"It's the Great American Story!"

The Pride of The Yankees is a Hollywood telling of the life of Baseball's first Iron man, Luo Gehrig. He came from an immigrant, working class family. He went to college, became a sports hero, got married and broke all kinds of records along the way. Cooper is great in the role, although he is clearly too old for the early scenes as a college student. He plays Gehrig with shy, insecure humility. The one flaw he is allowed to reveal about him is that he was a real Momma's boy.

The Pride of The Yankees is a tribute to an American sports hero, but made and released during World War II it is also a tribute to the soldiers fighting over seas. It surely struck a cord with the American psyche. Here was an American about to die, much as many in uniform were, but without regret, he gives a farewell speech that rings of America's resolve, pride and determination. "People all say that I have had a bad break, but today, today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

Today's mainstream media, A.K.A. network news, fills our ears with doom and gloom of the current war in Iraq. I recall watching a broadcast where the newsman was interviewing a wounded soldier heading home. Just before the commercial break he asks the soldier how he feels about going home. He then narrates to us, the viewer, that we will not possibly guess his response. When the show came back on, the soldier said that he sincerely regretted going home and leaving his comrades in arms. The clueless reporter was shocked by this. The Liberal media so constantly chants "bring our soldiers home" that they forget that the men and women in uniform are actually proud of their work. Yes, some will die or get wounded, but they will do so while doing something they chose to do. Something they want to do, and most of all, something they take pride in doing.

During World War II, the objection to the war was less pronounced and patriotism seemed a bit more solid. No doubt the audiences watching The Pride of the Yankees, then, understood and took to heart Gehrig's selfless speech. Today his speech is as poignant and powerful as ever. He knows his life is nearing it's end but he doesn't bad mouth anyone or whine and complain. If this was a modern Hollywood movie it would have ended with him calling for a Congressional Hearing on why the President never told anyone about this crippling disease.

You could call this movie propaganda. It begins with a written preface that contains this sentence, "He faced death with the same valor and fortitude that has been displayed by thousands of young Americans on far-flung fields of battle." However, Gehrig's real life speech is not too far off from The Hollywood script. "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth." Although Gehrig was talking about baseball his message of resolve was felt by everyone.

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