Customer Reviews

The Winning Team

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The subject of "The Winning Team" is Grover "Old Pete" Alexander, the winningest pitcher in National League history despite having to battle various setbacks most notably alcoholism. As a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies I thought the film gave his tenure here short shrift so here goes: Alexander won 30 games three years in a row(1915-1917), in 1916 he pitched 16 shutouts, in 1915 he won the first game of the World Series a feat not repeated by a Phillies pitcher until 1980(the championship year. Yay!). I digress, however. As a baseball film it's superb. The film has the facts right and the game footage, whether re-enactments or archival film, add to the authenticity of the production. The film slightly falters in the more melodramatic moments but do not embellish far from the truth. Alexander did suffer head injuries in World War I and did resort to alcoholism to combat the pain. He also denigrated himself by appearing at flea circuses when it appeared that his major league career was over. Ronald Reagan makes a genial Alexander and handles the film's melodramatic fluorishes superbly. Doris Day adds fresh faced All-American girl wholesomeness as Alexander's supportive wife Aimee. The film utilizes major league players in supporting roles including Gene Mauch, manager of the 1964 Phillies who blew a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games to go(boo!). As a footnote, Alexander attended the 1950 World Series between the Phillies and the Yankees. He was living in relative obscurity in a flophouse and died shortly after the Series.

The Winning Team is about real life Baseball great, Grover Cleveland Alexander. Ronald Reagan puts in one of his best performances. Even though Warner Bros didn't allow the word "epilepsy" to be used in the film (which is what happened to the real Alexander after being beamed in the head with a ball),RR does some very realistic seizures. The Winning Team refers to the mutually supportive relationship between Alexander and his loving wife Aimee (Doris Day). (The real Aimee Alexander served as the film's technical adviser). This isn't one of the meatiest roles for Doris, but she does have some dramatic scenes and gets to sing a Christmas song. The script rearranges the chronology of Alexander's life,and suggests incorrectly that he struck out Babe Ruth in the last game when in fact, Babe was thrown out for stealing 2nd base.

The Winning Team is a biography about pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander (Ronald Reagan), a baseball player afflicted by an early injury. He was considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time, but a long absence from the sport was blamed on his addiction to drink, when really he had fainting spells and double vision. His triumphant return won the Cardinals the World Series during the Depression.

The happy ending is not entirely factual, but in the 50s, audiences wanted sugar-coated movies. And that is what they got. The formula causes The Winning Team to be a bit predictable, but enjoyable. This is one of Doris Day's early films, but it is really Reagan's film. He plays the part with realism, toggling between the exuberance of winning and the depths of alcoholism.

There is a certain irony in the fact that Doris Day receives star billing in a film about baseball player Grover Cleveland Alexander. The simple fact is that by 1952 and after only four years on the screen, she was a major star--and that fellow player Ronald Reagan, after fifteen years on the screen, was still among Hollywood's lesser lights. Doris Day would follow her trajectory to a massive stardom that made her the single biggest female box office draw in the world of her era. Ronald Reagan, with his career fading into ho-hum projects, drifted into politics and took a series of brutal pro-conservative stances (he was against fair housing and Medicare); by 1964 he was out of the movie industry entirely, becoming Governor of California in 1967 and President of the United States in 1981.

THE WINNING TEAM is, in a certain way, indicative of both. Although Day would gradually become best known for a series of frothy sex comedies such as PILLOW TALK, she also had significant dramatic chops, and she made an impression in such dramas as YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN, STORM WARNING, YOUNG AT HEART, LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME, and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. Even so, the role of long-suffering but devoted Amiee Alexander is not entirely within her reach at this point in her career, and she plays it (oddly) as if she were June Allyson on loan from an MGM musical. Reagan was a competent player who had scored in BROTHER RAT, KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN, and KINGS ROW; he was not, however, so much famous, talented, or skilled as he was just likeable in an all-American sort of way, and he doesn't register as a major dramatic force.

The movie is also typical of bio-pics of the day, which is to say there isn't a whole lot truth to it. In real life, Alexander was headed for a law degree before his talent for baseball drew professional interest. Always a hard drinker, by 1921 he was alcoholic, exhibited signs of epilepsy, and suffered "shell shock" from World War One. Over the years he would spend time in several private hospitals trying to shake his demons, but his private behavior ranged from off-beat to completely bizarre, a circumstance that led his various teams to trade him again and again simply to get rid of him. Even so, and although he was often accused of being drunk during games, he was a fan favorite and he copped a series of records and led his teams--most spectacularly the St. Louis Cardinals--to remarkable and frequently unexpected victories. His major league career was over by 1930, but he was elected to Baseball's Hall Of Fame in 1938. He died under somewhat vague circumstances, most likely of a heart attack, in 1950. Not long afterward, his wife Aimee went public in defense of her husband, emphatically stating that his epilepsy was often mistaken for drunkness and that the illness, various physical injuries, his memories of the war, and professional pressures had driven him to drink. He was in her opinion (and in the opinion of many of his peers) more sinned against than sinning.

