Fear Strikes Out

Director: Robert Mulligan Robert Mulligan

Overview

Anthony Perkins stars as troubled baseball-great Jimmy Piersall in this film. Based on Piersall's shattering tell-all autobiography, the film traces Jimmy's ascent from the sandlots of Waterbury, Connecticut to the Boston Red Sox, with his domineering father pushing the boy beyond all reasonable limits.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2020
UPC:	0032429347015
Original Release:	1957
Rating:	NR
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	30,923

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anthony Perkins	Jim Piersall
Karl Malden	John Piersall
Adam Williams	Doctor Brown
Norma Moore	Mary Piersall
Peter Votrian	Jimmy Piersall as a Boy
Perry Wilson	Mrs. John Piersall
Dennis McMullen	Phil
Gail Land	Alice
Brian Hutton	Bernie Sherwill,Bernie Sherwill
Bart Burns	Joe Cronin
Rand Harper	Radio Announcer
Howard Price	Bill Tracy
George Pembroke	Umpire
Morgan Jones	Sandy Allen
Bing Russell	Ballplayer Holding Trophy
James McNally	Reporter
Edd Byrnes	Boy in Car Assisting Jimmy Up Stairway,Actor
Ralph Montgomery	Reporter
Robert Victor Stern	Intern
June Jocelyn	Nurse
Wade Cagle	Intern
Courtland Shepard	Actor
Heather Hopper	Nurse
Mary Benoit	Nurse
Don Brodie	Reporter Evans
Richard Bull	Reporter Slade
Gere Craft	Nurse
John Benson	Reporter
Eric Alden	Policeman
Don McGuire	Attendant
Marilyn Malloy	Secretary
Sam Balter	Voice of Broadcaster
Richard Elmore	Policeman
Art Gilmore	Broadcaster
Joan Granville	Nurse
Kit Guard	Fan in Stands
Chuck Hamilton	Policeman
Peter J. Votrian	Jimmy (younger)
Elmer Bernstein	Composer

Technical Credits

Ted Berkman

Raphael Blau

John P. Fulton	Special Effects
Robert Mulligan	Director
Alan J. Pakula	Producer
Don Merritt	Sound Effects
Ted Berkman	Screenwriter
Raphael Blau	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Fear Strikes Out gives viewers a chance to appreciate what a fine actor Anthony Perkins was in his prime. Perkins was increasingly typecast after Psycho in roles that didn't allow him to show his range, and many of his latter performances are over the top yet tired, rehashes of things he did better previously. But Fear, a biopic of baseball's Jimmy Piersall, gives Perkins a chance to shine, and shine he does. As a young ball player whose incessant need for approval from his overbearing father leads to a nervous breakdown, Perkins is in top form; the scene in which, after hitting a home run, Perkins loses control and frantically, desperately climbs up the backstop, is beautifully executed (by both Perkins and director Robert Mulligan) and makes an indelible impression. But Perkins, as an actor, is in total control throughout, giving a wonderfully modulated performance that features many of his typical characteristics but keeps them from falling into mannerisms. Karl Malden is also excellent as the father who pushes too hard and finds nuance in a character that is written a bit too simplistically. It's true that the screenplay as a whole is a little too direct and obvious, but the actors and Mulligan's sensitive direction make up for this defect.