...then you must watch this movie. I've been a big fan all my life and have always thought that there just wasn't enough extended film footage on him. There are lots and lots of interviews with Babe Ruth yet it's difficult to find anything like that with Gehrig so I had searched for a long time to get a good copy of Rawhide - Lou's one and only full length movie. Of course this movie was made in 1938 so the quality is not the best, but all and all, the movie was entertaining. Lou plays himself. After finishing the baseball season, he heads out to Montana for some rest and relaxation on his sister's ranch. Well, as it turns out, she is being pressured to join the "association" which provides protection for local ranchers. Yet it's really just a bully organization that bleeds all of the local ranchers of their profits. Gehrig's performance is enjoyable. He's almost giddy in his acting which makes the movie all that more watchable. There's a real good fight scene in the local saloon where Lou takes out his opponents one-by-one by throwing billiard balls at him. And of course, the movie ends on a happy note. Hope you're able to get a copy of this movie. Watch it and enjoy.
17 Reviews
Good Guys-7 , Bad Guys-0
FightingWesterner10 April 2010
Singing cowboy/crusading attorney Smith Ballew is looking for a brave cattleman to go up against the crooked Rancher's Protective Association, which has been shaking down local ranch owners. He finds what he's looking for in baseball star Lou Gehrig (!), who's quit baseball and along with his sister, bought a local spread.
In all, this celebrity-driven production isn't half bad. It's a pleasant enough hour of entertainment, with some good action and an irresistible chance to see Gehrig at the height of his career, in his only acting gig. Evalyn Knapp, who play's his sister, is pretty cute too!
As a Saturday matinée hero, the rough and tumble Gehrig is surprisingly good. One amusing scene has him taking out a pool hall full of bad guys by pitching billiard balls against their heads and another has Lou belting out a (lip-synched?) cowboy song with Ballew, while riding the trail!
In all, this celebrity-driven production isn't half bad. It's a pleasant enough hour of entertainment, with some good action and an irresistible chance to see Gehrig at the height of his career, in his only acting gig. Evalyn Knapp, who play's his sister, is pretty cute too!
As a Saturday matinée hero, the rough and tumble Gehrig is surprisingly good. One amusing scene has him taking out a pool hall full of bad guys by pitching billiard balls against their heads and another has Lou belting out a (lip-synched?) cowboy song with Ballew, while riding the trail!
Gehrig's performance
ski28 October 1998
While not Oscar deserving, Gehrig did a commendable job, considering it was his first (and last) movie. The movie was made a year before he retired from baseball due to the disease that claimed his life two years later.
Wow...talk about strange casting!
planktonrules5 September 2011
A couple years before he died, Lou Gehrig (yes, THAT Lou Gehrig) co-starred in an amiable little western called "Rawhide". The title refers to the name of Gehrig's ranch---to which he's retiring. However, when he arrives he finds there is a 'protective association' that controls all the local ranches. What this actually turns out to be is a protection racket run by some mobsters. In other words, if you don't join, 'accidents' happen to your spread and you can't buy needed materials. However, Lou is tough and he and his new buddy (the crooner Smith Ballew) decide to fight instead of knuckling under to their bullying tactics. Much of the rest of the film is a battle of wills and fists between these men.
The film had some very nice singing. Ballew had a very good voice and the lyrics were catchy. As for Gehrig, I am pretty sure his singing was dubbed. I also was surprised by his speaking voice, as it was 100% New York--and sounded nothing like Gary Cooper in "Pride of the Yankees". Because of this, it further accentuated the 'fish out of water' aspect of the film with this city boy taking up an odd new life as a rancher! It's all a bit surreal but also pleasant and worth seeing just for its curiosity factor.
The film had some very nice singing. Ballew had a very good voice and the lyrics were catchy. As for Gehrig, I am pretty sure his singing was dubbed. I also was surprised by his speaking voice, as it was 100% New York--and sounded nothing like Gary Cooper in "Pride of the Yankees". Because of this, it further accentuated the 'fish out of water' aspect of the film with this city boy taking up an odd new life as a rancher! It's all a bit surreal but also pleasant and worth seeing just for its curiosity factor.
The Old Protection Racket In Montana
bkoganbing2 November 2006
I noticed in the credits of Rawhide before the film started it listed that Lou Gehrig was appearing in the film due to the arrangement of Christy Walsh. Walsh was Gehrig's business manager, he got Gehrig as a client through his team mate Babe Ruth whose business affairs Walsh also managed. I guess this western was another money making project for Gehrig to do off season. In fact the film begins with Lou in New York's Grand Central Station telling reporters he's off to live with his sister who has a ranch in Montana and if likes it he's through with baseball.
Not exactly being a trained thespian, Lou played the only role he could have played, Lou Gehrig. When he arrives in Montana, Lou discovers his sister is being squeezed by the Cattleman's Association which in that neck of the woods is nothing more than a protection racket. In fact he's got the best line in the film when he tells the bad guys that hearing their operation and how it works he has a feeling he's back in New York right now.
Lou and sister Evalyn Knapp get a lawyer to fight them. But not just any lawyer, a singing cowboy lawyer in the person of Smith Ballew. Between the three of them, the villains are of course routed.
In real life Lou Gehrig was an only child and in real life he did go to spring training with the Yankees in 1939. But it was his last one because that disease that bears his name was starting to take its toll. In fact during the second half of the 1938 season and the World Series against the Cubs, Lou's statistics fell off dramatically.
