Search - The Basketball Fix on DVD

Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1951 DVD Release: 02/24/2004 Format: DVD - Black and White SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 6 mins Studio: Alpha Video Total Copies: 19 Genres: Drama, Sports Drama

The title tells all in Realart's Basketball Fix. Talented young basketball star Johnny Long (Marshall Thompson) allows success to go to his head. To keep on living in the manner to which he is accustomed, Johnny agrees to shave a few points here and there at the behest of gambling boss Mike Taft (William Bishop). Thoroughly disgusted, sportswriter Peter Ferredey (John Ireland), the man who discovered Johnny, prepares to blow the whistle at the risk of his own life. Waiting anxiously on the sidelines throughout is Johnny's girl friend Pat Judd (Vanessa Brown). This otherwise ordinary programmer is distinguished by the excellent cinematography of Stanley Cortez. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Ireland - Pete Ferreday
Marshall Thompson - Johnny Long
Vanessa Brown - Pat Judd
William Bishop - Mike Taft
Hazel Brooks - Lily Courtney

Felix Feist's The Basketball Fix (1951) dates from a period in which white basketball players were a significant part of the game -- and, to judge from this movie, the only part of the game. Marshall Thompson was a fine actor and a decent male ingenue who'd given a great performance in William Wellman's Battleground, but he's hopeless at convincing anyone that he's a top basketball prospect. Forgetting the shortcomings of the movie, the source print, transferred full-frame (1.33:1), is somewhat worn and scratched, with a fair amount of white vertical blemishes, but not so badly as to make it unwatchable, even if the picture is a tiny bit soft and some of the wider shots are whited out; by the same token, however, the night scenes and dark scenes all have usable picture information. The audio is stable and set at a healthy volume level. The 66-minute movie gets six chapters, par for the course for Alpha Video, and the usual three-selection menu opens the disc automatically, with the "play" command in the default position. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide