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Vaudeville meets baseball with an inane love diamond.
Date of Release: Jan 31, 1930
Studio: MGM
Director: Jack Conway and Sam Wood
Screenplay: A.P. Younger (story), Sarah Y. Mason (scenario), Arthur “Bugs” Baer (dialogue)
Music: Milton Ager, Jack Yellen
Choreographer: Sammy Lee
Leading Actors:
Joe Schenck (Jack)
Gus Van (Jerry)
Bessie Love (Mary)
Mary Doran (Daisy)
J.C. Nugent (Stafford)
Benny Rubin (Sam)
Tom Dugan (Tim)
Eddie Gribbon (Brennan)
Francis X. Bushman Jr. (Haskins)
Nina Mae McKinney (Harlem Madness Singer)
Cliff Edwards (Singer in Harlem Madness)
Van and Schenck were well-known vaudeville performers from Brooklyn. The duo had been performing together for nearly two decades, and had appeared in several MGM “movietone” shorts.
Initially announced in late 1929 under the titles Playing the Field, The Pennant Winning Battery, and Play it Big, Van and Schenck’s first and only feature film They Learned About Women was released by MGM in January 1930. The final title was derived from a 1927 Van and Schenck short.
The film was written by Sarah Y. Mason, who also wrote for Broadway Melody, along with sports commentator Arthur “Bugs” Baer. Giant’s player Mike Donin also reportedly served as the baseball supervisor.
They Learned About Women tells the story of two Blue Sox baseball players, straight-laced Jack (Schenck) and party boy Jerry (Van) who perform a vaudeville act in the off-season. Jack is in love with Mary (Bessie Love), but is quickly wooed by “bad girl” Daisy (Mary Doran). Jack marries Daisy, who forces Jack to leave baseball and his vaudeville partner of fifteen years to start their own act. The Blue Sox are in the finals of the World Series, but things are looking grim without the old partnership of Jerry and Jack. Jack returns, no longer with Daisy, and brings about a win for the Blue Sox. Realizing his buddy still loves Mary, and that Mary still loves Jack, Jerry graciously steps away.
I had initially brushed off the notion of vaudeville singin’ baseball players as a contrived way to work music into a baseball themed movie, but after chatting with baseball historian and theatre director Ralph Carhart, I discovered this was actually quite common.
As baseball historian John Thorn notes in the foreward to Carhart’s book The Hall Ball, “Players. That standard baseball term… derives from the theater… Practitioners of the baseball arts were thus named because they were regarded as entertainers…” Schenck and Van were not themselves professional baseball players, but were reportedly avid fans. Schenck had also “once captained the vaudeville “All-stars” team.”
Schenck and Van were not themselves professional baseball players, but were reportedly avid fans. Schenck had also “once captained the vaudeville “All-stars” team.”
Perhaps testing the waters to see how Van and Schenck fared in a feature length film, MGM did not give They Learned About Women much in the way of publicity.
Some theatre owners attempted new ways to lure in patrons. The Fox Theatre in Detroit invited the local baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, to attend a showing, while Trenton theatre in Lynchburg, Virginia, collaborated with Power Laundries for a promotion using an anagraphic puzzle and movie pass giveaways. The Lyric Theatre in Tennessee attempted to use “the feminine penchant for reducing,” ie. losing weight, to entice female audiences by promoting Bessie Love’s “1930 Beauty Form Chart.” According to Exhibitors Herald-World, the chart detailed how Love retained her “vim, vigor, and vitality,” and encouraged daily physical activity in the form of physical culture.
The Film Daily noted “the baseball stuff is good” and summarized that the film was a “a peppy number that should please.” The Motion Picture Committee of the Los Angeles Branch of The Women’s University Club stated the film would “probably have a wide range of appeal since it combines the ever-popular baseball theme with new song hits.”
They Learned About Women featured 6 songs by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen (both of whom had previously worked on Honkey Tonk and Chasing Rainbows) — ‘There Will Never Be Another Mary’, ’Harlem Madness’, ‘Does My Baby Love?’, ‘He’s That Kind of a Pal’, ‘Aintcha Baby’, ’A Man of My Own’ — and 2 songs by Van and Schenck, ‘Dougherty is the Name’ and ‘I’m an Old Fashioned Guy’.
Despite predictions of wide appeal, Exhibitors Herald-World published several reports noting that They Learned About Women failed to draw in audiences. Some also mentioned that the film’s strange title did not help.
Apart from a few industry reviews, They Learned About Women was not reviewed by any major publications.
As with just about every movie musical from this period, watching They Learned About Women today is both a frustrating and surprising experience. The ho hum story of the love diamond between Jerry, Jack, Mary, and Daisy is eye-roll inducing, and the only two speaking women in the film fall into the predictable dichotomy of sweet good girl/vixen bad girl.