As a western star, Lou Gehrig would not have given John Wayne any concern about a rivalry. But I would point out that in the film the Jackie Robinson Story where Jackie played himself, he was plainly ill at ease in front of the camera. And that was a project dreamed up by Branch Rickey who was running the Dodgers at the time.
Rawhide is a curiosity and certainly would have been long forgotten, but for the presence of a sports legend.
Not exactly being a trained thespian, Lou played the only role he could have played, Lou Gehrig. When he arrives in Montana, Lou discovers his sister is being squeezed by the Cattleman's Association which in that neck of the woods is nothing more than a protection racket. In fact he's got the best line in the film when he tells the bad guys that hearing their operation and how it works he has a feeling he's back in New York right now.
Lou and sister Evalyn Knapp get a lawyer to fight them. But not just any lawyer, a singing cowboy lawyer in the person of Smith Ballew. Between the three of them, the villains are of course routed.
In real life Lou Gehrig was an only child and in real life he did go to spring training with the Yankees in 1939. But it was his last one because that disease that bears his name was starting to take its toll. In fact during the second half of the 1938 season and the World Series against the Cubs, Lou's statistics fell off dramatically.
As a western star, Lou Gehrig would not have given John Wayne any concern about a rivalry. But I would point out that in the film the Jackie Robinson Story where Jackie played himself, he was plainly ill at ease in front of the camera. And that was a project dreamed up by Branch Rickey who was running the Dodgers at the time.
Rawhide is a curiosity and certainly would have been long forgotten, but for the presence of a sports legend.
"Well this'll be more fun than the World Series"!
classicsoncall30 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
It's always cool to come across an unexpected treat as I did today, looking for a film to view from my collection of 'B' Westerns put out by Mill Creek Entertainment. This one co-starred baseball legend Lou Gehrig along side singing cowboy Smith Ballew, and it was a genuinely fun picture to watch. Gehrig plays himself, heading West to Montana to relax on his sister's cattle ranch. I'm curious how baseball/movie fans of the era reacted when he pronounced early in the picture - "Take it or leave it, I'm through with baseball" - must have been a shock to the system!
The plot Gehrig finds himself in is a fairly typical one though. The local Ranchers Protective Association is being run by stand in boss Ed Saunders (Arthur Loft), and he's forcing the locals to join his organization as he and his henchmen take a hefty cut of the rancher profits for themselves. The Gehrig's see no need to join, and when Saunders turns up the heat, they hook up with attorney Larry Kimball (Ballew) who's been anxious to take up the fight against the bad guys with a client willing to go the distance.
This is the first film I've seen with Smith Ballew, though I'm familiar with his reputation. A popular singer in the Thirties, he appeared in a number of Westerns doing just that, crooning as a singing cowboy. One of the oft repeated trivia notes attributed to Ballew is that he dubbed John Wayne's singing voice in "Riders of Destiny", but Ballew denied that repeatedly before he died. Wayne's recollection was that it was probably Bill Bradbury (brother of Bob Steele and son of director Robert North Bradbury), who did the singing, with money earned to support his college education.
Speaking of John Wayne, it struck me more than once that Gehrig might have shared a passing resemblance to the star, maybe more of a cross between Wayne and another veteran cowboy actor, Tim McCoy. Which is to say that he looked right at home in Western gear and ten gallon hat. Gehrig's portrayal is somewhat self deprecating, as he gets thrown from a horse in the early going, but when things get really wild, he reverts to his baseball wits. In a rousing bar room brawl, Gehrig winds up with a few billiard balls to knock out a bunch of bad guys. Later on, he manages to smash an upper story window of Saunders' office using a bat and ball. I thought only Babe Ruth called his shots like that.
It wouldn't have been an era Western without your traditional horse chase scenes, and on that score, it was unusual to see some of the local businessmen in suits high tail it out of town on horseback. Of course, the team of Gehrig and Ballew, with a little help from sister Peggy (Evalyn Knapp), defeat the bad guys and save the day. Gehrig's earlier 'retirement' from baseball comes to an end when he gets a telegram from the Yankees saying that they met his terms. So Gehrig's movie career began and ended with this picture, but while it lasted, it must have been a blast.
The plot Gehrig finds himself in is a fairly typical one though. The local Ranchers Protective Association is being run by stand in boss Ed Saunders (Arthur Loft), and he's forcing the locals to join his organization as he and his henchmen take a hefty cut of the rancher profits for themselves. The Gehrig's see no need to join, and when Saunders turns up the heat, they hook up with attorney Larry Kimball (Ballew) who's been anxious to take up the fight against the bad guys with a client willing to go the distance.
This is the first film I've seen with Smith Ballew, though I'm familiar with his reputation. A popular singer in the Thirties, he appeared in a number of Westerns doing just that, crooning as a singing cowboy. One of the oft repeated trivia notes attributed to Ballew is that he dubbed John Wayne's singing voice in "Riders of Destiny", but Ballew denied that repeatedly before he died. Wayne's recollection was that it was probably Bill Bradbury (brother of Bob Steele and son of director Robert North Bradbury), who did the singing, with money earned to support his college education.
