The Pride of the Yankees

Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig, the first baseman for the Yanks who suffered from a crippling and incurable disease. Even when Gehrig was a student at Columbia University, the press had already pegged him as a top ballplayer. Soon the New York Yankees selected Gehrig for their lineup, and he became an overnight sensation on the baseball diamond. But this dedicated player--who had never missed a game once he stepped onto a Major League Baseball field--suddenly fell ill with a mysterious disease. As his body began to fail him, Gehrig had to say good-bye to the fans who idolized him and to the sport he loved so dearly. The film's final scene is a deeply moving portrait of human courage. Also not to be missed is Babe Ruth's cameo appearance as himself. Cooper's performance is outstanding, measuring up to the drama that surrounded the real-life events. THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEEES remains one of the greatest biopics ever filmed, in addition to being perhaps the best sports film of the 20th century.