The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic

by Richard Sandomir

"I CONSIDER MYSELF THE LUCKIEST MAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH."

On July 4, 1939, baseball great Lou Gehrig delivered what has been called "baseball's Gettysburg Address" at Yankee Stadium and gave a speech that included the phrase that would become legendary. He died two years later and his fiery widow, Eleanor, wanted nothing more than to keep his memory alive. With her forceful will, she and the irascible producer Samuel Goldwyn quickly agreed to make a film based on Gehrig's life, The Pride of the Yankees . Goldwyn didn't understand -- or care about -- baseball. For him this film was the emotional story of a quiet, modest hero who married a spirited woman who was the love of his life, and, after a storied career, gave a short speech that transformed his legacy. With the world at war and soldiers dying on foreign soil, it was the kind of movie America needed.

Using original scrips, letters, memos, and other rare documents, Richard Sandomir tells the behind-the-scenes story of how a classic was born. There was the so-called Scarlett O'Hara-like search to find the actor to play Gehrig; the stunning revelations Elanor made to the scriptwriter Paul Gallico about her life with Lou; the intensive training Cooper underwent to learn how to catch, throw, and hit a baseball for the first time; and the story of two now-legendary Hollywood actors in Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright whose nuanced performances endowed the Gehrigs with upstanding dignity and cemented the baseball icon's legend.

Sandomir writes with great insight and aplomb, painting a fascinating portrait of a bygone Hollywood era, a mourning widow with a dream, and the shadow a legend cast on one of the greatest sports films of all time.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Film, Media Tie In

293 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2017

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As October winds down and the World Series is about to begin, I thought it would be intriguing to read about baseball's most iconic franchise, the New York Yankees. Even though this year's version of the Yankees fell just short of playing in another Fall Classic, a look back at Yankees' past glory is always a thrill to read about. Rather than reading about baseball, I decided to look back at another enduring piece of American history, the Hollywood film Pride of the Yankees starring Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright. In this in depth look at the film, New York Times columnist Richard Sandomir shows how Hollywood transformed Lou Gehrig the ballplayer into Lou Gehrig the movie star, so that he would forever be known as an American hero to all those who viewed this film on the silver screen.

Being named the Yankees captain in 1935, the mantle of star player had been passed from Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig. Baseball's Iron Horse in the midst of a 2,130 consecutive games played streak was the game's quiet hero. Not possessing the swagger of Ruth or the temper of Ty Cobb, Gehrig went out and played the game with a quiet grace. In 1927 as part of the Yankees Murderer's Row team, Gehrig won baseball's triple crown as the leader in home runs, hits, and runs batted in. Yet, he rarely stole the spotlight from the carousing, charismatic Ruth. Off the field, Gehrig was as quiet as he was on it. The son of immigrants, Lou dealt with an overbearing mother who attempted to control even the smallest nuances of his life. Upon his marriage to Eleanor Winchell in 1933, Mrs. Gehrig felt as though her only surviving child was abandoning her and attempted to prevent the wedding. Lou and Eleanor wed much to Ma Gehrig's chagrin, setting the stage for Lou's shining and saddest moment.

When most people think of Lou Gehrig today, they remember his "luckiest man on the face of this earth" speech delivered on July 4, 1939. Diagnosed with the deadly ALS disease that would later bear his name, Gehrig addressed a Yankee Stadium crowd and thanked the faithful for their support of him. He would be dead within two years. Less than a year later, Eleanor Gehrig with assistance from her agent Christy Walsh approached movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn about a possible film featuring Gehrig as an American hero. The seeds to the film Pride of the Yankees had been born. It was the dawn of the Golden Age of Hollywood and with the United States beginning involvement in World War II, Americans needed something to cheer about. A biopic film about Gehrig was the seen as the perfect tonic for Americans engaged in the war effort.

Sandomir writes of how Goldwyn and his team transformed Gehrig from ballplayer to movie star. Eleanor was involved in the script writing and cast selection and was allowed to veto any scene that she did not believe portrayed her husband in a positive light. Her husband had always admired the work of Gary Cooper, and even though he was a right handed cowboy, in the end Cooper was selected for the role of Lou. Teresa Wright, twenty years Cooper's junior, was cast in the role of Eleanor. Fortunately, the two enjoyed an onscreen chemistry that lead to Oscar nominations for both. Goldwyn admitted to knowing nothing to little about baseball and wanted to market this film as a romance between Lou and Eleanor rather than a baseball film. What resulted was something in the middle, with Babe Ruth and Bill Dickey playing themselves in the film and the other baseball moments being left to poetic license. Even though today Gehrig's actual speech is available to those who would like to see it, for years Americans associated the address with Cooper in his poignant delivery in this film.