Speaking of John Wayne, it struck me more than once that Gehrig might have shared a passing resemblance to the star, maybe more of a cross between Wayne and another veteran cowboy actor, Tim McCoy. Which is to say that he looked right at home in Western gear and ten gallon hat. Gehrig's portrayal is somewhat self deprecating, as he gets thrown from a horse in the early going, but when things get really wild, he reverts to his baseball wits. In a rousing bar room brawl, Gehrig winds up with a few billiard balls to knock out a bunch of bad guys. Later on, he manages to smash an upper story window of Saunders' office using a bat and ball. I thought only Babe Ruth called his shots like that.
It wouldn't have been an era Western without your traditional horse chase scenes, and on that score, it was unusual to see some of the local businessmen in suits high tail it out of town on horseback. Of course, the team of Gehrig and Ballew, with a little help from sister Peggy (Evalyn Knapp), defeat the bad guys and save the day. Gehrig's earlier 'retirement' from baseball comes to an end when he gets a telegram from the Yankees saying that they met his terms. So Gehrig's movie career began and ended with this picture, but while it lasted, it must have been a blast.
Historic but not very good
Michael_Elliott25 November 2006
RAWHIDE (1938)
** (out of four)
After finishing the baseball season, the real Lou Gehrig travels to Montana to visit his sister where he learns an evil banker is stealing all of their land. This really isn't a good movie but it's quite fun seeing the baseball legend act. I wouldn't say he gave a good performance but it's worth watching either way. I'm not sure if Gehrig was acting or just playing himself but he's always got a smile on his face, which is quite charming considering the pain he must have been feeling at the time. There really isn't too much footage out there of Gehrig so this film, warts and all, is pretty important.
** (out of four)
After finishing the baseball season, the real Lou Gehrig travels to Montana to visit his sister where he learns an evil banker is stealing all of their land. This really isn't a good movie but it's quite fun seeing the baseball legend act. I wouldn't say he gave a good performance but it's worth watching either way. I'm not sure if Gehrig was acting or just playing himself but he's always got a smile on his face, which is quite charming considering the pain he must have been feeling at the time. There really isn't too much footage out there of Gehrig so this film, warts and all, is pretty important.
Lou Gehrig, cowboy
grantss30 April 2023
Famed New York Yankees baseball star Lou Gehrig retires and buys a ranch in Montana, Rawhide. He is hoping for the quiet life but soon discovers that a protection racket is being run by a local gang and they expect him to pay up. Luckily Gehrig has an ally in lawyer Larry Kimball.
Accidentally watched this because I wanted to watch the 1951 Rawhide (directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward) and Plex misidentified and mistagged the 1938 version as the 1951 version. So instead of a 7.1 on IMDB I get a film that's a 5.6 and instead of Tyrone Power I get Lou Gehrig!
The fact that the film stars Lou Gehrig, superb baseballer but hardly renowned as an actor, sums up why it was made, i.e. To cash in on his fame.
It's as bad as you'd think: weak, predictable plot, unconvincing performances. Just to make it even more cheap and cheesy, it includes some musical numbers!
Not worth watching, even if you are a Lou Gehrig fan.
Accidentally watched this because I wanted to watch the 1951 Rawhide (directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward) and Plex misidentified and mistagged the 1938 version as the 1951 version. So instead of a 7.1 on IMDB I get a film that's a 5.6 and instead of Tyrone Power I get Lou Gehrig!
The fact that the film stars Lou Gehrig, superb baseballer but hardly renowned as an actor, sums up why it was made, i.e. To cash in on his fame.
It's as bad as you'd think: weak, predictable plot, unconvincing performances. Just to make it even more cheap and cheesy, it includes some musical numbers!
Not worth watching, even if you are a Lou Gehrig fan.
Delicious and rare treat, and a real find, as well as a good Western
morrisonhimself6 March 2017
Not really perfect, but ...
Robert Redford starred in a movie called "The Natural." I read the book; it was stupid; I didn't see the movie. The book was about a baseball player. Well, Lou Gehrig WAS a baseball player, but he was really a natural as an actor.
Some other commenter called Gehrig as stiff as his bat. Wrong! Gehrig was so relaxed, so -- that word again -- natural in this cowboy movie, it is more than a shame, more than a tragedy that this was his last year of an active life, that soon after making "Rawhide," Lou Gehrig developed the disease that now bears his name.
He appeared in front of a camera as if he'd been doing it for years.
The nominal star was that incredibly talented Smith Ballew, possessor of one of the most beautiful voices to appear on screen, especially in Westerns. He was a very tall and good-looking man, with real grace as a cowboy, and genuine singing talent. In fact, he made hundreds of records in several genres.
But even Smith Ballew was at least slightly over-shadowed by the great, the legendary Lou Gehrig, one of the most honored baseball players of all time.
In "Rawhide," he showed he could have anticipated other baseballers such as Chuck Connors and had a whole career in motion pictures. He is thoroughly likable, very personable and charming, and seems as if he's been performing for years. What a shame he wasn't allowed to keep doing so.
"Rawhide" is about Lou's retiring to the ranch his "sister" has bought for the two of them. It would have perhaps worked even better if another name had been applied to the character, but it still works well for "Lou Gehrig" and his sister.
That sister is beautifully played by the beautiful Evalyn Knapp. She gives such a charming performance here, I am both angered and saddened she didn't become the huge star she obviously was capable of being.
"Rawhide" works partly because its three stars are so believable and likable, and partly because there are superbly talented co-stars and atmosphere players, and many of them.
