JohnHowardReid Edward G. Robinson (John B. "Hans" Lobert), Vera-Ellen (Christy), Jeff Richards (Adam Polachuk), Richard Jaeckel (Bobby Bronson), William Campbell (Julie Davis), Carl Hubbell (himself), Paul Langton (Brian McLennan), Lalo Rios (Chuy Aguilar), Bill Crandall (Tippy Mitchell), Frank Ferguson (Wally Mitchell), Mario Siletti (Polachuk), John McKee (Dale Alexander), Robert Caldwell (Pomfret), Donald "Chippie" Hastings (Little Joe Polachuk), Al Campanis, Bob Trocolor, Tony Ravish (themselves), Bing Russell.Narrated by Paul Langton.Director: ROBERT ALDRICH. Screenplay: Herbert Baker. Story: John McNulty, Louis Morheim. Photography: William C. Mellor. Film editor: Ben Lewis. Art directors: Cedric Gibbons and Eddie Imazu. Set decorator: Edwin B. Willis. Make-up: Jack Dawn. Hair styles: Sydney Guilaroff. Music director: Alberto Colombo. Technical adviser: John B. "Hans" Lobert. Assistant director: Sid Sidman. Sound supervisor: Douglas Shearer. Producer: Matthew Rapf. Executive producer: Charles Schnee. Location scenes photographed at the New York Giants training farm in Melbourne, Florida.Copyright 13 July 1953 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 21 August 1953. U.K. release (in a 53-minute version): January 1956. Australian release: 4 November 1953. 70 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Two weeks with young recruits in a big-league baseball training camp.COMMENT: Although not highly regarded by connoisseurs, director Aldrich's first cinema feature has a lot to recommend it, not least the excellent performance of Edward G. Robinson as real-life baseball pro, "Hans" Lobert. In fact, with the exception of glumly stolid Jeff Richards, all the players (including of course the lovely Vera-Ellen and the talented Richard Jaeckel) are lively and likable. Although constrained by a conventional plot, Aldrich's direction is never less than highly competent, occasionally even inventive. Most of the film (if not all of it) has been attractively lensed on actual training camp locations by William C. Mellor, and the screenplay manages to arouse a fair amount of interest in both the characters and their background even for those of us who don't take Big League seriously.

mark.waltz Baseball fans, which are many, will not be the only ones to enjoy this light-hearted fare of a baseball rookie camp where the pro's are weeded out from the amateurs. Told through the narration of a sports columnist, this is slice-of-life drama at its most all American, almost Disney-esque in nature. Edward G. Robinson is a former professional player ("Your grandfathers used to watch me play third base", he tells the young men upon their arrival. Now one of the trainers who must stay on and who moves back home to attempt other ambitions, he is assisted by his pretty daughter, a non-dancing Vera-Ellen. She takes an interest in a strong but silent loner (Jeff Richards) while other players show ego, provide comic relief, or attempt to improve their English while dreaming of a future in the great American pastime.It's nice to see a film like this that doesn't resort to any violence or sexual or romantic intrigue, or even show any back-stabbing in a very team-oriented sport. This is a film that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, and it is a film that works through "moments", not through an over-stuffed plot. Comic moments include a not-so-attractive close-up of the middle-aged Robinson, hair askew, after a rookie yet cocky pitcher, almost knocks his lights out, and another where the team's comic mimes a slow-motion pitch. Richards is touching in his quite role, dealing with an indifferent father and a hero-worshiping younger brother whom you know will one day attend the same camp. So don't judge too harshly for being witness to a film almost sweet in its vision of hopeful youngsters becoming men by attempting to achieve the goals millions of kids have only dreamed of.

geraldbottomley1 As a young boy I was one of the kids playing sandlot baseball in the closing scenes of the movie. I've never found a copy of the movie and I understand it's privately owned and stored in a basement somewhere. I can only hope that someday it will be released to the public. If anyone knows more about it, I would appreciate any information.Watching the filming of the movie was an experience. A number of the local kids were hired for the sandlot scene. We each got paid $5 (I got my social security card with a California number because of that).I would also be interested in knowing what the other extras are doing these days.

hsiegel-1 There are very few good baseball films and certainly this isn't one of them but Robert Aldrich somehow makes it all watchable. Edward G. Robinson is so good you actually believe he is baseball veteran Hans Lobert, who really lived and played ball for several teams in the early 20th century. Lobert's real name was Honus but everyone called him Hans, same as Honus Wagner, everyone called him Hans, too. The real Carl Hubbell and the real Al Campanis (who's next appearance was probably on the Nightline Show that cost him his job as Dodger general manager when he maligned African-Americans!)show up in this unknown and odd film which only runs 71 minutes. Richard Jaekel has one of his best parts and shows a real naturalness. It's nice to see him in something other than a war movie. And finally there's Vera Ellen, the smallest waist in Hollywood, doing a movie outside of her husband's, Herbert Yates, Republic Studios. An odd film for fanatical baseball fans only.