Starring Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig and Teresa Wright as his wife, this movie honors Gehrig's life after a tragic death from ALS. From the time he was a boy, Lou could play ball but his immigrant mother wants him to become an engineer. The quiet, young man goes to Columbia and plays some ball. There he is seen by the Yankees who agree to sign him. Despite her disapproval at first his mom becomes his biggest fan. With the Yankees Lou seems slightly out of place being an introvert. Pretty soon he meets Eleanor Twitchell (Wright) however and then gains a spot as the starting first baseman. The two of them fall in love and get married as Gehrig flourishes in the shadow of Babe Ruth. With his career still going strong, Gehrig becomes captain and plays 2,000 straight games. It cruelly comes to an end when he begins feeling weak and is diagnosed with ALS. His career is over and yet in his farewell speech Gehrig gratefully considers himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. He walked out of the limelight and died soon after, dearly missed. This is one of those truly moving films.
"I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." You just cannot make up stuff like that. Here's to you Lou!
4.5/5 Stars
No comments :
Post a Comment