For one who is versed in baseball history, I found Sandomir's intimate look at the making of Pride of the Yankees to be an interesting look at a piece of Americana that I was unaware of. Today, there are many sports movies produced each year, but in 1941 the concept of sports on film was a novel idea. I also was not aware of the rivalry between Lou Gehrig's mother and wife as most baseball history books refer to actions on the field rather than off of it. The fact that Eleanor Gehrig was involved with the production of this film point to her as a shrewd business woman ahead of her time. Eleanor Gehrig outlived her husband Lou by forty three years, but their relationship and Lou's status as an American hero has endured due to Gary Cooper's portrayal of him in Pride of the Yankees. With baseball season coming to a dramatic end, I find myself drawn toward baseball themed books as a way to combat the withdrawal I feel at the end of a long season. Richard Sandomir's look at a classic American film and hero was the perfect tonic for my withdrawal feelings and a fun read for a late fall afternoon.

3.75 stars

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that I have read quite a few books about Lou Gehrig over the years, but this one is different because its focus is not so much about Lou’s life and baseball career but upon the making of the classic movie ‘The Pride of the Yankees’.

The beginning chapters tell us about the beginning of Lou’s declining health and the eventual diagnosis of ALS which eventually got labeled ‘Lou Gehrig’s Disease’. Right after his death and funeral it jumps right into the story of the movie and everything around it.

Quite a bit of repetition. A pretty good book overall. However, the story of how the movie was made and all the dynamics of everything involved really takes away from the actual story of Lou Gehrig. That said if you want to read about Lou this may not be the book for you.

[Harold Kasselman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big baseball and movie fan. So what could be better than The Pride of the Yankees'? Nothing. I have seen the film a dozen or more times, and I look forward to seeing it again Sunday night July 1st on the MLB Network. Why? Because I have just read Richard Sandmir's touching and elegant tribute to the film and the history of its making. I found myself in tears many times especially the last third of the book. This is a fascinating, well researched, and wholly satisfying treatise about Samuel Goldwyn's love story about Lou and Eleanor Gehrig. Goldwyn didn't want a baseball film. Neither Goldwyn, Cooper, or Wright new anything about the game. He created a great publicity event, as he did with Gone with the Wind,by seeking public opinion about who should play the lead. Imagine the movie if, as runners up, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Pat O'Brien, or Cary Grant had landed it But what Goldwyn wanted in his script was a story of an American hero, a man of courage and rectitude, who despite " a bad break", still believed he was "the luckiest man on earth." Who better than the man Eleanor favored(and who was under contract with Goldwyn for a picture) than the taciturn Gary Cooper.
You will learn quite a bit from this treasure, including whether the reverse negative film controversy is true because of Cooper's unfamiliarity with baseball skills. You will of course see differences in the film from true facts-literary or film license- especially with Theresa Wright and the real Eleanor. (The film portrays she and Lou meeting seven years earlier than the actual 1932 meeting.) Or the fact that Brooklyn Dodger great Babe Herman stood in for Cooper in long shots. But most of all you will learn how Eleanor was dedicated to preserving the Gehrig legacy, providing input for the script(not usually taken), and promoting the film so that America could all see what a true man of courage Lou was. Eleanor was not the sweet and innocent persona created by Wright in real life. She had a bitter rivalry with Lou's mother for Lou's love, and she was bit wild in her youth. But she was determined to once and for all conquer the shadow cast by Babe Ruth's large frame over the accomplishment's of her Lou. She did so, even if she had to accept the dimmed down version of the rivalry between her and Lou's mother in the final film script.
Sandomir's work grows in intensity with each chapter until the reader falls in love with the characters and with the movie. Gehrig died in 1941 and the movie was released in 1942, and yet this book and the story it tells still resonates even for those who lack a love for baseball. Why, because the work and the movie are about love, courage, the American work ethic and the dream that can be attained by hard work. Bravo Mr. Sandomir.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction about the making of the movie, Pride of the Yankees, starring Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig and Teresa Wright as Eleanor Gehrig. The book starts off with a summary of Lou Gehrig’s life and baseball career, focusing on the latter stages when he was struck down by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease. It then shifts to the making of the movie of his life story, which was heavily influenced by his widow, Eleanor, producer Samuel Goldwyn, sportswriter Paul Gallico, who wrote the initial script, Herman Mankiewicz and Jo Sterling, the two scriptwriters of the final film.

This book provides a thorough look at the making of the film and is more about filmmaking than baseball. It includes a scene-by-scene analysis of the movie. It goes into detail on scenes that were later cut. The author points out what liberties were taken with the facts and the importance of the film in the context of the time (Gehrig died in 1941 and the movie was released in 1942). It contains answers to whether or not Gary Cooper, a right-hander, performed left-handed for the picture, and whether the famous “luckiest man” speech was ever written down word-for-word.

I appreciate the author’s achievement in separating fact from fiction, as I think it is important to the historical record. I need to take another look at the movie with the details of this book in mind. It is an enjoyable read for baseball fans and film history buffs.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

When there is a celebration for the 75th anniversary of the release of a movie, it shows that the film has stood the test of time. 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of the release of the movie “Pride of the Yankees” and not only the movie, but both Lou Gehrig (the movie’s subject) and Gary Cooper (the movie’s lead actor) are still remembered fondly.

