Fear Strikes Out (Paramount) rolls Frank Merriwell and Sigmund Freud into a ball and then lines it out for a solid hit. The film is based on the widely read autobiography of Jim Piersall. the fleet-footed outfielder of the Boston Red Sox, who suffered an emotional collapse five years ago which almost ended his career before it began. Unlikely as it may look from the bleachers, Piersall suffered from what has been called the Laius complex.* Piersall's father (Karl Malden), according to the script, was a wild ball hawk whose wings were clipped by family responsibilities, and who determined to live...
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