The Stratton Story




I think I shot the wrong rabbit.

The story of Monty Stratton is based on the real life baseball pitcher who started playing the majors in the 30's, though there is the inevitable Hollywood embellishment.

Stratton (James Stewart) starts out as an average, if rather tall, farmer who plays baseball locally for fun and happens to be good at it. The times have finances fairly tight, but when an ex catcher named Barney (Frank Morgan) rolls into town, he decides to teach Stratton the finer points of pitching. Soon Barney convinces Stratton to try out for the majors, who duly notice him, but Stratton struggles to prove himself. Along the way he also meets Ethel (June Allyson), his twu luv.

The real conflict in the story doesn't come until the third act (for those who don't already know I'll save it), so the rest of the movie has a sunny disposition in comparison. It's a pleasant if not exactly exciting trip up until that point. There's a little bit of humor, a little bit of romance, and a decent guy struggling to make a name for himself. Throughout the movie the baseball scenes are somewhat disappointing, anti-climatic compared to today's standards. Even if The Stratton Story plays it safe by consistently playing by the numbers, it's still an enjoyable frolic back to an idealized time in America when there were no villains aside from adversity. The moral is uplifting as Stratton overcomes that same adversity without the use of extensive psychiatric help or consoling, but with his own gumption.

There's not much chance taking with James Stewart's performance. He plays it like he knows it, using his patented gee-shucks persona. Though hardly one of his best roles, the movie is set around him, and he does make it work better than it honestly deserves to. Alongside him is June Allyson, who's sweet most of the time and heartbroken when the need comes calling. People liked them so well as a couple that they would go on to star in two more times together. There's also Frank Morgan as the washed up Barney, who's as much fun as Stewart is.

It's a generally light hearted affair with a darker third act that can be solved with a little bit of courage.



-The Gnome