The Great American Pastime

1956
Approved
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

345

YOUR RATING

Anne Francis, Tom Ewell, and Ann Miller in The Great American Pastime (1956)

Bruce Hallerton becomes coach of the Panthers, a little league baseball team. The fact that an attractive widow has her son in the team causes problems with his wife.

Play trailer2:23

1 Video

4 Photos

Comedy Sport

Bruce Hallerton becomes coach of the Panthers, a little league baseball team. The fact that an attractive widow has her son in the team causes problems with his wife.Bruce Hallerton becomes coach of the Panthers, a little league baseball team. The fact that an attractive widow has her son in the team causes problems with his wife.Bruce Hallerton becomes coach of the Panthers, a little league baseball team. The fact that an attractive widow has her son in the team causes problems with his wife.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

345

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 2:23

Watch Official Trailer

Photos

Top cast39

Edit

Tom Ewell

Bruce Hallerton

Anne Francis

Betty Hallerton

Ann Miller

Doris Patterson

Dean Jones

Buck Rivers

Rudy Lee

Dennis Hallerton

Judson Pratt

Ed Ryder

Raymond Bailey

George Carruthers

Budd Knapp

Mr. Dawson
(as Wilfrid Knapp)

Bob Jellison

Mr. O'Keefe

Bill Baldwin

Baseball Announcer
(uncredited)

Nathaniel Benchley

Minor Role
(uncredited)

George Blagoi

Baseball Fan
(uncredited)

Alexander Campbell

Judge
(uncredited)

Robert Carson

Bruce's Law Partner
(uncredited)

Kim Charney

Little League Team Member
(uncredited)

George Cisar

Bailiff
(uncredited)

Fred Coby

Man in Stands
(uncredited)

Gene Coogan

Coach
(uncredited)

Director
- Herman Hoffman
Writer
- Nathaniel Benchley
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The "P" on Tom Ewell's hat (and his assistant coach played by Dean Jone) is supposed to represent their team mascot "the Panthers." However, it's the script style "P" of the 1950s Philadelphia Phillies that Ewell and Jones wear. The Phils were known as the "Whiz Kids in the Fifties and had many fans around the country. Curiously, the kids on the team wear hats with a different "P" style on their hats. Maybe Ewell or Jones were Phils fans.

Goofs
(at about 39 mins) The boy who got caught taking too big of a lead off of first base is called out after a throw down the line by the catcher. However, the 'out' call is incorrect because the first baseman would have had to apply a tag to the runner before the runner got back to the bag. Such a tag did not happen.

Connections
References Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

User reviews10

Review

Featured review

5/10

Mild, pleasant comedy from the 1950's

THE GREAT AMERICAN PASTIME is a mild, pleasant comedy from 1956. Tom Ewell portrays a lawyer in small-town America who reluctantly lets himself get maneuvered into becoming the coach of a little league baseball team. His wife is portrayed by lovely Anne Francis, and the equally beautiful Ann Miller (in an atypical non-dancing role) plays a single mom whose son is on Ewell's team. Complications arise when Ewell begins to believe that Miller is making romantic overtures toward him in an effort to win him away from his wife. There are also various influential townsfolk who attempt to apply social and political pressure in the interest of making their sons the stars of the team. Raymond Bailey (familiar as banker Milburn Drysdale in "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV series) and Dean Jones (who appeared in numerous Disney films) are in supporting roles. Overall, it is a well paced, enjoyable film with a simple plot and gentle humor spread evenly through its running time. Viewing may prove a refreshing relief from the comedies being produced in the present day.