Fear Strikes Out (1957)
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 4
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.
Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 0
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.
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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 1,171
My Rating
Movie Info
Anthony Perkins stars as troubled baseball great Jimmy Piersall in Fear Strikes Out. Based on Piersall's shattering tell-all autobiography, the film traces Jimmy's 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. Unable to withstand the pressure, Piersall suffers a nervous breakdown and is confined to a mental institution. Through a long period of therapy, Jimmy realizes that he has excelled
Mar 20, 1957 Wide
Mar 4, 2003
Paramount Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
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Anthony Perkins
Jimmy Piersall -
Karl Malden
John Piersall -
Norma Moore
Mary Piersall -
Adam Williams
Dr. Brown -
Perry Wilson
Mrs. John Piersall -
Peter J. Votrian
Jimmy (younger) -
Dennis McMullen
Phil -
Gail Land
Alice -
Brian G. Hutton
Bernie Sherwill -
Bart Burns
Joe Cronin -
Rand Harper
Radio Announcer -
Howard Price
Bill Tracy -
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George Pembroke
Umpire -
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Morgan Jones
Sandy Allen
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All Critics (21) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (4) | DVD (4)
Fear holds up well, and the climactic showdown between father and son offers a tremendously appealing resolution.
Fear Strikes Out rolls Frank Merriwell and Sigmund Freud into a ball and then lines it out for a solid hit.
Top CriticAnthony Perkins, in the young Piersall role, delivers a remarkably sustained performance of a sensitive young man, pushed too fast to the limits of his ability to cope with life's pressures.
Mr. Perkins plays the young fellow excellently, not only conveying the gathering torment but also actually looking like a ballplayer on the field.
It's a little poky and tentative, but a promising start by the Pakula-Mulligan team.
Top CriticAbsorbing, but rather clinical, in the rubber-gloves style of 50s television drama.
Harrowing look at pressures on a young ballplayer.
This directorial debut for Mulligan also boasts an extremely effective, typically full-volume performance by Malden as Piersall's demanding but loving father.
A cold biopic that doesn't hold up now that its subject matter has left the spotlight.
Grimace-a-ton
Rarely seen character study of baseball great Jimmy Piersall with great work by Anthony Perkins in title role--and Karl Malden as his demanding dad.
Anthony Perkins gives a great, twitchy performance as Jimmy Piersall.
Harkens back to a simpler time in baseball, where there were no steroids just eccentric players.
Mulligan does his best to get around Perkins' lack of baseball credibility, even laughably avoiding any shots of him fielding a groundball during the shortstop experiment.
Less of a 'baseball movie' and more of a black & white cautionary tale that's light on surprises and heavy on the melodrama.
Audience Reviews for Fear Strikes Out
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Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Perkins couldn't throw a baseball !!!! | 44 days ago | 0 |
Latest News on Fear Strikes Out
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