Based on piersalls shattering tellall autobiography, the film traces. Fear strikes out 1957 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Boggs film editor aaron stell original music elmer bernstein written by ted berkman, raphael blau, from the book by jimmy piersall and al hirshberg. He and willy mays of the giants were the best defensive center fielders in pro baseball then and perhaps ever. Jimmy piersall, ballplayer whose struggles were portrayed. He got a chilly reception from the other cast members and crew, so he discreetly left. Jimmy piersall, baseball player whose mental illness was. The story of his battle to overcome mental illness is chronicled in his book, fear strikes out, which he wrote with al hirshberg, and the 1957 movie of the same title. Pushed by his father all of his life to achieve this goal, the pressure finally takes a toll on piersall contributing to his mental breakdown. Fear strikes out cast and crew cast photos and info. Fear strikes out 1955, dropped by to visit his friend anthony perkins on the film set. Based on the actual life of jimmy piersall doesnt mean a whole lot after you learn that mr.
Fear strikes out hollywood movie jerseys top sports. Trying to live vicariously through his son, the elder piersall makes. Fear strikes out tells the tale of jimmy piersall, who played for the boston red sox in the early to late 1950s. But then fear strikes out isnt your typical baseball movie. Pakula and robert mulligan, the team whose credits include to kill a mockingbird. When the record book closed on boston red sox outfielder jimmy piersalls career, it showed 17 seasons in the major leagues and an impressive lifetime batting average of.
Based on the true story of troubled baseball star jimmy piersall, fear strikes out is an emotionally compelling drama featuring excellent performances from anthony perkins and karl malden. Piersall wanted nothing to do with the movie because of all the fluffy melodrama. Anthony perkins stars as troubled baseball great jimmy piersall in fear strikes out. Fear strikes out, in particular, looks like shines longlost twin, right down to karl maldens uncanny physical resemblance to muellerstahl. Fear strikes out is a classic movie in that veinand its shadowed by perhaps the definitive classic of the genre, rays rebel without a cause. Piersall was best known for his wellpublicized battle with bipolar disorder that became the subject of a book and a film, fear strikes out. Edd byrnes, james douglas, eric alden, robert mulligan. Director robert mulligans feature film debut is a harrowing and intense biopic of boston red sox baseball star jim piersall, superbly portrayed by anthony. It is about the life of jimmy piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball. Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at. Anthony perkins stars as piersall in this powerful true story.
Never happened but represents similar incidents, jim piersall anthony perkins, hits an insidethepark home run at fenway, dad karl malden and wife norma moore in the stands, then wigs out, in fear strikes out, 1957 view the tcmdb entry for fear strikes out 1957. Meet the cast and learn more about the stars of fear strikes out with exclusive news, pictures, videos and more at. Jimmy piersall, an outfielder who was one of the most eccentric and volatile players in baseball history, whose struggles with mental illness were depicted in. Read the fear strikes out movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on movies. Fear strikes out is a 1957 american biographical sports drama film depicting the life and career of american baseball player jimmy piersall. This first movie from the directorproducer partnership of robert mulligan and alan j pakula would be responsible for a series of remarkable. The cast also includes karl malden, norma moore, adam williams and p. Jimmy piersall, the often outrageous outfielder and broadcaster whose emotional breakdown while a rookie with the boston red sox was portrayed in the 1957 movie fear strikes out, a.
At the beginning of the movie, directed by robert mulligan, young jimmy peter j. Based on piersalls shattering tellall autobiography, the film traces jimmys ascent from the sandlots of waterbury, ct, to the boston red sox, with his domineering father karl malden pushing the boy beyond all reasonable limits. Piersall then spends some time at an institution to get to the root of the problem. Fear strikes out 1957 fear strikes out might be one of the few baseball movies to feature very little baseball. Fear strikes out is the story of jim piersall, eventually a star boston red sox.
The film stars anthony perkins as piersall and karl malden as his father, and it was the first directed by robert mulligan. Loosely based on actual events, it tells the story of jimmy piersall, whose battle with bipolar disorder back in an era when mental disorders tended to get filed under less sympathetic catchalls like insanity was the distinguishing characteristic of his 17year major league. Ever since jimmy piersall anthony perkins was a boy, his baseballobsessed father karl malden has pushed the sport on him. Never happened but represents similar incidents, jim piersall anthony perkins, hits an insidethepark home run at fenway, dad karl malden and wife norma moore in the stands, then wigs out, in fear strikes out, 1957. Fear strikes out 1957 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Fear strikes out also marks the filmmaking debut of alan j. From the director of the naked gun and starring the creators of south park category. So who better to portray him than anthony perkins, right. Unable to withstand the pressure, piersall suffers a nervous breakdown and is. It is based on piersalls 1955 memoir fear strikes out. But more than five decades later, the baseball player has disappeared into history and the vague story lines add up to a weak baseball drama. Fear strikes out critics consensus based on the true story of troubled baseball star jimmy piersall, fear strikes out is an emotionally compelling drama featuring excellent performances from. Fear strikes out movie director robert mulligans 1957 biographical drama stars anthony perkins as jimmy piersall, the baseball player whose career was interrupted by his battle with mental illness. Anthony perkins and karl malden in fear strikes out. Fear strikes out is a 1957 american biographical sports drama film depicting the life and career. The jim piersall story, cowritten with al hirshberg. Fear strikes out 1957 robert mulligan awards allmovie. Watch fear strikes out add to watchlist when the record book closed on boston red sox outfielder jimmy piersalls career, it showed 17 seasons in the major leagues and.
Fear strikes out may have been an obvious human interest story when it was first released during the middle of piersalls career. Yet the film also purports to tell the true story of. James anthony piersall was an american baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in major league baseball mlb for five teams, from 1950 through 1967. It became the subject of a 1957 movie version, fear strikes out, in which piersall was portrayed by anthony perkins and his father by karl malden, directed by robert mulligan. Fear strikes out could have won an emmy if was on tv back then, appearing right between the ed sullivan show and gunsmoke, but as a fullfledged big theater movie, it failed like an inningend double play with the bases loaded, with so much promise and not much else. Norman bates anthony perkins plays baseball player, jim piersall, in this no fun baseball movie 3 years before pyscho. Piersall, who spent 11 years with the red sox organization, was named to the american league allstar team in 1954 and 1956. Released 1957, fear strikes out stars anthony perkins, karl malden, norma moore, adam williams the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 40 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic. Anthony perkins stars as troubled baseballgreat jimmy piersall in this film. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. In 1955, his book fear strikes out, coauthored by al hirshberg, was published. Jimmy piersall, whose mental illness was portrayed in.
Jimmy piersall, whose mental illness was portrayed in fear strikes. Find movie and film award information for fear strikes out 1957 robert mulligan on allmovie. Anthony perkins gives perhaps his best performance in this classic movie. Fear strikes out is the story of jim piersall, eventually a star boston red sox player. Fear strikes out 1957 stream and watch online moviefone. The making of a movie star by tab hunter and eddie muller 2005 algonquin books, chapel hill, nc. But before he racked up those numbers, piersall faced a foe much tougher that a 90m. Piersall eventually disowned the film because of what he saw as its distortion of the. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing fear strikes out near you. Oddly enough, the scenes of baseball, while interesting in this account, are secondary to the scenes of drama between the father and his son. Fso is more concerned with jimmys nervous breakdown in. With anthony perkins, karl malden, norma moore, adam williams.
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