If you haven't had a chance to watch MGM's 1949 "The Stratton Story" starring James Stewart and would like to do so, you should do so before checking out these promo pieces.
It always been tough not to learn too much about a movie before seeing it and it's even harder with the internet, but if it's possible to see a movie like "The Stratton Story" without really knowing what the "story" is, there are some interesting twists and turns.
That being said, June Allyson might give too much away in this trailer:
And Jimmy Stewart spills a lot in this little interview:
Interesting stuff from Mr. Stewart, though!
I have a couple of notes about the cast and crew (naturally)...
This is Jimmy Stewart's fist biographical role, although most people wouldn't have known what Monty Stratton was like, as opposed to Jimmy's later Glenn Miller or Charles Lindbergh roles. He's always convincing, however, even though he looks and talks the same as usual!
It's also Jimmy's first movie co-starring June Allyson. They were in a total of three, but I always thought they were an odd pairing.
I never really grasped why June Allyson was as popular as she was, as I thought she was pleasant, but nothing more, until my mother (who was a frequent movie-goer back then) said that she (and her friends) liked her because she wasn't jealous of her!
Agnes Moorehead does a good job as Monty's mother, even though in real-life she was not nearly old enough to be Jimmy Stewart's other. She never looked or acted young!
I think the standout performance is by Frank Morgan as an old baseball scout who becomes Monty's mentor. Frank was so popular as a befuddled comic type, that he didn't often get a chance to show off his dramatic chops, but he delivers the goods here in one of his last roles.
"The Stratton Story" is also one of the final credits for director Sam Wood, who's not talked about much these days, but has a pretty impressive résumé, including an earlier prestige baseball biopic, 1942's "The Pride of the Yankees," among other classics.
Also noteworthy is that writer Douglas Morrow won an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture Story for the "Stratton Story."
So, we have quite the movie here!
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