Giants.

As Eddie G. as Lobert says to the kids: "Your grandfathers used to watch me play second base for the Giants."

I think Edward G. Robinson is awesome and casting him as an old-time baseball "lifer" is just crazy enough to work!

Jeff Richards is totally convincing as a third base prospect and Richard Jaeckel and William Campbell make good impressions as fellow hopefuls.

Also on hand as himself is Hall of Fame Giants pitching legend Carl Hubbell as himself, which is fun.

Vera-Ellen is the lone female in the mix as Lobert's niece, but she's not really much of an actress. She and Richards do make a good-looking couple, though!

Interesting to note that this was the first feature film directed by Robert Aldrich, just a couple of years before 1955's "Kiss Me Deadly," but those seem like light years!

Here's the trailer:

Note that the trailer namedrops "The Stratton Story," MGM's baseball biopic hit of 1949. Despite its title, "Big Leaguer" is not in the same league!

But will Jeff Richards make good as a baseball player and also get the girl? Well, it is a 1950s B-movie...