Having read almost all of the comments on this film by IMDb reviewers, the thing that surprises me more than anything else is that no one mentioned the age disparity between Professor Vernon Simson/King Kelly (Ray Milland) and his fiancée Deborah (Jean Peters). Give or take a year either way, Milland was twice as old as his co-star in the picture, and the relationship didn't seem credible to me at all. It didn't help that the story didn't reveal any chemistry between the two either. I wonder why film makers took that route back in the day; it happened quite frequently with other actors too, like Randolph Scott and John Wayne for example. I think we're pretty much beyond that kind of casting by now.
Otherwise the story has the kind of whimsical fantasy perspective of movies like Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor" (1961) and "Son of Flubber" (1963). Attempting to formulate something akin to an anti-termite solution, Professor Simpson accidentally stumbles upon a concoction that makes baseballs allergic to baseball bats. One of the students helping him test his theory was Alan Hale Jr. looking remarkably young, and it was funny to hear him calling Milland 'Professor' instead of Russell Johnson, a fellow castaway on Gilligan's Island.
An interesting theme the story line treads on in describing the character of Professor Simpson was one of possible mental illness. The subject is broached early in the story when Professor Greenleaf asks a colleague what he thinks of Simpson and the response suggests that he's okay from November through April but then he suddenly starts to exhibit erratic behavior, corresponding as we learn, with the annual baseball season. Later, when Simpson approaches Greenleaf for an extended and indeterminate leave, it's without a coherent reason that he makes his request. So there's good cause to question Simpson's mental state. I bring this up because later on in the scene outside the jewelry store with Simpson and Deborah, they pass under a movie marquee featuring "The Snake Pit", which dealt with a woman who's confined to an asylum. I thought the connection was pretty interesting and wondered whether it was done intentionally. Incidentally, another movie on the marquee was "Jungle Patrol", both films from 1948.
Considering what the modern era has wrought in the way of technological advances, it seems almost impossible that the Professor could have pulled off his ruse as an incognito pitcher for a Major League baseball franchise, even as far back as 1949. I suppose it could have been possible, but by the time he breezed past his thirtieth win as a pitcher, I would think the home town fans would have made the connection. Heck, even Wyatt Earp was recognizable from illustrations in pulp magazines of the 1870's.
Anyway, sports fans can have some fun with this picture despite the quirky stuff going on with the nitrocyclohexane juiced baseball, fully understanding that it's all done simply for entertainment. Catch the quick reference comparing King Kelly to Dizzy Dean, pitching legend for the St. Louis Cardinals during the Thirties. A couple years after this picture was made, a film on Dean came out titled "The Pride of St. Louis".
Otherwise the story has the kind of whimsical fantasy perspective of movies like Disney's "The Absent Minded Professor" (1961) and "Son of Flubber" (1963). Attempting to formulate something akin to an anti-termite solution, Professor Simpson accidentally stumbles upon a concoction that makes baseballs allergic to baseball bats. One of the students helping him test his theory was Alan Hale Jr. looking remarkably young, and it was funny to hear him calling Milland 'Professor' instead of Russell Johnson, a fellow castaway on Gilligan's Island.
An interesting theme the story line treads on in describing the character of Professor Simpson was one of possible mental illness. The subject is broached early in the story when Professor Greenleaf asks a colleague what he thinks of Simpson and the response suggests that he's okay from November through April but then he suddenly starts to exhibit erratic behavior, corresponding as we learn, with the annual baseball season. Later, when Simpson approaches Greenleaf for an extended and indeterminate leave, it's without a coherent reason that he makes his request. So there's good cause to question Simpson's mental state. I bring this up because later on in the scene outside the jewelry store with Simpson and Deborah, they pass under a movie marquee featuring "The Snake Pit", which dealt with a woman who's confined to an asylum. I thought the connection was pretty interesting and wondered whether it was done intentionally. Incidentally, another movie on the marquee was "Jungle Patrol", both films from 1948.
Considering what the modern era has wrought in the way of technological advances, it seems almost impossible that the Professor could have pulled off his ruse as an incognito pitcher for a Major League baseball franchise, even as far back as 1949. I suppose it could have been possible, but by the time he breezed past his thirtieth win as a pitcher, I would think the home town fans would have made the connection. Heck, even Wyatt Earp was recognizable from illustrations in pulp magazines of the 1870's.
Anyway, sports fans can have some fun with this picture despite the quirky stuff going on with the nitrocyclohexane juiced baseball, fully understanding that it's all done simply for entertainment. Catch the quick reference comparing King Kelly to Dizzy Dean, pitching legend for the St. Louis Cardinals during the Thirties. A couple years after this picture was made, a film on Dean came out titled "The Pride of St. Louis".