Fear Strikes Out
by Robert Mulligan
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Actor: Adam Williams, Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden, Norma Moore, Perry WilsonDirector: Robert Mulligan
Brand: Team Marketing
Cinematographer: Haskell B. Boggs
Editor: Aaron Stell
Producer: Alan J. Pakula
Writer: Al Hirshberg
Writer: Jimmy Piersall
Writer: Raphael Blau
Writer: Ted Berkman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
Published: 2003-03-01
DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Fear Strikes Out
DVD Review: At least a triple
Summary: 4 Stars
"Fear Strikes Out" is a 1957 autobiographical account of the life of Jimmy Piersall, a MLB player. Piersall played for the Boston Red Sox from 1950 to 1958 and then for a variety of teams until his final contract with the California Angels from 1963 to 1967. Along the way he hit more than 100 home runs, batted nearly 300, and had nearly 600 RBIs. He made the All Stars twice (1954, 1956) and won a Golden Glove twice (1958, 1961). Because he came up at the same time that TV started, Piersall got lots of media coverage as one of the most "colorful" MLB players.
The film is based on Piersall's 1955 book and the 1955 TV show starring Tab Hunter as Piersall. Hunter wanted to do the film role, but Perkins got it, which didn't do much for the affair which they were having.
The film came out at a time when Piersall was at the height of his baseball career, but the height of his antics was still in the future. Shortly after the film came out, Piersall was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he continued to act out.
Anthony Perkins is excellent as Piersall. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in "Psycho" (1960). He was nominated for an Oscar for "Friendly Persuasion" (1957) and won Best Actor at Cannes for "Goodbye Again" (1961), but personally I think "Fear Strikes Out" is his best performance. There are times in the film when Perkins adopts the mannerisms and speech patterns of Karl Malden (demonstrating how Piersall has incorporated his father's values and behavior) so well you think you're watching Malden. It's really a tour d'force for Perkins.
In fact, if you look closely, you'll see that Perkins doesn't exactly throw like a MLB player. That's because Perkins was left handed. To play right-handed Jimmy Piersall, Perkins learned how to throw and bat right-handed. He does it so well, most people never noticed.
It's interesting to note that in this film Perkins plays someone under the domination of his father, while in "Psycho" he is dominated by his mother. Perkins' own father had died when he was a child, and in real life he had developed an unnatural relationship with his mother that eventually drove him to seek psychiatric help about the time this film appeared.
The film is quite unusual for its time. Most films about mental illness were fictional and portrayed the condition as severe. Hitchcock's "Spellbound" (1945), Elizabeth Taylor/Montgomery Cliff's "Suddenly Last Summer" (1959), and "David and Lisa" (1962) were all set against the background of a mental hospital. "Leave Her to Heaven" (1945) portrayed mental illness as a psychotic and deadly phenomenon. Olivia de Havilland's "The Snake Pit" (1948) and "The Three Faces of Eve" (1957) were both based on real cases, and both involved placement in a mental hospital. "Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960) was also based on a real case, and again the theme of dangerousness is stressed.
Against these, "Fear Strikes Out" is a dramatic change of pace. The main character is both real and dangerous only to himself. The film suggests that Piersall's condition is a result of genetics (there are hints that his mother was institutionalized on multiple occasions) and environment (he has a pushy father, played exceedingly well by an intense Karl Malden), and that when faced with stress (fear of failure), he reverted to childlike antics or the bullying tactics of his father.
Karl Malden does his usual excellent job. He's probably best known as Lt. Mike Stone from TVs "The Streets of San Francisco" or as the guy from the American Express ads, but Malden's career was exceptional. He won an Oscar for "Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) and was nominated for his role as the priest in "On the Waterfront" (1954). He won one Emmy and had 4 nominations, as well as 3 Golden Glove nominations. He could play a villain - Sheriff Longworth in "One Eyed Jacks" (1961), Tom Fitch in "Nevada Smith" (1966) - as well as a hero - General Bradley in "Patton" (1970). As the bullying father he brings an intensity of the film that lets you understand how this pressures must have worked against Piersall.
Adam Williams plays the caring therapist. He is reminiscent of Dr. Kik from "The Snake Pit" (1948). Williams was a busy supporting actor, appearing in over 50 films, usually as a villain - a woman killer in "Without Warning" (1952), a car bomber in "The Big Heat" (1953), a thug who falls from Mount Rushmore in Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" (1959). In the 60s he made the transition to TV where he often played a cowboy.
Norma Moore plays the loving wife. This was her first credited film role, although she had been on TV and continued mostly as a TV actress. She does a great job in this film, and one can only wonder why she only did 8 more films.
The film is fast paced and entertaining. It was the first film for director Robert Mulligan, who went on to acclaim in later years with "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) and "Summer of 42" (1971). Mulligan and Perkins had worked together before in a 1951 TV production of the Goodyear Television Playhouse.
It was also the first film for producer Alan J. Pakula who was more interested in the psychology behind the story than the sports theme (Pakula had considered becoming a psychoanalyst). Virtually every sports film prior to this (e.g., "The Pride of the Yankees" in 1942, "The Jackie Robinson Story" in 1950) and almost every one since, were focused on the sports theme, but Pakula took it in a different direction. Baseball is merely a backdrop to the father/son story. Pakula would go on to produce a half dozen films that Mulligan directed - "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), "Love with the Proper Stranger" (1963), "Baby the Rain Must Fall" (1963), "Inside Daisy Clover" (1965) - before he turned to directing, where he did such memorable films as "The Sterile Cuckoo" (1969), "Klute" (1971), Sophie's Choice" (1982), "All the President's Men" (1976), and "The Pelican Brief" (1993).
Description of Fear Strikes Out
UPC: 97360560749Jim Piersall is groomed by his loving but hard-driving father (living vicariously through his son) to play major league baseball. His desire to succeed to please his father leads to mental illness and a nervous breakdown. Can he overcome those difficulties and return to the major leagues?
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