Aimee Alexander was particularly vocal in husband's defense during the filming of THE WINNING TEAM, and this maybe why the script is so non-descript when it deals with Alexander's extremes, downplaying his alcoholism and epilepsy and generally ascribing his issues to various physical injuries and his war experiences. At the time, the film was sharply criticized by baseball professionals and fans for fiddling these facts, but in truth the times simply didn't favor a no-holds-barred telling of Alexander's story. Although films like 1945's THE LOST WEEKEND and 1948's THE SNAKE PIT broke barries on the subjects of alcoholism and mental illness, these were still very touchy subjects. Such illnesses as epilepsy were seldom mentioned in public because many still felt they had a "sins of the father" connotation, and even shell shock (which we now call post-traumatic stress disorder) wasn't considered entirely respectable. The result is a screenplay that keeps the source of Alexander's problems as vague as possible.

Whatever the case, the end result is a reasonably well crafted little movie that (in spite of numerous baseball celebrities) isn't in the least memorable. Simply put, THE WINNING TEAM ain't no PRIDE OF THE YANKEES and Ronald Reagan sure as hell ain't no Gary Cooper. Doris Day acquits herself reasonably well, but she hasn't really her stride as a dramatic actress, and overall everything about the film lacks depth. The print is good, the sound quality isn't bad, and the DVD includes a trailer as a bonus, but on the whole this movie is really pretty ho-hum and best left to hardcore Day or Reagan fans--and maybe the handful of baseball fans who are curious to see how Hollywood dealt with Alexander's life.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
In Memory of Webster Armstrong

I was an avid baseball fan until the N Y Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958. The movie reminded me of what the game was like before television. I am also a huge fan of Frank Lovejoy and also enjoy Doris Day. Ronald Reagan was the best President we have had in over almost 200 years. The best part is that the movie was a true story and is a large part of baseball history. I enjoyed watching it very much.

I caught a small portion of this film on TV and enjoyed it so much that I had to see the entire movie, so I bought it. I'm very glad that I did. It's very cool to see Reagan teamed up with an A-list actress such as a young Doris Day. Being around other great actors seems to bring out the best performances by Mr. Reagan. The story is about Grover Cleveland Alexander, a Major League pitcher who was very successful in the early days of baseball. Alexander has epilepsy which causes his pitching to suffer, which leads to other downfalls. The movie makers didn't want to use the word epilepsy in the film, so it's never mentioned. Reagan thought they should say it, to inform the audience what epilepsy is about, and to put a human face on it. One must remember this was the early 1950's, and movie companies were probably afraid people would be turned off by a film that deals with a main character with epilepsy. Maybe not too different than film companies today that are overly politically correct so as to not offend anyone, anywhere, anyhow.
Nonetheless, the storyline is very well written, and the acting is really top notch! This is certainly one of my favorite baseball movies, along with Pride of the Yankees, The Natural, Field of Dreams and a few others. I strongly suggest this movie to any baseball fan, or fan of Doris Day or Ronald Reagan.

I'd seen this pic several times over the years, prior to getting this CD. I've always enjoyed baseball bios, even though we know all of them have been embellished. And, being a Reagan fan from way back (especially in 'Kings Row') I had to get this one. Sure, the acting is standard fare but..well..it's baseball! Seeing William Bendix, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, etc. play all the old ballplayers from before my time gave me a sense of the timelessness of baseball. I think Ronnie did a good job, he sold me on wanting to know more about Grover Alexander and, hundreds of other players as well. We need more bios, all sports!

Grover Cleveland Alexander - the subject of this movie - was a remarkable pitcher and lived a very interesting life in an era in which baseball sported the most colorful people in its history: the early 1900s.

Some of stories about them, like this one, are very inspiring, too, although they end this bio on Alexander's high note not his real-life tragic demise - but what's wrong with that? People want to leave the theater feeling good, not depressed.

Ronald Reagan does a decent job portraying "Alex," except for the baseball scenes where he doesn't throw or hit like a real big-leaguer. That was common in classic sports films. This is corny in spots and it's sugar-coated like some of the other classic sports stories.

However, all is not sweet as Alexander is shown with his drinking problem and his wife, played by Doris Day, also walks away from her husband in his time of need.....so you do see some bad with the good. Yet, all ends well

This is one of those lesser known Doris Day movies, with the added feature of her sharing the screen with a future U. S. President. Few are aware of the interesting story of Grover Cleveland Alexander, the Hall of Fame pitcher, who overcame a sports induced vision impairment (leading to epilepsy), a battle with alcohol and other challenges to pitch "back to back" victories in the 1926 World Series then coming in late in the seventh and final game to seal the victory and propel the Cardinals to the championship. Sportswriter Grantland Rice called Cleveland, "the finest (pitcher) I have ever seen".
Filmed principally on the Warner Bros, back lot, a local Burbank ball field, and the Warner's location ranch, now Calabasas, California, it offers a somewhat nostalgic look at filming of the 1950's era.
A good bet for a rainy night's viewing.

Although I didn't notice (before I purchased) that this film was in black and white, it was the first thing I noticed, but quickly dismissed. The storyline was quite enjoyable and very relaxing. Both Doris Day and Ronald Reagan are very young here! I am a fan of both and enjoyed watching this story unfold (even though it was pretty predictable). Doris, of course, is her sweet self and Ronald's own personality (as seen the book "I love you, Ronnie") shines through in the man he portrays so well. This is a very classic film biography. If you don't like baseball, autobiographies, etc. it's not for you. It is NOT a big romance (chick movie) - although the love between the two is evident. I would definitely recommend it for classic film buffs as well as Day and Reagan fans.