B Westerns are so much better when there are many smaller parts and especially when they are so excellently performed by such a superlative cast as this movie has.
"Rawhide" is a special treat because it's Lou Gehrig's only fictional movie talking appearance. He could have been a major star if his life had not taken such a tragic turn.
He even looks like John Wayne in some of the stills, with his 10-gallon hat and craggy good looks -- and not like Gary Cooper who played him in the biopic.
"Rawhide" is available at YouTube in a not-great print, but it's good enough for you to appreciate the clever and well-written story that is very ably directed and that even has some really nice, non-intrusive, music. I highly recommend "Rawhide."
Robert Redford starred in a movie called "The Natural." I read the book; it was stupid; I didn't see the movie. The book was about a baseball player. Well, Lou Gehrig WAS a baseball player, but he was really a natural as an actor.
Some other commenter called Gehrig as stiff as his bat. Wrong! Gehrig was so relaxed, so -- that word again -- natural in this cowboy movie, it is more than a shame, more than a tragedy that this was his last year of an active life, that soon after making "Rawhide," Lou Gehrig developed the disease that now bears his name.
He appeared in front of a camera as if he'd been doing it for years.
The nominal star was that incredibly talented Smith Ballew, possessor of one of the most beautiful voices to appear on screen, especially in Westerns. He was a very tall and good-looking man, with real grace as a cowboy, and genuine singing talent. In fact, he made hundreds of records in several genres.
But even Smith Ballew was at least slightly over-shadowed by the great, the legendary Lou Gehrig, one of the most honored baseball players of all time.
In "Rawhide," he showed he could have anticipated other baseballers such as Chuck Connors and had a whole career in motion pictures. He is thoroughly likable, very personable and charming, and seems as if he's been performing for years. What a shame he wasn't allowed to keep doing so.
"Rawhide" is about Lou's retiring to the ranch his "sister" has bought for the two of them. It would have perhaps worked even better if another name had been applied to the character, but it still works well for "Lou Gehrig" and his sister.
That sister is beautifully played by the beautiful Evalyn Knapp. She gives such a charming performance here, I am both angered and saddened she didn't become the huge star she obviously was capable of being.
"Rawhide" works partly because its three stars are so believable and likable, and partly because there are superbly talented co-stars and atmosphere players, and many of them.
B Westerns are so much better when there are many smaller parts and especially when they are so excellently performed by such a superlative cast as this movie has.
"Rawhide" is a special treat because it's Lou Gehrig's only fictional movie talking appearance. He could have been a major star if his life had not taken such a tragic turn.
He even looks like John Wayne in some of the stills, with his 10-gallon hat and craggy good looks -- and not like Gary Cooper who played him in the biopic.
"Rawhide" is available at YouTube in a not-great print, but it's good enough for you to appreciate the clever and well-written story that is very ably directed and that even has some really nice, non-intrusive, music. I highly recommend "Rawhide."
Enjoyable oater with the great baseball star
funkyfry25 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Basically this is a pretty standard oater from the late 30s with the addition of baseball legend Lou Gehrig (second billed behind Smith Ballew, who plays a crooning cowboy lawyer). Sol Lesser isn't exactly know for top quality productions, and this one isn't all that great to look at (the cheap transfer to DVD that I saw didn't help), but it's fun to see Gehrig handle dialog and even a few lines of singing where he mentions his "versatility" on the diamond, which made me laugh because as far as I know the guy always played first base which is the easiest position to play in baseball. In fact Lou Gehrig sort of set the template for how the Yankees and other teams built their offense for the next several decades. He gets to show off his baseball skills in the Western context in at least two other scenes, once when he knocks a baseball through a window to stop his sister (Evalyn Knapp) from signing a contract with the evil racketeers, and even better in the bar fight when he knocks out a dozen assailants with pool balls. I guess they screenwriters didn't know that a first baseman usually can't pitch to save his life.
It's sad to think of Gehrig wasted by illness just a few years after this film, because he looks and sounds great here. I mean he's not really an actor, but he could have become decent if he had made more films. I was surprised by how good looking he was; I've seen pictures of him but it's more striking on film. It makes you think that Gary Cooper wasn't that crazy a choice to play him on film after all.
The rest of the cast is decent, but the plot is so predictable that anyone over the age of 6 might be bored unless they're a fan of these kind of movies like I am. Poor Knapp doesn't have anything to do but smile at Smith Ballew and of course break down and show her weakness by agreeing to sign the contract to spare Ballew's character from danger. Ballew himself I haven't really seen in anything else, he seems like a pretty generic example of the singing cowboy and doesn't even have a particularly good voice.
On the whole though I enjoyed the movie. It's very short, it has all the things you need in a good standard-issue oater like good stunt riding, a couple fistfights, some gun-play, and a big cavalry ride at the end. Pretty enjoyable for an undemanding Sunday morning or whatever.
It's sad to think of Gehrig wasted by illness just a few years after this film, because he looks and sounds great here. I mean he's not really an actor, but he could have become decent if he had made more films. I was surprised by how good looking he was; I've seen pictures of him but it's more striking on film. It makes you think that Gary Cooper wasn't that crazy a choice to play him on film after all.
