Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
classicsoncall
Having read almost all of the comments on this film by IMDb reviewers, the thing that surprises me more than anything else is that no one mentioned the age disparity between Professor Vernon Simson/King Kelly (Ray Milland) and his fiancée Deborah (Jean Peters). Give or take a year either way, Milland was twice as old as his co-star in the picture, and the relationship didn't seem credible to me at all. It didn't help that the story didn't reveal any chemistry between the two either. I wonder why film makers took that route back in the day; it happened quite frequently with other actors too, like Randolph Scott and John Wayne for example. I think we're pretty much beyond that kind of casting by now.Otherwise the story has the kind of whimsical fantasy perspective of movies like Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor" (1961) and "Son of Flubber" (1963). Attempting to formulate something akin to an anti-termite solution, Professor Simpson accidentally stumbles upon a concoction that makes baseballs allergic to baseball bats. One of the students helping him test his theory was Alan Hale Jr. looking remarkably young, and it was funny to hear him calling Milland 'Professor' instead of Russell Johnson, a fellow castaway on Gilligan's Island.An interesting theme the story line treads on in describing the character of Professor Simpson was one of possible mental illness. The subject is broached early in the story when Professor Greenleaf asks a colleague what he thinks of Simpson and the response suggests that he's okay from November through April but then he suddenly starts to exhibit erratic behavior, corresponding as we learn, with the annual baseball season. Later, when Simpson approaches Greenleaf for an extended and indeterminate leave, it's without a coherent reason that he makes his request. So there's good cause to question Simpson's mental state. I bring this up because later on in the scene outside the jewelry store with Simpson and Deborah, they pass under a movie marquee featuring "The Snake Pit", which dealt with a woman who's confined to an asylum. I thought the connection was pretty interesting and wondered whether it was done intentionally. Incidentally, another movie on the marquee was "Jungle Patrol", both films from 1948.Considering what the modern era has wrought in the way of technological advances, it seems almost impossible that the Professor could have pulled off his ruse as an incognito pitcher for a Major League baseball franchise, even as far back as 1949. I suppose it could have been possible, but by the time he breezed past his thirtieth win as a pitcher, I would think the home town fans would have made the connection. Heck, even Wyatt Earp was recognizable from illustrations in pulp magazines of the 1870's.Anyway, sports fans can have some fun with this picture despite the quirky stuff going on with the nitrocyclohexane juiced baseball, fully understanding that it's all done simply for entertainment. Catch the quick reference comparing King Kelly to Dizzy Dean, pitching legend for the St. Louis Cardinals during the Thirties. A couple years after this picture was made, a film on Dean came out titled "The Pride of St. Louis".
dimplet
Once, all things were new. And when It Happens Every Spring was new it probably didn't look as tired as it does now. Sure, there were some great, artistic movies made around 1949, but also some really cheesy stuff. The Adventures of Superman was three years away, and it was a huge hit. Not only is there a resemblance between Ray Miland fiddling with his black frame glasses and Clark Kent, but people back then were quite willing to suspend disbelief for some fun escapist fantasy. You don't hear as much these days about the need to be willing to suspend disbelief, but that's what you are doing for certain types of movies. It's as though there is a plumb level that points straight down for realistic stuff, but is adjusted off plumb to a certain degree by the director at the beginning to establish an alternate reality for a movie or TV show. Now, it's interesting that this movie is set up with a professor talking about chemistry. Way back then in the 1940s scientists were doing some stuff that must have looked pretty astounding to the average layman. Today, we look at the basic premise of a chemical designed to repel insects that instead repelled wood and sneer, but in 1949 the audience might have thought, deep down, "who knows?" Science was almost magical. So the director is setting the plumb, say, 45 degrees off. But it's not way off -- 90 to 180 degrees -- like some dumb modern movies that bear no resemblance to reality. The actors still bear a reasonable resemblance to real people, at least by Hollywood standards -- say 10 to 25 degrees off plumb. But the rest of the situation requires the level stay 45 degrees off, stuff like using a glove with a hole in it and thinking he can get away with a fake name, no pictures