Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Damn Yankees Blu-ray Movie Review

Devil in the outfield.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 5, 2021

Not to be confused with one of your stepdad's favorite rock supergroups, George Abbott and Stanley Donen's Damn Yankees is a terrific big-screen adaptation of the long-running Broadway show with songs by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, not to mention almost all of the principal players returning to reprise their memorable roles. Just one of a few examples of a genuine "sports musical", Damn Yankees is probably the best in that narrow genre by a pretty wide margin and features a fun story about love, loss, temptation, eternal youth, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks.

Its setup is straight out of the Faust playbook: crabby baseball fan Joe Boyd (Robert Shafer, in his first and only film role), sick of his beloved Washington Senators losing every game, would do anything to see his team win the pennant. Enter "Applegate" (Ray Walston), a well-dressed man who offers Joe the chance to sell his soul and become a gifted young baseball player who might just give the Senators their chance at glory. Despite reservations about leaving his wife Meg (Shannon Bolin), he accepts and becomes "Joe Hardy" (Tab Hunter), driving to Washington with Applegate for a tryout. Not surprisingly, Joe goes yard on almost every pitch, impresses manager Ben Van Buren (Russ Brown), and instantly turns the team around... but he still has reservations. Luckily, an escape clause is built into Joe's sinister bargain: he has until the Senators' last game of the season to back out. Otherwise, he'll be Hardy forever.

What fun Damn Yankees has with its premise, cherry-picking most of the Broadway musical's iconic songs and best moments to deliver a lively, enjoyable film from start to finish. The best example of both arrives with seductive Lola (Gwen Verdon), Applegate's mistress who uses her slithering dance moves -- wonderfully choreographed by her future husband Bob Fosse, who performs with her during one scene -- to tempt Joe Hardy while he still pines for the faithful Meg. But Damn Yankees is more than "Whatever Lola Wants"... even if that infamous scene was used as the original poster art and the renamed title for UK audiences, who apparently couldn't handle the word "damn." It's simply a fun story adapted almost perfectly for the big screen, featuring rock-solid performances by actors already familiar with the material and almost obscenely colorful visuals during key moments. Yours truly couldn't care less about pro baseball -- outside of the breakdowns by Jomboy Media, maybe -- and I still had an absolute blast with this one. Even the usually stiff-as-a-board Tab Hunter, perfectly cast as blank slate Joe Hardy, finally loosens up in the home stretch.

Although it lacks a bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam ending, Damn Yankees is still a rich and vibrant show that'll impress first-time viewers and those who haven't seen it in decades. Its last home video outing was a Warner Bros. DVD release from 2004 that served up a decent anamorphic transfer but almost nothing in the way of extras. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray doesn't add much new content but does sport one of the studio's best transfers to date, a 4K-sourced beauty that really shows off Damn Yankees' impressive production design. It's a solid triple, easy.

Damn Yankees Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Is anyone tired of Warner Archive's near-endless string of five-star video ratings? Me neither. Damn Yankees is yet another check in the win column, as this 4K-sourced transfer -- reportedly culled from preservation separation masters -- offers vibrant colors that suitably shows off the film's terrific lighting and color schemes from the opening credits onward. No hue is left unrepresented here, from the bright pinks and purples of Lola's boudoir to Applegate's red socks and even those gauzy, almost neon-infused highlights during the third-act nightclub performance of "Two Lost Souls". Daytime scenes at the ballpark are another easy standout, with bright sunlit visuals punctuated by team uniforms and other primaries, not to mention the cool blue shadows cast by stadium walls. Skin tones are accurate -- even on Tab Hunter, who forgivably turns beet-red as Lola writhes her way around the locker room -- with a look far surpassing the DVD's harsher, oversaturated color values. Image detail and textures are also very impressive, bolstered by Warner Archive's careful treatment of natural film grain and commitment to other purist-friendly textures.

Simply put, it's more top-tier work and every bit as good as their treatment of other recent musical releases such as Good News, San Francisco, The Pajama Game, Show Boat, and a few that have yet to be reviewed. Warner Archive has uploaded a few YouTube videos showing off Damn Yankees' new transfer, including the extremely colorful three-minute opening sequence, that fateful deal between Joe and Applegate, and the US theatrical trailer.

Damn Yankees Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although its audio is presented in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio Mono -- very odd, since Warner Bros. had been releasing films in stereo for years by 1958, and the soundtrack album was also recorded in stereo -- this split one-channel track at least does an admirable job within format limitations. Dialogue is always perfectly clean and clear, with only a few stray moments of questionable lip sync spoiling the illusion of a true live performance. The numerous song breaks are well-balanced and even achieve moments of depth, exhibiting a relatively dynamic presence that conveys plenty of energy. I'd have loved to see Warner Archive pull a rabbit out of their hat like they did with Show Boat's stereo option, but this is still a very good effort that's still likely its best audio presentation since theaters.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and song selections only.

Damn Yankees Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray ships in a keepcase with original one-sheet poster art and extras not listed on the packaging.

• Song Selection - Access to all 17 song breaks including "Six Months Out of the Year", "Goodbye, Old Girl", "Heart", "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO" , "Two Lost Souls" and, of course, "Whatever Lola Wants".

• US Theatrical Trailer (2:31) - This lively vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

• UK Theatrical Trailer (2:32) - A slightly re-tooled version under its alternate name, What Lola Wants.

Damn Yankees Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

George Abbott and Stanley Donen's Damn Yankees is an enormously fun and free-wheeling sports musical that remains one of the best big-screen Broadway adaptations to date. Many of its key performers were brought over from the original show and it's clear they had all kinds of fun with this one, as it boasts an infectious energy that makes Damn Yankees a pretty potent gateway drug for non-fans of the genre. Warner Archive's outstanding Blu-ray delivers the goods with another top-tier transfer and, though the bonus features sadly come up short, it easily survives based on the lasting appeal of the main feature alone. Highly Recommended to die-hard fans and rookies alike!