The rest of the cast is decent, but the plot is so predictable that anyone over the age of 6 might be bored unless they're a fan of these kind of movies like I am. Poor Knapp doesn't have anything to do but smile at Smith Ballew and of course break down and show her weakness by agreeing to sign the contract to spare Ballew's character from danger. Ballew himself I haven't really seen in anything else, he seems like a pretty generic example of the singing cowboy and doesn't even have a particularly good voice.
On the whole though I enjoyed the movie. It's very short, it has all the things you need in a good standard-issue oater like good stunt riding, a couple fistfights, some gun-play, and a big cavalry ride at the end. Pretty enjoyable for an undemanding Sunday morning or whatever.
Gehrig's Winning Personality Shines Through!
Chance2000esl14 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Lou Gehrig was one of American major league baseball's greatest players. Check out his statistics on the Internet. His farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, given two years before his death to what we now call "Lou Gehrig's Disease" (ALS), was ranked the Number One Moment in Sports by fans during the 2008 All-Star Game. He wasn't just one of the baseball immortals, but unlike Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth, he had an extremely winning personality. For any fan of baseball, we are lucky to see that personality preserved for posterity in this film.
The movie is really a Smith Ballew (who?) Western. Although Ballew starred in eleven Westerns, he was originally a band leader and jazz singer of the twenties and thirties (discovered by Tommy Dorsey no less!) He became one of the first singing cowboys; therefore, this one has a lot of singing. We get two 'comic' cowboy songs sung by him, one of which has the famous pop singer of the forties, Buddy Clark, singing for Lou Gehrig. Ballew's spotlighted ballad, "Driftin'," was written by Albert von Tilzer, composer of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and "I'll Be With You in Appple Blossom Time." Beside this fine number, we get a country swing band doing a short version of "That Old Washboard Band," written and performed by Willie and Norman Phelps, who also do "Texas Washboard Rag" (which they also wrote) in Tex Ritter's 'Hittin' the Trail' (1937). For those who may not know, the washboard, augmented with copper pots and a bicycle horn, was a staple of Western movie bands. It was Spike Jones in the forties who elevated the augmented washboard to orchestral instrument status.
Other credits for this film are equally impressive. Ray Taylor, who directed so many famous serials was the director. Among his many outstanding serials are 'The Return of Chandu' (1934), 'Flash Gordon,' (1936), 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' (1940) and 'The Perils of Pauline' (1933), which starred Evalyn Knapp, who is featured in this movie as the heroine, though she gets little to do here. 'The Perils of Pauline' is especially noteworthy because it appears to take place at locations all over the world. In this movie we also get Dick Curtis, veteran of over 230 movies and TV shows (mostly as a villain), the ever present Lafe McKee, and the plump Cy Kendall as the dishonest sheriff.
Then there's Lou Gehrig himself. Unlike other athletes who appeared in films, he is neither wooden, unemotional or out of place. One reviewer here described him as 'almost giddy' in his performance. I think, however, we have him in all his naturalness as a person, playing the role of a cowboy, with his smiling, dimpled, good natured sincerity. We see him throw billiard balls in a bar fight, and smash a window with a rock hit by a bat. He was left handed! He certainly does get a little giddy when he is called back for spring training at the end.
The film's story is promising. In Rawhide, Montana, Saunders, an evil businessman, (in these thirties depression era movies what other kind is there?) is running a protection racket, forcing all the ranchers to join the "Ranchers' Protective Association," or face the consequences. Good natured Lou, going to live on his sister's ranch to find "peace and quiet," gets thrown into the middle of this conflict. With only the good town lawyer (Smith Ballew) to help him, Lou finds the odds heavily stacked against him in his defiance of the evil Saunders, and early attempts to circumvent Saunders' power and control are met with failure.
Is the film fun to watch? Yes. We get some snappy dialog like, "You boys are carrying things with a pretty high hat," and "If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas." When Lou first sees his new home in Montana, he jubilates, "Boy! What a Ritz!" When Smith tells Lou that if he's going to stand up against Saunders, he'll have to stick it through, Lou replies enthusiastically, " Why I'm Old Man Stick It Through myself!" Prophetic, but true to Lou Gehrig's nature.
Unfortunately, the defeat of the racketeers and the resolution of the conflict are too quickly and easily handled. After Smith rouses all the ranchers against him (in a fast forty seconds), Saunders declares "We've got to get out of town!" and the final horseback chase sequence takes place. Just like that. Smith's knockout punch to Saunders, and we're off to the happy ending. The rapid resolution detracts from the impact of the story's development, and weakens the film considerably.
Still, I have to give it a five and a half for its other wonderful elements, especially preserving Lou Gehrig's enthusiastic presence.
The movie is really a Smith Ballew (who?) Western. Although Ballew starred in eleven Westerns, he was originally a band leader and jazz singer of the twenties and thirties (discovered by Tommy Dorsey no less!) He became one of the first singing cowboys; therefore, this one has a lot of singing. We get two 'comic' cowboy songs sung by him, one of which has the famous pop singer of the forties, Buddy Clark, singing for Lou Gehrig. Ballew's spotlighted ballad, "Driftin'," was written by Albert von Tilzer, composer of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and "I'll Be With You in Appple Blossom Time." Beside this fine number, we get a country swing band doing a short version of "That Old Washboard Band," written and performed by Willie and Norman Phelps, who also do "Texas Washboard Rag" (which they also wrote) in Tex Ritter's 'Hittin' the Trail' (1937). For those who may not know, the washboard, augmented with copper pots and a bicycle horn, was a staple of Western movie bands. It was Spike Jones in the forties who elevated the augmented washboard to orchestral instrument status.
