Babe Ruth war, Barrow had many holes in the Red Sox lineup to fill. Ruth also noticed these vacancies in the lineup; he was dissatisfied in the role of a pitcher who appeared every four or five days and wanted to play every day at another position. Barrow used Ruth at first base and in the outfield during the exhibition season, but he restricted him to pitching as the team moved towards Boston and the season opener. At the time, Ruth was possibly the best left-handed pitcher in baseball, and allowing him to play another position was an experiment that could have
The Babe Ruth Story crediting Babe Ruth for America's love of the sport. When the first choice for the lead role Jack Carson would not be released from Warner Bros., the producers chose Bendix. It was rushed to release after news of Ruth's declining health, and makes no mention whatsoever of Ruth's first wife, Helen. The film was released three weeks before Babe Ruth died. Some contemporary reviews were positive, with Bendix drawing accolades from a number of critics for his performance. "Variety" called the film "interesting, if semi-fictional," writing that it combined "warmth, tears and chuckles into a film that will sustain audience