The Stratton Story (1949)

Thanks for the memories!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Before Hollywood took to making "feel good" movies, this is what they made: apparently simple stories that were intelligently and not at all simply written, performed by actors who knew how to act so well that, if you don't pay attention, you think they are just "being themselves," whereas they are actually building characters, a little piece at a time.Yes, James Stewart is the star of this picture, and for very good reason. His Stratton is not a country rube. He's a young man with certain ideas, certain goals, and certain ideals. He's not perfect, and Stewart and his director, Sam Wood - who directed such a variety of masterpieces as the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera, Goodbye Mr. Chips (one of my favorite movies), and For Whom the Bell Tolls - do not sugarcoat that part of his character. Stewart builds a very complete, human individual from a lot of small details. He also looks like a real baseball pitcher on the mound, which amazed me.Allyson is not one of my favorite actresses, but she is good here, if not at Stewart's level. She doesn't seem cute - nothing like Meg Ryan at her worst, say. She, too, seems real. And when she has to play catch, she doesn't throw like a girl, which is pretty impressive! You don't have to know a thing about baseball to enjoy this movie, since it actually has very little to do with baseball. It's the story of a fundamentally good man who is badly mistreated by fate, but who rises above that, eventually, not because he is a goody two-shoes, but because he has certain very fundamental values that he will not abandon.It's not surprising that this movie won the Oscar for best script. The story seems simple, and it is, but it is developed in a very careful, very intelligent way.

James Stewart and June Allyson look twice as old as the roles they are playing! Still, "The Stratton Story" is enjoyable. In the early scenes, Mr. Stewart's frame, and natural acting style, make him somewhat believable as a boy interested in baseball. Ms. Allyson doesn't try to play too "girlish"; instead, she wisely acts her part as a woman complimenting (by being in love with) Stewart's character.Allyson, and her character, save the film… the moment she appears, the focus is on the pair's relationship, and not on baseball. The Stewart/Allyson relationship is really what makes the film work, I thought -- the Stewart character could have been a golfer, doctor, whatever… The scenes beginning with Stewart and Allyson in separate beds, backs turned, and unable to sleep, have an understated dignity.Stewart and Allyson's nice performances are enhanced by: Frank Morgan, aka "The Wizard of Oz"; and Agnes Moorehead, Endora from "Bewitched". The later baseball scenes are more realistic, and fun to watch. It's strange to see the older baseball style; today, many of the players would be pumped up with steroids. I wish the sport would return to being more based on fun and skills.Love is not something a surgeon can cut. ******* The Stratton Story (1949) Sam Wood ~ James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan

Made in 1949 - at about the time that WWII veteran amputees were emerging from their VA hospital prosthetics rehab program and thus beginning to appear among the general population - 'The Stratton Story' topic of a man working hard to overcome the wound he suffered was timely, and it helps to explain the film's resonance with the audiences of its day.Well crafted in all respects 'The Stratton Story,' though certainly a rather fictionalized Hollywood treatment, gives a straightforward, honest look at a man, a farmer, a baseball player, a husband, a father facing his amputation squarely and making the best of himself despite his handicap - and the real Monty Stratton accomplished this feat in the days before every mosquito bite or knee-scrape prompted the callout of armies of professional counsellors. The pairing of June Allyson with James Stewart proved to yield attractive screen power as the two thespians work together very well here in their first effort as a movie couple. The supporting cast give solid performances, though I give special mention to Agnes Moorehead for her restrained, dignified portrayal of Stratton's mother which in the hands of a lesser actress could have been turned into a cliché of the farm-earth-mother.There's fraught drama here as well as lighthearted and inspiring moments, and none are overindulged or wrung out beyond their intrinsic value. 'The Stratton Story' is a nicely balanced example of forthright cinematic storytelling of a self-reliant man supported unflinchingly by his clear-eyed, plain-spoken family and his baseball fraternity. Over time the film stands up well and it needs no third millennium explication or embellishment; it's fine fare for adults and children alike.

James Stewart's career in motion pictures was in a terrible slump during the late 1940s, and "The Stratton Story" was the movie that saved him. The subject of this film is one of America's favorite pastimes: baseball. Based on the true story of pitching legend Monty Stratton (played by Stewart), "The Stratton Story" is truly a pleasant, touching movie. The major climax occurs when Monty, while hunting with his dog Hap, trips and accidentally discharges a bullet in his right leg, forcing an amputation in order to save his life. After a period of despondency, Monty finally has the courage to move forward. He straps on an artificial leg and, with the sincere encouragement of his family and friends, resumes an inspirational pitching career.The cast of "The Stratton Story" could not have been better. The hard-working James Stewart is superb as the equally-hard-working Monty Stratton, whether it be on the farm or on the pitcher's mound. (Monty Stratton himself, serving as technical adviser on the film, met with Stewart every morning to help improve his pitching, and Stewart proved to be a great pupil.) June Allyson is wonderful as Monty's sweet-natured wife Ethel. When she first meets Monty on a blind date, she expresses absolutely no interest in baseball, so it does not appear to be a match made in heaven. But she soon realizes that Monty is a pleasant young man of strong moral character, and she decides she cannot be without him. Throughout Monty's rise to fame and his eventual hardship, Ethel proves to be a very loving, encouraging, and supportive wife. Frank Morgan is terrific as the lovable Barney Wile, a down-on-his-luck former big-league catcher who finds a hot new prospect in sandlotter Monty. Barney decides to lay off the bottle and work with Monty all winter long in smoothening out his pitching so that Monty will be ready for the big leagues. Barney eventually becomes a friend of the family and rekindles his baseball career as a pitching coach. Agnes Moorehead was the perfect choice to portray Monty's widowed mother. She, like Ethel, originally believes that Monty is completely wasting his time on the baseball field, surmising that farm life would serve him much better. But once she accepts her son's choice of career and meets Ethel, she could not be any prouder of her son, hence she does away with her close-mindedness and treats Monty, Ethel, & Barney like royalty.My favorite moments from "The Stratton Story" include the following. Monty surprises Ethel when he starts dancing with her and doing quite well at it (the "press interviews" he kept telling her about secretly turned out to be dancing lessons). Ethel reads Monty's press notices while Monty playfully pitches balls of socks at her. Monty's mind is clearly not on the game when he learns that Ethel had a baby boy. In probably the most heartwarming moment of the film, Monty straps on his prosthetic leg and takes his toddler son out for a walk in the backyard; the sight of both father and son learning to walk together is quite a joy for Ethel and Ma. And after Monty regains his spirit and becomes used to his artificial leg, Ethel helps him get his pitching arm back into shape.Directed by Sam Wood, "The Stratton Story" was a big hit, just what James Stewart needed to revitalize his career. It is a movie about overcoming a severe physical hardship in order to pursue a dream, and Monty Stratton did just that!