“Yankees! How did they ever get in?”
So moans Aunt Pittypat, in “Gone With the Wind,” as General Sherman takes Atlanta. And so some will moan, inevitably, as the all-conquering New York Yankees entered their 41st World Series Friday (they’ve won 27 of them).
Love them or hate them — and there are plenty on both sides of the fence — the Bronx Bombers are going to be on everyone’s mind between Friday Oct. 25 and Saturday Nov. 2 as they battle the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And even New Yorkers who are disappointed about a hoped-for subway series with the Mets can still take pride in the fact that the most successful franchise in MLB history calls New York home.
Pride of the Yankees. What does that remind us of? Of course! Gary Cooper, hitting it out of the park as The Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig, in the 1942 RKO movie classic. And that’s just one of many films, over the years, that have hitched their wagon to the Yankees’ star.
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Here are some of our favorite flicks starring the Yankees — or The Stankees (as their detractors prefer), or The New York Highlanders (as they were originally known in 1903). Roll ’em!
‘Pride of the Yankees’ (1942)
“Today-ay-ay, I consider myself the luckiest man-an-an, on the face of the earth-earth earth.” So Lou Gehrig, his voice echoing through the loudspeakers at Yankee Stadium, famously bids farewell to his fans in this beloved Hollywood scene. Lou Gehrig, of the eponymous disease, got some bad breaks, but this classic biopic starring Gary Cooper was not one of them. Alas, he didn’t live to see it (he died in 1941, two years after his exit from baseball). Available on Peacock, Tubi, YouTube.
‘The Babe Ruth Story’ (1948)
The Bambino was a natural for the movies: he appeared as himself in several, including “Babe Comes Home” (1927) and “Speedy” with Harold Lloyd (1928). The year of his death, he appeared in this semi-fictional biography starring William Bendix that was rushed into production so it could be finished while the slugger was still alive (he saw it 21 days before he died). Bendix, incidentally, had been a bat boy during Ruth’s tenure at Yankee stadium; he was reportedly fired after the 15 hot dogs he brought to Ruth before a game — at his request — resulted in gastritis that caused the Yankees to lose. Available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube.
‘The Winning Team’ (1952)
This is one of several films that tap into a key part of the Yankees mystique — the underdog-hero status they confer upon those who come up against them. In this case, it’s St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander (Ronald Reagan). Luckily his girl Doris Day is in the stands — so Ronald is able to win just one for the Gipper. Oops, wrong movie. Available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube.
‘Damn Yankees’ (1958)
This well-loved musical, based on the Broadway show, is mostly about The Washington Senators. But this is yet another story that casts the Yankees as a Goliath that can only be vanquished by a determined David. Here, he’s a Senators fan (Robert Shafer) who literally sells his soul to Satan (Ray Walston) in exchange for a win against the hated Pinstripers. In the end, of course, he learns that you don’t need a deal with the devil to win. All you really need is heart! Available on Tubi, Amazon Prime, Google Play.
‘Major League’ (1989)
A sports-comedy recasting of “The Producers.” The owner of the Cleveland Indians (Margaret Whitton) deliberately assembles the worst team she can (Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes) in order to exploit an “escape” clause in the team’s contract and move them to Miami. Naturally, they’re up against — who else? — The Yankees. Available on Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime.
‘The Babe’ (1992)
A somewhat less flattering portrait of the Sultan of Swat, starring a hefty John Goodman — who, ironically, had to lose weight to play the role. Available on YouTube, Google Play, Apple.
’61*’ (2001)
This HBO TV movie about Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane) and Roger Maris (Barry Pepper) in their quest to break Babe Ruth’s 1927 home run record was a labor of love for director Billy Crystal. The comedian, who had attended all the games in the 1961 season as a kid, was a close friend of the Mantle family, and got permission to portray some of Mantle’s drunken escapades. The real Mantle and Maris appeared in their own 1962 film, “Safe at Home!” Available on Max, YouTube, Hulu.
‘Everyone’s Hero’ (2006)
Animated film about a boy (voice of Jake T. Austin) who, with the aid of a talking baseball (Rob Reiner) goes on a quest to recover Babe Ruth’s stolen talking bat (Whoopi Goldberg) before the all-important 1932 World Series. Not — as far as we know — based on a true story. Available on Apple TV.
‘Henry & Me’ (2014)
Another animated film, about a 12-year-old Yankees fan (voice of Austin Williams), battling cancer, who dreams he is visited by a guardian angel who turns out to be none other than Lou Gehrig (Richard Gere). Directed by the late Christopher Reeve — who knew a thing or two about overcoming the odds. Available on Tubi, Amazon Prime, Fandango.
The Bombers, The Yanks — or if you prefer, The Evil Empire, The Bronx Zoo,
and 27 World Series championships, all of which are MLB records.[
www.imdb.com/list/ls059112427/
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