Angels in the Outfield (1951)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   For a movie about baseball, 1951's Angels in the Outfield doesn't have a whole lot of baseball in it. Rather, it's about saving a man's soul, and I think it's the better for it (sorry, sports fans). Paul Douglas is a crabby baseball coach with a foul mouth who tends to end arguments with violence; he's made a lot of enemies and karma being a bitch, his team is losing all the games. Then he gets approached by a baseball player turned angel whose team starts helping his players in exchange for getting back on the path of righteousness. We never see these supernatural beings, though they undoubtedly exist in the world of the film, the Miracle on 34th Street-type trial really doesn't have that story's ambiguity for the audience. Janet Leigh is the newspaper columnist who makes a story out of this, and 9-year-old Donna Corcoran is very good as the little orphan girl who alone is able to see the angels. It's a very sweet movie, and some might even say too sweet, but it does have something to say about how the greatest obstacle to reforming is your past self, as forgiveness and trust don't come easy to those with a deservedly bad reputation. By the end, I was completely enamored of this sports fantasy and was rooting for its characters, and for the uncharitable Keenan Wynn to eat crow. I would still say Douglas and Leigh have much too great an age difference to make their romance believable. 3 years 11 months ago
2. 

   TomReagan

   I just watched this for the first time (been on my watchlist for a long time). I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I expected it to be more corny with the angels, but they weren’t really a part of the story (just the main angel and his relationship with the coach/main character). Highly recommend if you haven’t seen it and especially if you’re a baseball movie fan. 4 years 11 months ago

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