The First 42

THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY-1950-This is a low budget biography (unlike the recent 42) of the the great African American baseball player who broke major league baseball's "color line". And Jackie Robinson plays himself!

It starts with little Jackie getting his first beat up glove, then in jr. high school breaking the high jump record (held by his brother) and later playing for the UCLA bruins. He gets drafted while his girlfriend Rae (Rudy Dee) becomes a nurse. He says "Baseball is one sport they'll never let me in". He joins the Negro league anyway and faces discrimination and almost blows his chance with the Dodgers when he thinks it's a joke! Branch Rickety (Minor Watson) recruits him and gives him the lowdown on what's going to happen. He needs a player with "the guts not to fight back". His mom (Louise Beavers) tells him to listen to God. He joins the Brooklyn farm team and is immediately ignored. His manager doesn't even consider him a human being! He takes a lot of abuse (much much worse in real life) but proves himself and wins over some bigots and makes a speech in DC.

Bernie Hamilton, Joe Devlin, Joe Kirk, Dick Wessel and Ben Welden have roles. It's a good little film hampered only by it's low budget. Director Alfred E. Green made two other Hollywood "bios": THE JOLSON STORY and THE EDDIE CANTOR STORY.

Thanks for reading!