and no background identity -- stuff in the cynical modern drug testing post 9/11 world we know no one could every hope to get away with now. But we have agreed to suspend belief with the opening premise to 45 degrees, so the rest goes with the package.A lot of cynical modern viewers post all sorts of critical comments about old movies like this and think they are clever, completely missing the point. Each era seems to have a willingness to suspend disbelief in somewhat different ways. When Goldfinger came out, most people were just blown away with what seemed a great picture. Now, to me, it looks more like Swiss cheese. The closer you look (with the hindsight of home video), the less sense it makes. Yet it's still loads of fun. Today, young viewers are willing to suspend disbelief about all sorts of fantasy movies like Inception and Hunger Games that just leave me cold because I can't. In 1949, people paid their money for a bag of popcorn and some escapist fun, and It Happens Every Spring hit the spot. In the 1950s, it was Damn Yankees, which was probably inspired by this movie, and which faced some of the same plot holes. In the 1960s, it was The Nutty Professor and The Absent Minded Professor (I can't, believe I ever watched that stuff!), plus a fun Twilight Zone episode about a robot pitcher named Casey. And from there it was just dumb and dumber. But there were also The Natural in 1984 (same plot holes), and The Rookie in 2002, which didn't require suspending belief because, according to Hollywood, it was based on a true story.From the 2013 perspective, It Happens Every Spring looks better than some of the more recent stupid stuff, but otherwise rather dull. You have a basic plot that unfolds pretty straightforwardly, with just a bit of suspense about the ending. The early scene of his testing the baseball against a stick of wood was amusingly bad from the perspective of DVD-computer slow motion. Do a freeze frame and you see the ball being jerked up about the same time he begins to swing the stick. The best part, for a movie buff, is seeing some fine old names from movies and TV, like Jessie Royce Landis (North by Northwest) and Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins), plus Alan Hale Jr. (the Skipper) and Ed Begley (not junior). That's one reason to recommend it, the other is if you are a baseball movie buff. Most modern viewers I think would not enjoy this movie, in part because they need more special effects and loud music to pound them into suspending their disbelief. But perhaps this will help: It Happens Every Spring is based on a true story. Really.
Michael_Elliott
It Happens Every Spring (1949) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Hilarious baseball movie has chemist professor Vernon Simpson (Ray Milland) coming up with a formula that will repel wood. He then decides to fulfill a life long dream of playing professional baseball so he ends up pitching for the St. Louis Cardnials and plans on leading them to the World Series with his magic trick. This film has gotten pretty rave reviews all around but there was a part of me that felt a bit off going into the movie because I was curious to see how a comedy was going to work when the main guy was basically cheating at a sport. Well, purist will have no trouble because the fact that he's cheating never comes into play because the viewer will be too busy laughing. After watching this film I couldn't believe that it wasn't better known consider it's about baseball, features a wonderful, Oscar-winning actor and most importantly it's incredibly funny. You'd think the joke of a baseball magically moving around a bat would wear thin after the first time but it doesn't and in fact it keeps getting funnier as the movie moves along. I'm not too certain how they did the special effect of the baseball moving in all sorts of wacky directions but there's no doubt it's one of the funniest things in any sports movie. What also makes it work so well is that Milland is, as no shock, excellent in the role. He's a very serious actor and he plays the part here very seriously and this adds to the charm and even helps us believe the events that are going on. He doesn't look or feel like a baseball player but that's pretty much the point of the story as he walks off the streets and becomes the greatest pitcher in baseball history. Jean Peters does a nice job as his girlfriend with Paul Gouglas, Ed Begley, Ted de Corsia and Alan Hale, Jr. adding great support. Apparently MLB wouldn't allow any real teams or real player cameos in the film because of the cheating but it's their loss considering how wonderful the film turned out and in fact there's really no need for any famous faces to show up as the film is strong enough not to need them. Bacon's direction is top-notch throughout as he perfectly handles the rather screwball moments but most importantly is Milland and the fact that you like him and want to see this scheme work.
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.