People of color exist only in subservient roles, until we arrive at the theatre. The film features the fabulous ‘Harlem Madness’, a musical number performed by a troupe made up entirely of people of color. The troupe is led by Nina Mae McKinney, who was uncredited, who had starred in Hallelujah the year before. ‘Harlem Madness’ was originally shot in Technicolor, and oh for those prints to be restored! The scene is a joyous highlight of the film, even if it has no relevance to the plot.
The inane script, and terrible politics aside, the music is delightful and Joe Schenck and Gus Van are charming. The joyful chemistry between them, and with Bessie Love (who had previously starred in Broadway Melody, The Girl in the Show, and Chasing Rainbows) is clearly visible.
The camaraderie is also evident in the fun shower room scene following baseball practise. The entire male cast engages in silly play, and joyful ensemble singing of ‘Ten Sweet Mamas’. The fellow baseball players are good in their comedic sidekick roles, notably Tom Dugan as a stuttering fool.
The final scene was shot at Wrigley Stadium, and features 1000s of extras. Despite some repetitive use of one or two action shots, the scene successfully conveys the excitement and drama of a high stakes baseball game.
They Learned About Women was Van and Schenck’s last feature film. Schenck died suddenly of a heart attack whilst on tour in June, 1930, reportedly dying in Van’s arms.
The film was the basis for the 1949 musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams, and a guest appearance by Tom Dugan.
TCM released They Learned About Women on television and on laser-disc in the mid-1990s. The Warner Archive Collection released They Learned About Women on DVD in 2009.
Studio: MGM
Director: Jack Conway and Sam Wood
Screenplay: A.P. Younger (story), Sarah Y. Mason (scenario), Arthur “Bugs” Baer (dialogue)
Music: Milton Ager, Jack Yellen
Choreographer: Sammy Lee
Leading Actors:
Joe Schenck (Jack)
Gus Van (Jerry)
Bessie Love (Mary)
Mary Doran (Daisy)
J.C. Nugent (Stafford)
Benny Rubin (Sam)
Tom Dugan (Tim)
Eddie Gribbon (Brennan)
Francis X. Bushman Jr. (Haskins)
Nina Mae McKinney (Harlem Madness Singer)
Cliff Edwards (Singer in Harlem Madness)
Van and Schenck were well-known vaudeville performers from Brooklyn. The duo had been performing together for nearly two decades, and had appeared in several MGM “movietone” shorts.
Initially announced in late 1929 under the titles Playing the Field, The Pennant Winning Battery, and Play it Big, Van and Schenck’s first and only feature film They Learned About Women was released by MGM in January 1930. The final title was derived from a 1927 Van and Schenck short.
The film was written by Sarah Y. Mason, who also wrote for Broadway Melody, along with sports commentator Arthur “Bugs” Baer. Giant’s player Mike Donin also reportedly served as the baseball supervisor.
They Learned About Women tells the story of two Blue Sox baseball players, straight-laced Jack (Schenck) and party boy Jerry (Van) who perform a vaudeville act in the off-season. Jack is in love with Mary (Bessie Love), but is quickly wooed by “bad girl” Daisy (Mary Doran). Jack marries Daisy, who forces Jack to leave baseball and his vaudeville partner of fifteen years to start their own act. The Blue Sox are in the finals of the World Series, but things are looking grim without the old partnership of Jerry and Jack. Jack returns, no longer with Daisy, and brings about a win for the Blue Sox. Realizing his buddy still loves Mary, and that Mary still loves Jack, Jerry graciously steps away.
I had initially brushed off the notion of vaudeville singin’ baseball players as a contrived way to work music into a baseball themed movie, but after chatting with baseball historian and theatre director Ralph Carhart, I discovered this was actually quite common.
As baseball historian John Thorn notes in the foreward to Carhart’s book The Hall Ball, “Players. That standard baseball term… derives from the theater… Practitioners of the baseball arts were thus named because they were regarded as entertainers…” Schenck and Van were not themselves professional baseball players, but were reportedly avid fans. Schenck had also “once captained the vaudeville “All-stars” team.”
Schenck and Van were not themselves professional baseball players, but were reportedly avid fans. Schenck had also “once captained the vaudeville “All-stars” team.”
Perhaps testing the waters to see how Van and Schenck fared in a feature length film, MGM did not give They Learned About Women much in the way of publicity.
Some theatre owners attempted new ways to lure in patrons. The Fox Theatre in Detroit invited the local baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, to attend a showing, while Trenton theatre in Lynchburg, Virginia, collaborated with Power Laundries for a promotion using an anagraphic puzzle and movie pass giveaways. The Lyric Theatre in Tennessee attempted to use “the feminine penchant for reducing,” ie. losing weight, to entice female audiences by promoting Bessie Love’s “1930 Beauty Form Chart.” According to Exhibitors Herald-World, the chart detailed how Love retained her “vim, vigor, and vitality,” and encouraged daily physical activity in the form of physical culture.