This book by Richard Sandomir is an excellent one to commemorate this anniversary. Rich with detail about not only the movie itself, the book mainly revolves around three of the most important people involved in the film – Gary Cooper, Eleanor Gehrig, and Samuel Goldwyn.

Mrs. Gehrig was important because she had a lot of influence on what the final picture would look like. Her opinions were needed in order to fulfill Goldwyn’s vision of the film, which he wanted to promote as a romantic picture, not a baseball one. Both the story of Gehrig dying as a young man in the prime of his life and his change from being a “mama’s boy” to a loving and devoted husband made a great script in Goldwyn’s mind. That is the message the book delivers – and it is delivered in a well-researched and graceful manner. The writing is smooth and graceful as the stories of these people, as well as those of other important figures such as Teresa Wright and Babe Ruth (who was unusually subdued in his role).

Many of the myths about the move are addressed in the book, such as whether Gehrig’s farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in the movie is truly the same as what Gehrig actually said on July 4, 1939. Because of the lack of newsreel footage, that question may never be completely answered. The other big issue about the movie that the book addresses is about Cooper’s baseball scenes as it was well known that he was not an athlete, and that he was right handed while Gehrig was left handed. Through coaching by former National League batting champion Lefty O’Doul, Cooper was able to do some of the scenes, but there was also some backup work done by Babe Dahlgren. Also, the question of whether these scenes were shown as a reverse of the film’s negatives, resulting in Cooper appearing to be left-handed when he would have performed the scenes right-handed, was addressed. That myth is debunked.

All of these, plus more in-depth insight into all aspects of the film make this book required reading for baseball fans, movie fans, romance fans and anyone else who has been touched by this movie, the speech that the movie helped make famous or by the story of Lou Gehrig. This book is a worthy to become a part of the legend that this movie has become.

I wish to thank Hachette Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origins and making of the classic film Pride of the Yankees is presented here as a breezy read combining the details you have heard and discharging some myths along the way. What struck me most about the film when I saw it as a kid was that the real Babe Ruth appears throughout it. Author Richard Sandomir explains how this was a key pillar of getting the movie made. It's a shame that similar baseball movies through the years haven't done the same thing excepting The Stratton Story where Bill Dickey, who appears here as himself, does the same again in the latter movie. But why didn't they get Joe DiMaggio for the second half of the film?

The author goes into greater depth about the uneasy relationship between Eleanor Gehrig and her mother-in-law, which is treated pretty straightforward in the movie although much more tense in real life. It was the widow Gehrig who was the guiding force behind how Lou would be portrayed and what could be dramatized. We learn, for instance, that her father wasn't exactly the high society hot dog king presented in the film.

The book also goes a good deal into the farewell speech by explaining how the movie changed the order and how the original speech is not really known except for a few newspaper accounts that differ. Footage of the real Gehrig giving it was abbreviated with the “luckiest man” quote coming near the beginning rather than the more dramatic end as presented in the film. It was the newsreel of Gehrig giving the speech that convinced Sam Goldwyn to make the movie when he otherwise had no knowledge of the game of baseball. He did understand America though and he felt that dramatization of such a speech behind America's game would be a box office treasure and he was right.

The biggest myth busting in the book is the long held belief that Gary Cooper batted right-handed and ran to third base after hitting and they reversed the film. The author explains how difficult that would have made so many other things in the shot especially when Cooper wasn't going to look all the good batting right- handed anyway. I had seen similar arguments a year or so earlier and I think he's right.

One thing that author doesn't chime in on is the more recent theory that Lou Gehrig didn't have what we now call Lou Gehrig's disease. He had something much more aggressive and deadly. This makes sense when you consider how long Stephen Hawking has lived with ALS when Gehrig lasted but 2 years in the prime of his life.

I love baseball history and film history so this book checked off two columns for me, but I think you'll appreciate the book even if it only checks off one column for you.

[Steven Z. · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Richard Sandomir’s THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES: LOU GEHRIG, GARY COOPER AND THE MAKING OF A CLASSIC I cannot decide whether I have read a sports book, or a critique of how the film “Pride of the Yankees” was created and finalized. I guess Sandomir has elements of both, but I wish he would have chosen one path rather than moving back and forth between the two approaches. The book itself is informative and presents a number of surprising and interesting details of how Samuel Goldwyn, Eleanor Gehrig and others went about the conception of the script, how it was be transferred to the screen, and the diverse group of people who were involved.