Other credits for this film are equally impressive. Ray Taylor, who directed so many famous serials was the director. Among his many outstanding serials are 'The Return of Chandu' (1934), 'Flash Gordon,' (1936), 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' (1940) and 'The Perils of Pauline' (1933), which starred Evalyn Knapp, who is featured in this movie as the heroine, though she gets little to do here. 'The Perils of Pauline' is especially noteworthy because it appears to take place at locations all over the world. In this movie we also get Dick Curtis, veteran of over 230 movies and TV shows (mostly as a villain), the ever present Lafe McKee, and the plump Cy Kendall as the dishonest sheriff.
Then there's Lou Gehrig himself. Unlike other athletes who appeared in films, he is neither wooden, unemotional or out of place. One reviewer here described him as 'almost giddy' in his performance. I think, however, we have him in all his naturalness as a person, playing the role of a cowboy, with his smiling, dimpled, good natured sincerity. We see him throw billiard balls in a bar fight, and smash a window with a rock hit by a bat. He was left handed! He certainly does get a little giddy when he is called back for spring training at the end.
The film's story is promising. In Rawhide, Montana, Saunders, an evil businessman, (in these thirties depression era movies what other kind is there?) is running a protection racket, forcing all the ranchers to join the "Ranchers' Protective Association," or face the consequences. Good natured Lou, going to live on his sister's ranch to find "peace and quiet," gets thrown into the middle of this conflict. With only the good town lawyer (Smith Ballew) to help him, Lou finds the odds heavily stacked against him in his defiance of the evil Saunders, and early attempts to circumvent Saunders' power and control are met with failure.
Is the film fun to watch? Yes. We get some snappy dialog like, "You boys are carrying things with a pretty high hat," and "If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas." When Lou first sees his new home in Montana, he jubilates, "Boy! What a Ritz!" When Smith tells Lou that if he's going to stand up against Saunders, he'll have to stick it through, Lou replies enthusiastically, " Why I'm Old Man Stick It Through myself!" Prophetic, but true to Lou Gehrig's nature.
Unfortunately, the defeat of the racketeers and the resolution of the conflict are too quickly and easily handled. After Smith rouses all the ranchers against him (in a fast forty seconds), Saunders declares "We've got to get out of town!" and the final horseback chase sequence takes place. Just like that. Smith's knockout punch to Saunders, and we're off to the happy ending. The rapid resolution detracts from the impact of the story's development, and weakens the film considerably.
Still, I have to give it a five and a half for its other wonderful elements, especially preserving Lou Gehrig's enthusiastic presence.
Very good modern day western
qormi3 July 2021
Very good storyline and plot. The usual 1930s singing cowboy stuff now and then.
This was Lou Gehrig's movie debut and he was terrific. He had the looks to surpass any movie star at the time. He acted with ease; like he had been doing this for years. Had he not cone down with the fatal muscle disease ALS soon after this picture was filmed, he undoubtedly would have become a major movie star upon retirement from baseball.
This was Lou Gehrig's movie debut and he was terrific. He had the looks to surpass any movie star at the time. He acted with ease; like he had been doing this for years. Had he not cone down with the fatal muscle disease ALS soon after this picture was filmed, he undoubtedly would have become a major movie star upon retirement from baseball.
Lou Gehrig!!!
sddavis6324 August 2011
In a bizarre kind of way, this is a fairly typical sort of western. It features a lot of cowboys, a lot of horses and a few gunfights. It's also, however, set in the late 1930's and it stars - wait for it - Lou Gehrig (yes - THE Lou Gehrig of New York Yankees fame) as - again, wait for it - Lou Gehrig, who's decided to retire from baseball, and get some peace and quiet out on the range as a rancher. But far from peace and quiet, Lou finds himself in the middle of a battle with a local robber- baron type who controls the town and all of the ranchers.
Now, Gehrig was I'm sure a better baseball player than he was an actor, and yet he wasn't too bad in this either, and he manages to introduce even a bit of humour into it, particularly in the scene where he first learns to ride a horse. His very presence also brings forth a sense of pathos right from the start. Remember that the movie was made in 1938. It opens with Gehrig speaking to reporters at a train as he's preparing to leave New York City and explaining that he's quitting baseball. We, of course, know now that in fact within little more than a year he would be out of baseball, and not long afterward he would be dead. You can't help but think of that as the movie opens. So there's some fun, there's typical western stuff, there's unintentional sadness because of the way Gehrig's life turned out and there's even a singing cowboy/lawyer played by Smith Ballew, whose songs are absolute pure corn - so much so that they make you laugh a bit too.
Some of the story is a bit strange. Lou buys the ranch in partnership with his sister (played by Evelyn Knapp) - but as far as I know Lou didn't have any sisters at this point in his life (he was the only one of his parents' four children to survive into adulthood.) Why not have him buy the ranch with his wife Eleanor? Wouldn't that have made more sense? And where was Eleanor anyway? Did he leave her behind? I mean, if you're going to cast Lou Gehrig as himself why not use his real biography? Strange stuff.
