Damn Yankees

When Barry Orton listed both his Ten Best and Ten Worst baseball movies he omitted Damn Yankees, which merits special recognition. 

The film features the torrid Gwen Verdon singing "What Lola Wants, Lola Gets." a horrid cameo role by the detestable Mickey Mantle, an inspired performance from Ray Walston, and a forgettable performance by Tab Hunter.

Most importantly. this favorably reviewed film focuses on two heroic and memorable themes of biblical proportions.

First and most obvious, the premise is that a good person hates the Yankees, a righteous and pious calling.

Secondly, any man with a heart and soul past the age of fifty will gladly sell his soul to play a season of major league baseball. Actually, I would sign the contract for one game if I could get a line drive hit.

Comments

[buckyblue]

Of course, hating the Yankees, as all of us do,is only a nose ahead of hating those damn Cubs.

[Barry Orton]

Damn Yankees was omitted from the lists because it is a musical, which is an entirely different category of bad entertainment. Any film or play that has characters break into song in dramatic moments merits total banning from my attention. (Example: West Side Story - I grew up knowing plenty of 50's teen gang members, and the only public singing they did was doo-wop on the corner outside the candy store.)

Musicals: as Paul would say, "Phooey."

And referring to the real Yankees: it's not "Damn Yankees," it's "%$@#$%@# the Yankees!"

[nonheroicvet]

I'm with you guys. At least the cubs have some (not much though) class.

[anon]

First off, the Yankees aren't a baseball team, they're more akin to a cross between the old IBM and Ma Bell, a corporation from hell, but exceptions can be made for a few individual players. Yogi, to start with. Anyone from St. Louis gets a pass, all catchers (except Girardi) are blessed, and anyone with a way with language like that deserves to be in several Halls of Fame. But to get to my point: What's wrong with Mickey Mantle? He was one of the few guys who had the guts to say he wasn't half the player or person he could have been if he hadn't drunk his life away. How many people have had the courage to do that?