Sandomir provides background on all the major characters. We witness the courtship and marriage of Lou and Eleanor Gehrig and the stresses in their marriage. The main problem was that Lou was a “mama’s boy” and he had difficulty separating from his mother. Eleanor describes her marriage as a triangle between her, her husband, and her mother-in-law. This difficulty would continue after Lou’s death as his mother sued to contest Lou’s will. A great deal of biographical information is presented dealing with Gary Cooper and Theresa Wright the stars of the movie which are interesting and a number of career insights are brought forward. Samuel Goldwyn whose studio produced the film is presented as a man who cared mostly about profits from his film. He did have a soft spot for Gehrig, particularly after Gehrig’s July 4, 1939, “I am the luckiest man in the world” speech given at Yankee Stadium shortly before he died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

For Goldwyn the story revolved around patriotism and capturing a shy, decent, selfless, and sincere individual who possessed the character traits of what the American male stood for. The year 1942 when the film was released is very important. World War II was not going well, and Goldwyn saw the film as a means of entertainment, profit, but also providing American society an uplifting experience. The story about a man who was struck down in the prime of his life by an insidious disease is heartwarming. Gehrig’s own response reflects a brave individual who could be held up as a role model for the World War II generation. What makes Sandomir’s new book, and Goldwyn’s film so effective is that they are able to translate Gehrig’s life through the prism of film and how that film has preserved his legendary career and his personal integrity for seventy-five years.

The chapter on teaching Gary Cooper to become a “passable” baseball player was one of the most interesting in the book. Sandomir does a fine job introducing former major leaguers like Lefty O’Doul and Babe Herman, baseball stars in their own right, and how they went about teaching Cooper how to appear realistic as a player on film. The author provides surprising detail on how this was accomplished. Especially interesting in the discussion on how the right handed Cooper could play the left handed Gehrig. The analysis of how film techniques i.e., camera reversals-Cooper would run to third, but on film he ran to first, or uniform names and numbers were reversed were especially interesting.

Sandomir is correct in arguing that the film itself has created a conundrum in that it is difficult to ascertain what is real in terms of Gehrig’s life story and what is a Hollywood creation. It is fascinating that Goldwyn, Cooper, and others knew very little, if anything about baseball and yet they created a classic film on the sport. For Goldwyn baseball was tangential to how he wanted the film presented. The film was to be about Gehrig and Goldwyn “craved commercial success, not fidelity to a sport he had no affinity for.” Goldwyn’s main problem was one of authenticity-how would the film convince its audience that what they were viewing was historical accurate. Goldwyn’s staff employs artistic license repeatedly raising questions as to how effective the film was in replicating the truth.

A major issue is whether Sandomir delves into issues he uncovers as an investigative reporter or are they dealt with in a superficial manner, for example, Eleanor’s relationship with Lou’s mother; the Gehrig-Ruth relationship; the Gehrig marriage; and the background for each character in the film. The feeling emerges that this is more of a sports book about Gehrig’s life and how a film was made to glorify it, rather than a study of filmmaking that lacked the cultural and social components of the period. Sandomir is correct in arguing that in the end “the film left people to accept the truths that were created, which did not stick too many of the facts.”

The book is a comprehensive study of Gehrig’s life on film and the problems that arose from that undertaking. However, at times the book lacks flow as it becomes somewhat tedious as the author seems to over analyze each aspect of the film, i.e.; chapters dealing with Gehrig’s Farewell Speech, and training Gary Cooper to replicate Gehrig. If you are interested in this topic I would suggest viewing the film before reading Sandomir’s narrative. It would create context for the reader and might produce a more positive result once the book is digested.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandomir's book is well-rounded and well-researched. At the heart of the book is the story of a fallen man who lived the American dream and who's story was shared in a way that ensured his legacy for the rest of the century and beyond.
Read my full review here: http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2017/...

[John Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Until I read this book, I remembered the movie, The Pride of the Yankees as a baseball movie but facts prove this was made as a love story. It reminds me of when I suggested to my proper mom that she should go to the movie Bull Durham since she loved baseball. Later, my mom told me, in disgust, that I suggested a movie about sex, not baseball. After reading Sandomir’s book, I’m convinced Gary Cooper’s classic was not a baseball movie either.

The second half of this book is far better than the first, much like the ending of Gehring’s speech was better than the start of his famous speech. The details of the use of Hollywood’s license to change facts had far too many details for my taste along with the details of selecting the actors. But, right from the beginning it’s clear that Samuel Goldwyn wanted a movie with broad audience appeal and less about baseball as soon as he read the original script. The writing was weak and the author could have used a stronger editor.

The movie contained the backbone of American’s values – the most popular team in baseball (which was the most popular sport in those days), Cooper (one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood), Wrigley Field (the iconic baseball park, built by gum!), an aging Babe Ruth and some other big league Yankees, and Hollywood Goldwyn as architect of the classic.