Anyway, all that confusion about Gehrig's life aside, you have to say that no, this isn't a great movie. But any movie that actually stars Lou Gehrig as Lou Gehrig (and it's the only movie he was ever in, and one wonders if he might have thought of acting as a post-baseball career that unfortunately never happened) is worth watching! (6/10)
Now, Gehrig was I'm sure a better baseball player than he was an actor, and yet he wasn't too bad in this either, and he manages to introduce even a bit of humour into it, particularly in the scene where he first learns to ride a horse. His very presence also brings forth a sense of pathos right from the start. Remember that the movie was made in 1938. It opens with Gehrig speaking to reporters at a train as he's preparing to leave New York City and explaining that he's quitting baseball. We, of course, know now that in fact within little more than a year he would be out of baseball, and not long afterward he would be dead. You can't help but think of that as the movie opens. So there's some fun, there's typical western stuff, there's unintentional sadness because of the way Gehrig's life turned out and there's even a singing cowboy/lawyer played by Smith Ballew, whose songs are absolute pure corn - so much so that they make you laugh a bit too.
Some of the story is a bit strange. Lou buys the ranch in partnership with his sister (played by Evelyn Knapp) - but as far as I know Lou didn't have any sisters at this point in his life (he was the only one of his parents' four children to survive into adulthood.) Why not have him buy the ranch with his wife Eleanor? Wouldn't that have made more sense? And where was Eleanor anyway? Did he leave her behind? I mean, if you're going to cast Lou Gehrig as himself why not use his real biography? Strange stuff.
Anyway, all that confusion about Gehrig's life aside, you have to say that no, this isn't a great movie. But any movie that actually stars Lou Gehrig as Lou Gehrig (and it's the only movie he was ever in, and one wonders if he might have thought of acting as a post-baseball career that unfortunately never happened) is worth watching! (6/10)
"What kind of a country is this anyway?"
utgard1422 July 2017
Amusing western starring baseball legend Lou Gehrig. The Iron Horse plays himself in this as he heads Out West to live on his (fictional) sister's ranch. There he joins forces with singing cowboy lawyer Smith Ballew to battle perennial heavy Cy Kendall and Arthur Loft, who have a nice little protection racket going. Fun stuff, although not always for the right reasons. Simple coloring book-level of intellect and craftsmanship went into this, but I can't say it isn't entertaining in its way. It's a low budget oater with a baseball player as the star. No one should expect Stagecoach.
Baseball star buys a ranch!
JohnHowardReid13 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Copyright 8 April 1938 by Principal Productions, Inc. New York opening at the Globe: 24 April 1938. Released through 20th Century-Fox: 8 April 1938. Australian release: 16 June 1938. 6 reels. 59 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Baseball star buys a ranch.
COMMENT: In his first and only Hollywood feature, baseball legend Lou Gehrig (later to be immortalized by Gary Cooper in Pride of the Yankees) understudies the now-forgotten Smith Ballew, a popular singer of the time, who made five "B" westerns for Fox (this is the fourth) in the late 1930s.
Although Ballew displays a pleasant voice and personality in the main role, all eyes are on Gehrig in support. He handles himself with a professional finesse (all sports people are actors after all), exhibiting enough individual charisma to lend credence to the assumption that he would have successfully made the transition from sports star to popular character actor had he lived. Although he's allowed only two opportunities to show off his baseball prowess, it's hard to take a great deal of interest in the other players.
True, Miss Knapp is an attractive enough heroine, whilst villain Loft does a lot of gabbing and henchman Curtis makes with the scowls. And it's good to see Cy Kendall as the crooked sheriff and Lafe McKee the upright McDonnell. But neither the other actors nor the play (routine in its plot but allowing for a fair amount of location action - some obviously stock) are the thing in this single-focused Rawhide.
COMMENT: In his first and only Hollywood feature, baseball legend Lou Gehrig (later to be immortalized by Gary Cooper in Pride of the Yankees) understudies the now-forgotten Smith Ballew, a popular singer of the time, who made five "B" westerns for Fox (this is the fourth) in the late 1930s.
Although Ballew displays a pleasant voice and personality in the main role, all eyes are on Gehrig in support. He handles himself with a professional finesse (all sports people are actors after all), exhibiting enough individual charisma to lend credence to the assumption that he would have successfully made the transition from sports star to popular character actor had he lived. Although he's allowed only two opportunities to show off his baseball prowess, it's hard to take a great deal of interest in the other players.
True, Miss Knapp is an attractive enough heroine, whilst villain Loft does a lot of gabbing and henchman Curtis makes with the scowls. And it's good to see Cy Kendall as the crooked sheriff and Lafe McKee the upright McDonnell. But neither the other actors nor the play (routine in its plot but allowing for a fair amount of location action - some obviously stock) are the thing in this single-focused Rawhide.
A typical 1930's singing cowboy movie
kyyankee8 December 2019
Take away the participation of the great Gehrig and this is just another Saturday morning kid movie that youngsters shelled out nickels for in the day. From a baseball perspective it's most interesting to see Lou right after the 1937 season, his last one in which he put up the kind of statistics that he was known for. As the 1938 season went on his level of play began to slip and the next year, visibly weakened he left the game. ALS, the disease that bears his name, took him only 3 years after this film was made.
Gehrig's Hollywood Potential Cut Short By ALS
springfieldrental28 December 2023
New York Yankee baseball star Lou Gehrig was known as "the Iron Horse," the most durable player the major leagues had ever seen. His record consecutive games played held for 56 years until Cal Ripkin broke it. Gehrig was also one of the earliest sports athletes to star in a Hollywood movie when he appeared in the lead in April 1938 "Rawhide."
