'30s BLOG POST

Hit or Miss is a story of a woman's dream.  The plot of the movie revolves around the life of Sara Ruth (Ginger Rogers).  As a kid, Ruth's father taught her everything she knew about baseball.  However, she grew up in a society where baseball is limited to only men.  She was then forced to follow the norm, and eventually she becomes a journalist.  Now, after interviewing famous baseball player, Henry Andrews (Cary Grant), she is brought back to her roots and her love for the sport.  I think this story would work well for a film in 1935 because it relates to the traditional times of America, back before technology and social media popularity.  I feel like baseball, being America's favorite pastime, would be a fitting topic for a movie.  The style for the movie is simple.  The message of the movie is to follow dreams.  Ruth, throughout the movie, is challenged with what she is "supposed" to do versus what she truly wants to do with her life.  The movie promotes the concept of following your heart no matter what the consequences are.  

Hit or Miss would be a lovable comedy with a hint of romance, and it would be for all ages.  I believe this genre is perfect for the 1930s because comedy was still really popular back then, but also more romance movies were being made.  The combination of both is destined to be a hit.  The comical aspect of the movie would come from the dialogue and causal conversations.  The romance would come from the love that would arise between Sara Ruth and Henry Andrews.  Their love for baseball would ultimately lead to a love for each other.  The studio involved with this movie is 20th Century Fox.  I chose this studio because they are known for doing comedies.  Hit or Miss would be a large scale production because 20th Century Fox has come out with some big name movies in the past.  Also, the goal of the movie would be for it to appeal to the audience more than have it please critics.

The cast consists of the main characters, who are Ginger Rogers and Cary Grant.  Then, there is Charles Coburn, who will play the Coach of Henry Andrews.  I chose this cast because they all starred in the movie Monkey Business.  That movie was a romantic comedy, so I figured the cast would be fitting and the actors would work well together.  Also, Ginger Rogers was ranked #2 in top comedians during that time, so she would be perfect for the movies.  The director would be Howard Hawks, who also directed Monkey Business.  He was chosen because he was part of the Monkey Business lineup, but he also has done many movies with 20th Century Fox.  Sound would be the main focus in Hit or Miss.  The sound editor would be Thomas T. Moulton.  He was chosen because he is a famous sound editor and has worked with the cast before.

The Hays Code affects the movie because the director wouldn't be allowed to show any extreme or risque romance scenes.  Even though Ruth and Andrews fall in love, the kissing must be tasteful and limited due to the code.  Also, there was going to be this scene where Henry Andrews gets beat up by some other baseball players and therefore cannot play in the game.  Sara Ruth was supposed to then take over for him.  However, because of the Hays Code, the beat up scene couldn't be shown in the movie.  Our movie wouldn't need any real advanced technology.  The setting would mainly take place at the baseball field, which is outside.  Any lighting or special effects would be a small amount.  There isn't a lot of disagreements I had with my group.  I feel like all together we came up with an interesting and fun movie.  If I could change one thing, it would be that I would make the movie more inspirational and less comical.  Because the movie is going to be made in the 1930s when the Great Depression is happening, I think an inspirational about dreams and baseball would really give people hope and make the movie more enjoyable.  Overall, Hit or Miss would be a fantastic film!