The highlight of the book was the focus of Gehrig’s famous, short speech, in the chapter appropriately labeled “Words for All Time.” The author points out that Gehring limped to the mike, helped by his fellow players. His body was deteriorated by ALS. It was at a time when players didn’t make speeches at their retirements and there were no numbers to be retired (numbers started four years later). This was 1939, before WWII and before players earned what they deserved. It was Gehring’s wife, Eleanor, who pushed for her quiet husband to speak, to claim his long-term fame over players like Ruth. Reporters were not alerted to the speech and, surprisingly, it was never recorded – by anyone. The Iron Horse was “weakening, shaky, and sweaty.” Gehring looked to the ground as he held back tears before making the short, impactful speech. According to Eleanor, her husband briefly looked up to the 70,000 fans then started his modest, powerful speech. He defined his killer disease as “a bad break” but said he was “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

It's sad Gehring died within two years of his July 4, 1939 speech announcing his retirement from baseball and publicly stating his health issue in such a positive manner. Sandomir mentions how Gehring needed to secure employment since players were paid a pittance to today’s super-lotto payments. Of course, the player lives on forever with the disease that unmercifully taking his life then being named after him.

Instantly the newspapers highlighted the speech as a special memory, with the New York Post defining it as “A tear for all to see,” along with a picture of Lou wiping tears from his eyes. They reported his speech as a “soul-stirring valedictory.” Rosealeen Doherty, a 35-year-old reporter for the New York Daily News reported that Gehring’s wife “didn’t cry although all around us women, and quite a few men, were openly sobbing. I had a lump in my throat – and I’m supposed to be a hard-boiled reporter.”

300 words from a 36-year-old man on death’s doorstep expressing his gratitude. The book shares that Gehring was expressing a view of a man that his wife wanted to see in public. The book states that the producers selection of Cooper helped to make this speech so famous. After his speech, the movie had the umpire yell, “Play ball!” to signal the ending of the climatic speech – and emotional movie.

While the public and press loved the movie, sportswriters were universally upset over the accuracy of the movie. They didn’t like it that Cooper was right handed while Gehring was left-handed. They didn’t like the liberties taken in the movie, even small things that just moved the story along.

The censors also trimmed back the movie while enforcing the Production Code. It was fun reading what couldn’t be in a movie back then, including cutting back a drinking scene between two sportswriters and the phrase, “Hit or get off the bucket,” because of it’s “vulgar connotation.”

The life that Eleanor lived after the death of her beloved was sad. She lived much of her life with her mom in Manhattan and lived until her 80th birthday, in 1984. Only two mourners attended her funeral – her lawyer and his wife. Her ashes were mixed with her husband’s.

The book ends with Cooper’s own death, from bone cancer at age 59. Like the character he played, his wife did not share his diagnosis with him, although he had to know that it was not good. The author illustrates the great love for another man who died way too soon as he closed out the book.

[Don LaFountaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the making of The Pride of the Yankees, the fabulous movie about Yankee great Lou Gehrig that was made in 1942.

The book opens with a recap of Lou Gehrig’s career, his 2130 consecutive games played record, his taking himself out of the lineup, being diagnosed with ALS, and his post-baseball career on the parole board, and finally his death on June 2nd, 1941.

After his death, it did not take long for Hollywood to come calling about making a movie about Lou Gehrig’s life. Though Lou’s widow Eleanor did not know much about Hollywood and movie making, her friend and agent Christy Walsh did. He guided the original meetings about the idea for the movie, as well as some of the original script ideas. It was a tough sell to the movie moguls, as baseball movies we not terribly popular at that time. One of the first breaks came when Samuel Goldwyn okayed the project. (According to legend, he was brought into a screening room as was showed the video footage of Lou Gehrig’s speech at Yankee Stadium. After seeing it, he was in tears and had it rerun, and rerun, and rerun some more.) The thing Goldwyn did not want was a “baseball movie”, so he agreed to make it provided that the writers focused on the romance between Eleanor and Lou, and kept the baseball scenes to a minimum.

Then came the casting of the movie. As strange as it seems to 21st century fans of the movie, who can only see Gary Cooper in the role of Lou Gehrig, Goldwyn sent out a “request” from the fans to name who they felt should play the iconic 1st baseman. This was done mostly for publicity, as a ploy to drum up interest in the movie. It was also a move to make audiences feel that they had a part in selecting the lead of the movie, as Goldwyn shrewdly knew that in order for the movie to be accepted throughout a baseball loving country, the lead that was cast had to be perfect. Teresa Wright was tabbed to play Eleanor, and though she was almost 20 years younger than Cooper, over a foot shorter than him, and knew even less about baseball than Goldwyn, she played the part with aplomb and made Eleanor her own.

However much Goldwyn did not want to have any baseball in the movie, having a movie about Lou Gehrig and not having baseball in it would alienate too many moviegoers. So even he, (over time) acquiesced to the need for some baseball scenes in his romance movie, which meant needing some actual baseball players to play bit parts. One of the biggest ball players that was brought on the project was Babe Ruth. Though their friendship was strained at the end of Gehrig’s career, Ruth and Gehrig were so intertwined that movie about Gehrig had to include Ruth. Eleanor was not thrilled at the prospect of Ruth in the picture, as she was afraid that he would take over and the movie would become about Ruth and not Gehrig. Though that did not happen, it was a valid concern, and Eleanor fought hard to make sure it didn’t happen. Along with Ruth, there were other Yankees that were in the film to support the story. Bill Dickey was one of the closest Yankee players to Lou, so he was in the movie, along with his wife. Additionally, Mark Koenig and Bob Meusel had bit parts, so a total of 4 Yankee players were in the movie.