The Film Daily noted “the baseball stuff is good” and summarized that the film was a “a peppy number that should please.” The Motion Picture Committee of the Los Angeles Branch of The Women’s University Club stated the film would “probably have a wide range of appeal since it combines the ever-popular baseball theme with new song hits.”
They Learned About Women featured 6 songs by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen (both of whom had previously worked on Honkey Tonk and Chasing Rainbows) — ‘There Will Never Be Another Mary’, ’Harlem Madness’, ‘Does My Baby Love?’, ‘He’s That Kind of a Pal’, ‘Aintcha Baby’, ’A Man of My Own’ — and 2 songs by Van and Schenck, ‘Dougherty is the Name’ and ‘I’m an Old Fashioned Guy’.
Despite predictions of wide appeal, Exhibitors Herald-World published several reports noting that They Learned About Women failed to draw in audiences. Some also mentioned that the film’s strange title did not help.
Apart from a few industry reviews, They Learned About Women was not reviewed by any major publications.
As with just about every movie musical from this period, watching They Learned About Women today is both a frustrating and surprising experience. The ho hum story of the love diamond between Jerry, Jack, Mary, and Daisy is eye-roll inducing, and the only two speaking women in the film fall into the predictable dichotomy of sweet good girl/vixen bad girl.
People of color exist only in subservient roles, until we arrive at the theatre. The film features the fabulous ‘Harlem Madness’, a musical number performed by a troupe made up entirely of people of color. The troupe is led by Nina Mae McKinney, who was uncredited, who had starred in Hallelujah the year before. ‘Harlem Madness’ was originally shot in Technicolor, and oh for those prints to be restored! The scene is a joyous highlight of the film, even if it has no relevance to the plot.
The inane script, and terrible politics aside, the music is delightful and Joe Schenck and Gus Van are charming. The joyful chemistry between them, and with Bessie Love (who had previously starred in Broadway Melody, The Girl in the Show, and Chasing Rainbows) is clearly visible.
The camaraderie is also evident in the fun shower room scene following baseball practise. The entire male cast engages in silly play, and joyful ensemble singing of ‘Ten Sweet Mamas’. The fellow baseball players are good in their comedic sidekick roles, notably Tom Dugan as a stuttering fool.
The final scene was shot at Wrigley Stadium, and features 1000s of extras. Despite some repetitive use of one or two action shots, the scene successfully conveys the excitement and drama of a high stakes baseball game.
They Learned About Women was Van and Schenck’s last feature film. Schenck died suddenly of a heart attack whilst on tour in June, 1930, reportedly dying in Van’s arms.
The film was the basis for the 1949 musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams, and a guest appearance by Tom Dugan.
TCM released They Learned About Women on television and on laser-disc in the mid-1990s. The Warner Archive Collection released They Learned About Women on DVD in 2009.
SOURCES
Books
Articles
Exhibitors Herald - World
The Film Daily
Motion Picture News
Websites
Books
- Ralph Carhart, The Hall Ball: One Fan's Journey to Unite Cooperstown Immortals with a Single Baseball, McFarland (2020)
- Edwin M. Bradley, The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927 Through 1932, McFarland (1996)
- Hal Erickson, The Baseball Filmography, 1915 Through 2001, McFarland, 2d Ed (2016)
Articles
- Jeff Cohen, “Why Bring That Up?” Vitaphone Varieties (April 1, 2007)
- David Kehr, “When Hollywood Learned to Talk, Sing and Dance,” New York Times (Jan 15, 2010)
- Jonas Nordin, “An early talkie Christmas - Part 2,” All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing! (Dec 8, 2009)
- The Educational Screen, "The Film Estimates,” April 1930, p. 113
- Motion Picture Reviews, February 1930, (The Motion Picture Committee of The Women’s University Club, Los Angeles Branch, American Association of University Women), p.6-7
- Ottawa Citizen, “All-Colored Review Hit Featured in Centre Film,” July 19, 1930, p.22
- Variety, “Obituary: Joseph T. Schenck,” July 2, 1930, p. 76
Exhibitors Herald - World
- “Busiest Summer at MGM Studio,” June 29, 1930, p. 144
- “New Pictures,” March 15, 1930, p.64
- “Song Hits In Current Films,” April 5, 1930, p.18
- “What the Picture Did For Me,” July 12, 1930, p. 56
- “What the Picture Did For Me,” July 19, 1930, p.56
- “The Voice of the Industry: Letters from Readers,” Aug 9, 1930, p. 56
- “‘They Learned About Women’ And Tieups, Too, at Lynchburg,” Sept 13, 1930, p.55
The Film Daily
- “Two MGM Films Renamed,” Dec 15, 1929, p. 7
- “They Learned About Women,” July 6. 1930, p.10
Motion Picture News
- “Managers’ Round Table Club,” May 17, 1930, p.75
- “Managers’ Round Table Club,” June 21, 1930, p.51
Websites
- IMDb, “They Learned About Women (1930),” Accessed via:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021464/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
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