Gehrig's wife Eleanor convinced her husband to hire former teammate Babe Ruth's agent Christy Walsh to explore career opportunities outside of baseball. Gehrig always had a soft spot for movies, and the agent arranged for him to meet Hollywood producer Sol Lesser. The producer had the option rights to Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels, and Walsh's first inclination was to have the baseball star play the loin-clothed jungle character. When the producer saw Gehrig in a leopard skin, "two things were apparent," Lessor recalled. "Both were the Gehrig legs: pillars of strength befitting baseball's iron man, their piano construction was functional rather than decorative." Burroughs saw the photo of Gehrig in a Tarzan suit and telegrammed, "I want to congratulate you on being a swell first baseman."
Lessor then proceeded to build a Western movie around Gehrig's baseball background, filmed during the 1937-1938 off-season. In "Rawhide," named after the Montana town, Gehrig, playing himself, has retired from baseball to live with his sister on her cattle ranch. Unbeknowst to him, a group of opportunists have taken control of the 'Ranchers Protective Association,' and turned it into an extortion monopolistic enterprise charging the region's ranchers exorbitant rates for feed and cattle sale commissions. Gehrig is mortified at the audacity of this group and gets an attorney (Smith Ballew) to fight back. A few classic scenes are seen in "Rawhide," including Gehrig's initial inability to ride a horse (Gehrig joked it was the first time he ever was on a horse). Another shows a barroom brawl with Gehrig throwing billiard balls at the bad guys, as well as a display of his batting power when he plays ball with the kids in town.
"Rawhide" premiered in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the New York Yankees was holding their spring training. The entire city populace, including the team's owners, managers and players, came out to celebrate the film's opening with a parade accompanied by fireworks. Posters promised "Two-Gun Lou, spurs and all, will be on the receiving line to shake the hands of distinguished guests." Producer Lessor, impressed by Gehrig's on-screen acting, looked forward to financing more 'horse operas' with the baseball player.
During the 1938 season, Gehrig complained "I was tired mid-season. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get going again." Even though his numbers were above average for the normal baseball player, batting .295 with 114 runs batted in, Gehrig's statistics were down significantly from the previous season. On May 2, 1939, a year after he appeared in "Rawhide," the 'Iron Horse" took himself out of the baseball game. The next day he sat on the bench for the first time in 2,130 games. At age 36, Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that affects the muscles. Two years later, just shy of his 38th birthday, he passed away.
There's no telling what Gehrig's future would have been after baseball. His comfortable and confident acting in "Rawhide" points to the potential he may have had in Hollywood after his baseball career wound down if he had not been stricken with ALS.
Gehrig's wife Eleanor convinced her husband to hire former teammate Babe Ruth's agent Christy Walsh to explore career opportunities outside of baseball. Gehrig always had a soft spot for movies, and the agent arranged for him to meet Hollywood producer Sol Lesser. The producer had the option rights to Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels, and Walsh's first inclination was to have the baseball star play the loin-clothed jungle character. When the producer saw Gehrig in a leopard skin, "two things were apparent," Lessor recalled. "Both were the Gehrig legs: pillars of strength befitting baseball's iron man, their piano construction was functional rather than decorative." Burroughs saw the photo of Gehrig in a Tarzan suit and telegrammed, "I want to congratulate you on being a swell first baseman."
Lessor then proceeded to build a Western movie around Gehrig's baseball background, filmed during the 1937-1938 off-season. In "Rawhide," named after the Montana town, Gehrig, playing himself, has retired from baseball to live with his sister on her cattle ranch. Unbeknowst to him, a group of opportunists have taken control of the 'Ranchers Protective Association,' and turned it into an extortion monopolistic enterprise charging the region's ranchers exorbitant rates for feed and cattle sale commissions. Gehrig is mortified at the audacity of this group and gets an attorney (Smith Ballew) to fight back. A few classic scenes are seen in "Rawhide," including Gehrig's initial inability to ride a horse (Gehrig joked it was the first time he ever was on a horse). Another shows a barroom brawl with Gehrig throwing billiard balls at the bad guys, as well as a display of his batting power when he plays ball with the kids in town.
"Rawhide" premiered in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the New York Yankees was holding their spring training. The entire city populace, including the team's owners, managers and players, came out to celebrate the film's opening with a parade accompanied by fireworks. Posters promised "Two-Gun Lou, spurs and all, will be on the receiving line to shake the hands of distinguished guests." Producer Lessor, impressed by Gehrig's on-screen acting, looked forward to financing more 'horse operas' with the baseball player.
During the 1938 season, Gehrig complained "I was tired mid-season. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get going again." Even though his numbers were above average for the normal baseball player, batting .295 with 114 runs batted in, Gehrig's statistics were down significantly from the previous season. On May 2, 1939, a year after he appeared in "Rawhide," the 'Iron Horse" took himself out of the baseball game. The next day he sat on the bench for the first time in 2,130 games. At age 36, Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that affects the muscles. Two years later, just shy of his 38th birthday, he passed away.
There's no telling what Gehrig's future would have been after baseball. His comfortable and confident acting in "Rawhide" points to the potential he may have had in Hollywood after his baseball career wound down if he had not been stricken with ALS.
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