Eleanor had a major part in relaying the story of Lou Gehrig, and tried to guide many of the scenes through screen rewrites. Sometimes she was ignored, but sometimes she was listened to. Some of the liberties that Hollywood took with the story included:
- They implied that Lou asked Eleanor to marry her after the Yankees beat the Cardinals in the World Series. That would have been in 1928, not in 1933 when he actually proposed.
- Mom Gehrig was softened in the movie. She was much more overbearing than she was played.
- Mom and Dad Gehrig were not at Lou and Eleanor’s wedding.
- Lou pulled himself out of the lineup prior to the game in Detroit, not during the game as was depicted in the movie.
- Lou went to the Mayo Clinic by himself, not to the fictional clinic with his sidekick and with his wife.
- The speech in the movie was not exactly the same as the one that Gehrig actually spoke. In part this was because there was no known copy of Lou’s words, so it was being recreated by the script writers.

There is more that could be said about the book, but I think it is best left to the reader to enjoy its pages. I loved the book, in part because I love the movie, and in part because I enjoy reading books about making of movies I enjoy. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the movie The Pride of the Yankees, people who like baseball, people who like books that have to do with Hollywood, and those who like history books.

[John Mullarkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it is considered a true classic of the many baseball films made through the years, producer Sam Goldwyn - who was not a baseball fan - wanted to take as much baseball out of the film as possible; including limiting Babe Ruth's time and spoken lines in the film. This was just one of the many unique and interesting elements of this well-researched and concise history of the making of 1942's "Pride Of the Yankees"
With WWII in early stages, Goldwyn, knowing what Americans would need "inspiring entertainment", wanted to focus the life of Lou Gehrig - as a "common man"; humble, and honorable as he faces the greatest challenge of his life - a crippling and fatal disease (ALS) which bears his name, and his iconic "Luckiest Man" speech given by him on July 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium.
Richard Sandomir keeps the focus tight - the narrative stays among the major players both in the Lou Gehrig's personal and professional life and in Hollywood - Goldwyn, Gehrig's widow, Eleanor, writer Paul Gallico, and the two stars in the film: Gary Cooper and Theresa Wright. We learn about Eleanor's determination in having her husband's life made to film; the many revisions to the script; and the very public "search" for the right people to play the parts in the film - in addition, there is Gary Cooper's personal "Spring Training". Despite conveying an athletic physique and even personality, Cooper was not a baseball player in any way, shape, or form! To his credit he took a crash course in "how to be a ballplayer" (and how to throw and hit left-handed) in a manner of weeks under the guide of ex-major leaguer, Lefty O'Doul.
As a baseball fan, I have always thought that this was a "must-see" classic for baseball/film fans - along with "Bull Durham", "The Natural", and "Eight Men Out" (and I would throw in "Fear Strikes Out" as well). Despite the film's theme at the time it was made given Goldwyn's influence - something for which I never considered, I still consider it a baseball film. It was great to read about it and be enlightened by the many factors that went in to it's production.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One wouldn't think there'd be enough material to fill a book about the making of this classic film, but Mr. Sandomir gives the film enough context to show WHY it's worth an extended look. It hadn't occurred to me that Sports Films weren't much of a genre in the mass market in 1941, and that this, much more than the myth that "men weren't around during the War" (the conception of the film was before US involvement in WWII) probably contributed to the film's marketing as "not a baseball picture, but a love story." And although I knew that Sam Goldwyn had to be talked into the film even though he knew nothing about baseball or Gehrig, it hadn't occurred to me that Goldwyn's ignorance would shape the film and what went into it AFTER he took it on (which should've been obvious, but isn't so much talked about). Also affirmed to me in this book was that Paul Gallico (who wrote the first draft of the film) was a hack who didn't let facts get in the way of a good story, as well as Eleanor Gehrig's role in shaping the story. I always wondered why someone would allow a film to take so many (sometimes ridiculous) liberties with the life of her and her husband -- and the answer is, she didn't; in fact, she was vocally opposed to a lot of the problems with the film, and ultimately overruled (but ended up approving of the final product anyway). Mr. Sandomir has pored through private correspondence between Mrs. Gehrig and Christy Walsh (Lou Gehrig's agent), and the various filmmakers, as well as early drafts of the script and its first notes and treatments. Mr. Sandomir also compares "reality" (or what we think we know of it) with its portrayal on screen -- there's an interesting discussion about the "Luckiest Man" speech, whether it was prepared or rehearsed, and if so, who wrote it, and whether an actual authoritative text of what was delivered that day could be discerned. A great read, particularly if you're a baseball fan or interested in the mechanisms behind the making and selling of old movies.

[Myrna Gottlieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a baseball fan and a lover of classic movies, so this book was a natural for me.

