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The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
American biographical sports drama.
Biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player in the 20th century. Traces his career from the negro leagues to the major leagues.
When Jackie Robinson gets a draft notice in the mail, he doesn’t explicitly say what it is. He only says it begins with the word “Greetings.” In 1950 audiences would have remembered that World War II draft notices began that way. It was a popular source of dark humor at the time.
Dick Williams, the Hall of Fame manager of the “Impossible Dream” Boston Red Sox, appeared in this film as the pitcher and the second baseman for Jersey City in Jackie’s first game with the Montreal Royals.
The manager’s name of the Montreal Royals was Clay Hooper. At the time,Jackie joined the Royals. Hooper was opposed to the integration of baseball.
He asked Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Dodgers, to assign Robinson to a different Dodgers affiliate. Rickey refused.
Hooper treated Jackie well and was rewarded when the Royals won the Governors’ Cup as the International League champions.
The Sporting News named Hopper the Manager of the Year for all of minor league baseball that season. He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2009.
In the movie he was played by Richard Lane.
Principal photography for the film took place in the off-season following his third season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Much of the film was shot at Gilmore Field, home of the PCL Hollywood Stars.
During an era of Jim Crow, this is one of the first movies to confront the issue of racial segregation and racism.
Even during its initial release—in the era of racial segregation—the film received critical praise and fared well at the box office.
| Directed by | Alfred E. Green |
|---|---|
| Written by | Arthur Mann Lawrence Taylor |
| Produced by | Mort Briskin, William J Heineman (United Artists) |
| Starring | Jackie Robinson Ruby Dee Minor Watson |
| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
| Edited by | Arthur H. Nadel |
| Music by | Herschel Burke Gilbert |
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Production
company |
Jewel Pictures
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| Distributed by | Eagle-Lion Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
