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The Big Picture In the early 1940s, Gary Cooper was the luckiest man on the face of the Earth when he was honored with the opportunity to play not just an iconic figure in professional sports, but also an American legend, Lou Gehrig.
Release Date March 5, 1943 Director Sam Wood Cast Gary Cooper , Teresa Wright , Babe Ruth , Walter Brennan , Dan Duryea , Elsa Janssen , Ludwig Stössel , Virginia Gilmore Runtime 128 Minutes Main Genre Biography Writers Jo Swerling , Harman J. Mankiewicz , Paul Gallico , Damon Runyon What Is 'The Pride of the Yankees' About? The Pride of the Yankees was directed by Sam Wood, a reliable and consistent studio filmmaker whose versatility ranged from Marx Brothers comedies to war epics.
Gary Cooper Was an Unexpected Choice for Lou Gehrig Close Despite putting out a casting call, Goldwyn and Sam Wood envisioned Gary Cooper as the star to carry the mantle of Gehrig's legacy. While they were enthusiastic, Cooper was hesitant to play the part. Initially, Goldwyn had reservations about producing a sports-adjacent film, as the genre was viewed as box office poison due to its inability to attract women to theaters.
The most pressing issue centered around the depiction of Gehrig at the plate. Lou Gehrig was a left-handed batter. Cooper, who already lacked a convincing swing of the bat, was right-handed. This predicament inspired a myth surrounding an intuitive behind-the-scenes trick to comply with historical accuracy. The filmmakers conceived of a plan where Gehrig's uniform number would be printed backwards so that Cooper could bat and throw right-handed.
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