Well researched by the author, the book was written to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the movie starring Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright- the movie famous for the "luckiest man alive farewell speech" that Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig tearfully gave at Yankee Stadium when he was forced to retire at age 36, stricken by the fatal paralytic disease ALS, which became known as Lou Gehrig Disease.

I especially enjoyed the factoids (gossip) about the players, their wives, and the Hollywood stars.

Examples: Lou Gehrig was raised by a domineering German mother; and his loving wife Eleanor came across as devoted but domineering as well. In real life, mother and daughter-in-law were sworn enemies, competing for Lou. This was lightened up for the movie. The personal info about the high living, hard drinking womanizing Babe Ruth was also fascinating.

Gary Cooper, who had never played baseball in his life, had six weeks of coaching to reasonably play Gehrig on and off the field. Obstacles were that the two men looked nothing alike. Cooper had a slim rangy build; Gehrig was dark, dimpled, and had a heavily muscled body with big thick legs. Cooper was right-handed; Gehrig batted lefty. Also Cooper had a chronically painful hip (from a car accident in his youth), and he could not raise his right arm above his shoulder (the result of a riding accident when he'd worked as a stuntman); so learning to throw the baseball was a challenge.
What Cooper could do was portray Gehrig as a modest, decent man and deliver that famous speech at the end of the picture in a way that still makes the movie audience tear up every time.

I recommend this book for readers who enjoy baseball and the movies.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was young, I fell in love with black and white films, mostly James Cagney films and The Thin Man series which led me into other films from the 30's and 40's including The Pride of the Yankees. When I found this book, I was excited to read about the making of the film. Who didn't cry at the end of this film when Gehrig/Cooper says his memorable line - "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Sandomir does a nice job relating what is known about Gehrig and his death- unfortunately there is a lot of gaps in the story. No complete footage of the famous line was ever found if even recorded. There are even gaps in the story of the making of the film but still it was an interesting book about Gehrig, his relationships with his wife and mother and the making of the film and Sam Goldwyn’s involvement in getting the film produced. Definitely a book for film fans.

[Joel Canfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went to this book right after reading one about the making of High Noon, which I thought was excellent. This one was a bit of a letdown. The author is juggling way too many levels of reality - the real version of events, the movie version of events and unused script material versions of events - as he plods through the film scene by scene, so it becomes a bit of a struggle to get through. I think the main miscalculation here is focusing SO much on Paul Gallico's unused script material that, in the end, is pretty irrelevant. Another problem is, obviously, everyone involved in the film is dead and author has to rely on public record and interviews. What shines through in both this book and the High Noon one is Gary Cooper's innate decency. Not my favorite actor, but seems like a pretty good human being.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched Pride of the Yankees a little while back with my middle son and I had purchased the Kindle edition of this book for quite cheap some time back and decided it was time to give it a read. Pride of the Yankees is an interesting movie. It's the sports movie that is absolutely not a sports movie. It was released just over a year after Gehrig died, so it cemented him in the public mind, though it cemented him as Gary Cooper more than as Lou Gehrig. It was also a Rah Rah All-American movie as America was moving in to the early days of World War II.

Sandomir has to tread a fine line writing about a movie that was "based" on a real life. The focus has to be on the movie. But we also have to have enough background about the people making the movie to understand from where it came. Overall I think we get that. There is enough background on Gehrig, Eleanor Gehrig, Cooper, Theresa Wright and Samuel Goldwyn to give context and help us understand the story without getting bogged down in biographies of those key players. And the story of the film is here. Its genesis. Why it was made the way it was. Why it is really a romance movie and not a sports movie. Its aftermath and legacy. If there's one thing that is missing, for me, it's that there's not a lot about the actual filming.

Does every classic movie need a book about it? Maybe not. But this one was enjoyable and it resides near books on The Searchers and High Noon. So I guess I'm not complaining about them.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 3 out of 5]

/side note: lets-do-that-hockey is now for any and all sports books

This book was well-written, nearly made me cry more than once, and gives us a pretty decent narrative. It's not boring, it's fine. The only reason I gave this three stars is a perfectly personal one--I don't really care about baseball. And you can make the argument that it's not about baseball, it's about the movie (which I did not know going in, so that was a pleasant surprise), or it's about Gehrig himself, but the truth of the matter is I did find myself skimming. The writing was engaging but not engaging enough for me to pay real good attention to what I was reading. But it's definitely worth checking out if you're into this kind of stuff.

[Christine Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you consider that neither Sam Goldwyn, nor Gary Cooper, nor Teresa Wright knew anything about baseball, it's incredible what a great movie they made about the life of Lou Gehrig. This book is mostly about the making of the movie, but you also get a good deal of information about Gehrig himself, his wife Eleanor and both Cooper and Wright. Who knew that Gary Cooper was friends with Ernest Hemingway, was personally picked by him to play Robert Jordan, and that the character in the book was modeled on Cooper? Or that Teresa Wright became an avid Yankees fan 56 years after the movie was made? Richard Sandomir gives us a seat in the bleachers for the stirring 4th of July goodbye speech of "the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

[Grace Nathan'S · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband has been diagnosed with ALS since August ‘2021 and started taking Riluzole without missing any doses. After taking this drug for 2 years we noticed more advancements in breathing difficulties, difficulty pronouncing words, and difficulties eating occurred before we made the decision to try different medications Around last year we learnt about the ALS/MND programme which has helped a lot of similar ALS cases, we decided to try the program, it has made tremendous difference for my husband, He received the treatment for ALS at uinehealthcentre. com approximately four months ago; since then, he has stopped using a feeding tube, sleeps well, works out frequently, and has become very active.

