Kill the Umpire

Kill the Umpire

Columbia's Bases Full of LAUGHS!!!

NR 1950 · 78 min · ★ 6.9 · Comedy

Ex-baseball player Bill Johnson, failing at many jobs when his ball-playing days are over, reluctantly takes the advice of his father-in-law, Jonah Evans, a retired umpire, and enters an umpire-training school. Assigned to the Texas League, he does fine until the championship play-offs when a riot develops over one of his calls. The involved player is knocked unconscious in the proceedings and cannot verify that Bill made the correct call. Despite lynch mob plans to at least tar-and-feather him, Bill's family - his daughters Lucy (Gloria Henry and Susan and his wife Betty - help Bill reach the ballpark safely the next day through a series of hair-raising encounters.

Directed by Lloyd Bacon · Written by Frank Tashlin

Your Rating

Cast

William Bendix Bill 'Two Call' Johnson
Una Merkel Betty Johnson
Ray Collins Jonah Evans
Gloria Henry Lucy Johnson
Jeff Richards Bob Landon
Connie Marshall Suzie Johnson
William Frawley Jimmy O'Brien
Tom D'Andrea Roscoe Snooker
Chester Clute Man Using Telephone (uncredited)
Billy Gray Boy Playing Baseball (uncredited)
Alan Hale Jr. Harry Shea (uncredited)
Harry Hayden Hotel Manager (uncredited)

Make it a double feature

2h 53m together

Kill the Umpire

Walking My Baby Back Home

Both from Lloyd Bacon.

More from Lloyd BaconSee all →

Walking My Baby Back Home

Walking My Baby Back Home · 1953

Walking My Baby Back Home

A young man from a wealthy New York family pursues a career as the leader of a dance band.

My Darling Clementine

My Darling Clementine · 1946

My Darling Clementine

Three brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find one of their brothers dead and their cattle stolen. They decide to take revenge on the culprits.

Action in the North Atlantic

Action in the North Atlantic · 1943

Action in the North Atlantic

Merchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged with getting a supply vessel to Russian allies as part of a sea convoy. When the group of ships comes under attack from a German U-boat, Rossi and Jarvis navigate through dangerous waters to evade Nazi naval forces. Though their mission across the Atlantic is extremely treacherous, they are motivated by the opportunity to strike back at the Germans, who sank one of their earlier ships.

Footsteps in the Dark

Footsteps in the Dark · 1941

Footsteps in the Dark

MovieComedyMystery

A high-society gent has a secret life - he writes murder mysteries and hangs out with the police attempting to solve crimes. This causes him no end of problems when his wife wants to know about his little disappearances and exceptionally late nights out.

42nd Street

42nd Street · 1933

MovieComedyDrama

Broadway director Julian Marsh needs just one more hit show so he can retire and recover his health. It looks like he just may pull it off until temperamental star Dorthy Brock breaks her ankle on the eve of the show's premiere and has to be replaced by her understudy Peggy.

Footlight Parade

Footlight Parade · 1933

Footlight Parade

MovieComedyMusic

A fledgling producer finds himself at odds with his workers, financiers and his greedy ex-wife when he tries to produce live musicals for movie-going audiences.

Devil Dogs of the Air

Devil Dogs of the Air · 1935

Devil Dogs of the Air

MovieRomanceAction

Two Marine pilots vie for romance and glory.

San Quentin

San Quentin · 1937

MovieActionDrama

Ex-Army officer Jameson takes a job a prison guard at San Quentin. Joe, the brother of his new girlfriend May, is sentenced to the prison for robbery. When Jameson tries to separate lawbreakers from hardened criminals, badguy Hansen tries to stir up trouble by telling Joe about Jameson's interest in his sister.

Brother Orchid

Brother Orchid · 1940

MovieComedyCrime

When retired racket boss John Sarto tries to reclaim his place and former friends try to kill him, he finds solace in a monastery and reinvents himself as a pious monk.

Marked Woman

Marked Woman · 1937

MovieCrimeDrama

In the underworld of Manhattan, a woman dares to stand up to one of the city's most powerful gangsters.

It Happens Every Spring

It Happens Every Spring · 1949

It Happens Every Spring

A scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.

The Tramp

The Tramp · 1915

The Little Fellow finds the girl of his dreams and work on a family farm. He helps defend the farm against criminals, and all seems well, until he discovers the girl of his dreams already has someone in her life. Unwilling to be a problem in their lives, he takes to the road, though he is seen skipping and swinging his cane as if happy to be back on the road where he knows he belongs.

The Champion

The Champion · 1915

Walking along with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes a training camp advertising for a boxing partner "who can take a beating." After watching others lose, Charlie puts the horseshoe in his glove and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love.

Invisible Stripes

Invisible Stripes · 1939

Invisible Stripes

MovieCrimeDrama

A gangster is unable to go straight after returning home from prison.

The Fuller Brush Girl

The Fuller Brush Girl · 1950

The Fuller Brush Girl

MovieComedyMystery

A daffy door-to-door saleswoman blunders into a murder investigation.

Knute Rockne All American

Knute Rockne All American · 1940

Knute Rockne All American

The story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne.

More Like This

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook Off

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook Off · 2003

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook Off

MovieComedyFamily

Junior high school student Eddie Ogden is an aspiring baseball player, but what he truly loves is cooking. Although he receives plenty of athletic encouragement from his father, who also serves as his team's coach, Eddie can't resist pursuing his culinary skills, and this decision ends up interfering with baseball. Despite the disappointment expressed by his father and friends, Eddie presses on with his cooking and enters a high-profile competition.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter