Expert: Mel - 7/8/2007

Question
I can't remember the name of the black and white movie about a young guy who
struggled with dealing his fame or success - he was an athlete of some kind.
There was one scene where he's in his hotel room waiting for an important
phone call from a girl (that he had just kissed outside of her house)  and he
hears a radio in the next room talking about him and he starts yelling louder
and louder for them to turn it off. Do you know of the movie I'm talking about?

Answer
Hello Emily,

I believe that may have been the 1957 film "Fear Strikes Out", which starred Anthony Perkins in the true story of Jim Piersall, groomed by his loving but hard-driving father (Karl Malden) to play major league baseball. His desire to succeed and please his father leads to mental illness and a nervous breakdown.

Here are a couple of links:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800064482/details

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fear_strikes_out/


Glad to be of help. Cheers.........Mel.