vincentlynch-moonoi I first saw this film in 1962 on "Saturday Night At The Movies", and it's a pleasure to see it again now 51 years later! I always remembered it as a "fun film", and it still is.The story is simple: A college professor (Ray Milland) accidentally invents a liquid that repels wood. He's also a lover of baseball, so decides to become a major league pitcher and use the fluid to stymie the batters on the other team and win the pennant. If he makes enough money, he can marry his sweetheart, the daughter of the college's dean. But, who is this mystery man (remember, in 1949 there were only a million television sets in the whole country). And, on the other hand, why did he disappear from the university? Had he become a gangster? I do have to say a word about the special effects here. Not bad. It's the general effects that are a little pathetic. In a number of the shots of Milland pitching, you can clearly see that he's standing in front of a screen since you see his shadow directly behind him. That's pretty sloppy for a major studio! But aside from that, this is a film to savor for its simple fun. And, there's a pretty decent cast here. Ray Milland is perfect as a professor and not bad as a pitcher...that's believable. Jean Peters is suitable as the fiancée. Paul Douglas (no favorite of mine) is wonderfully likable as the catcher who pals around with the professor; this may be his most engaging role. It's nice to see Ed Begley as the baseball club owner -- I used to like him in lots of television shows. And Ted de Corsia is great as the manager (interesting that they named him Jimmy Dolan). And to round out the cast -- Ray Collins and Jessie Royce Landis, both wonderful character actors.Of course, one thing not brought up in the film is that Milland's character is clearly cheating. Even the baseball commissioner when the film was made called it that, and refused to allow any participation of any baseball players or stadiums in the filming of the production.But, that aside, it's still just a good fun movie! Enjoy!

andyevel6 This is a great comedy. The fact that a college professor uses a chemistry formula (that makes most things repel wood) to win the World Baseball Championship actually makes it funnier. And it's wholesome fun, despite what some moralists may think. The premise that Ray Milland can't actually pitch too well is what makes this a true screwball comedy - and he is redeemed at the end (I won't say how so I won't spoil the fun of watching it). Absurd situations is what makes funny films. This definitely has the formula for comedy: Witty, lots of jokes, madcap romantic situations, and abundant twists and turns. Milland chose to star in this flick right after his Best Actor Oscar for a reason -it became a top comedy of the era. Paul Douglas is outrageously funny as his bemused catcher (the scene where he rubs Milland's wood-repelling formula into his hair is priceless). And the gorgeous Jean Peters comes across with top honors -she can actually do comedy and it's a shame Fox didn't assign her to more of these. Some other Fox actresses without a knack for comedy, were persistently featured in comedies that could have been much funnier if Miss Peters or Marilyn Monroe had been assigned the female lead. See this film. Like "Some Like it Hot" or "It Should Happen to You" (two films featuring Jack Lemmon), this one's full of fun and you'll laugh every other minute. It should have been selected as one of the 50 top comedies ever, but you know how critics love films with a message (which should never be the case with comedies).

hr2 This movie disappointed me even when I saw it as a very young kid, in a movie theater, in the late 50s. The older I got, the more I disliked the way it glorified cheating and the more I became disgusted with the way critics glorified the movie. I wonder how many kids watching that movie grew up to be cheaters in their work.The only real saving grace of this movie is at the end, when the cheater actually wins a game on his own. Even then, he shows no remorse for his having gotten to the "big" game by cheating. The win seems only to justify his earlier cheating.In short, this movie does nothing more than sell the notion that the end, in this case winning the world series, justifies the means used to reach that end, cheating.I'm sorry that old Ray Milland, a great actor, stooped to the level required to star in this loser of a movie.

jermat Yes, it is unrealistic that a pitcher could get away with doctoring up a baseball so that it's impossible to hit, but there are many great comedies that are far-fetched. In fact, I believe MOST good comedies are part fantasy! That's part of what makes them funny! My father looked forward to watching this movie every Spring, when it used to be rerun on one of our four local TV channels available during the 60's. To this day, my brother and I still enjoy occasionally watching this movie, so maybe you will too. By the way, a young Alan Hale Jr. (who goes on to play the Skipper on Gilligan's Island) is one of the college jocks that help the professor test his wood-repellent on the field.