[Dan Lalande · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overinflated but not uninteresting look at the making of "Pride of the Yankees," Sam Goldwyn's sanitized film bio of baseball's quintessential tragic hero, Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig. While stars Gary Cooper and Theresa Wright, and director Sam Wood, are afforded a little insight, it's mostly a battle of truth v. schmaltz between Gehrig's gutsy widow, sentimental sportswriter-scenarist Paul Gallico, and the clueless Goldwyn. Schmaltz won, of course, fooling audiences of the day and, all these years later, Sandomir, whose unnecessarily emphatic prose affords the film far too much credit.

[Sarah Bodaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the world coming to? I read a book about a movie. :D The Pride of the Yankees, where Gary Cooper plays the role of baseball star Lou Gehrig, as he rises in talent and then rapidly declines, all while touching the hearts of one particular young lady, not to mention all of America, is a great classic movie. This book covers the overview of Gehrig’s life and Gary Cooper’s work to conceptualize the man for America to see. I enjoyed it, especially as we had just watched the movie a few months ago, so I was able to easily recall the points the book made. This book will make more sense to someone who has seen the movie, so I would recommend that first, but all in all, a great read.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about the making of the movie, "The Pride of the Yankees", which told the story of the life and death of Lou Gehrig. It has lots on insights into the production of the movie, including making Gary Cooper look credible as a ball player and the making of a baseball story into a love story. I enjoyed the book, but at times it seemed to drag a bit, probably because I was a fan of Gehrig and the movie and knew some of the material. But there is enough here for anybody to make for an enjoyable read that is more about old Hollywood than baseball.

[Nick Ertz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the movie, having seen it several times over the course of the years. The book basically follows the movies production and compares the various scenes with what the historical record attests. The book's thesis is that Gehrig, for all his prowess, is mostly remember today because of the movie. It is an interesting examination of how movies were made during the golden age of Hollywood.

[Kenneth Chanko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little surprised that Sandomir -- who used to write a regular column on sports media for the NY Times -- didn't dedicate this book to me. Not that I know the guy. But, I mean, c'mon: Baseball ... Movies ... Yankee history. Though I've read Eig's definitive biography on Gehrig ("Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig"), there was a lot of fascinating detail here that I didn't know about the making of "Pride." A must for fans.

[Christina Dudley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was actually hoping for more Lou Gehrig and ALS and less behind-the-scenes how-the-movie-got-made business, but this was an interesting read. I especially liked the analysis of Gary Cooper learning to be a lefty--or were the film negatives just reversed? The entire film is available on YouTube, but it wasn't necessary to watch more than a few scenes because they're described in great detail in the book.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a baseball fan and a "The Pride of the Yankees" movie fan, you will enjoy this. The movie is emblazoned in my brain from my childhood. I would watch it whenever it was on TV (waaaay before cable days) and cry each and every time. The Irving Berling song, "Always" became one of my favorites because of this movie. I wouldn't say the book is fabulous; but it's an interesting read for reasons mentioned above.

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fitting "sequel" to Jonathan Eig's Luckiest Man, which is the standard for Lou Gehrig biographies.

This story, which begins after the death of Gehrig, focuses as much on the influence of Gehrig's widow in shaping his legacy as it does on Gary Cooper's portrayal of the Iron Horse. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the cut scenes that didn't make the movie, as well as the series of events that brought Teresa Wright back in touch with the Yankees towards the end of her life.

[Val Pristera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today memories of Lou Gehrig are based on his tragic death and his portrayal by Gary Cooper in the film, “The Pride of the Yankees.” Cooper couldn’t have been more different than Gehrig. This book tells the story of the making of the film and the influence of Gehrig’s widow, Eleanor, in getting it made and in attempting to keep it true to the actual story. It’s a fascinating look at the Hollywood of the 30’s and 40’s and the influence of studio head Samuel Goldwyn.

[Tom Fabrizio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings the reality and movie t together

Knowing the story of Lou Gehrig and reading this book really bring the movie together and make watching it a lot more memorable. Mr. Sandomir does a great job of not just researching the history and facts of the making of Pride of the Yankees but includes so many enjoyable facts it's a worthwhile read.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully researched and detailed view of the events leading to the film Pride of the Yankees. Sandomir then digs into the process of filming the movie. Many consider Pride of the Yankees (the film) to be the first great sports movie and Sandomir introduces us to the characters that made it happen.