Jackie Robinson, whose talents as a ball player have rarely been questioned, distinguishes himself as a movie actor of considerable proportions in his "story"-a highly creditable account of Robinson's pioneer career in baseball.

"The Jackie Robinson Story" makes clear the tremendous anti-Negro sentiment Robinson faced-not only on the part of fans but from his own team-mates. It also shows why Brooklyn Dodger president Branch Rickey had to select his man for this experiment with such great care, and why Robinson's ability to turn his other cheek made him the perfect choice. The film does not point out, however, the economic impetus behind Rickey's move.

There is a certain amount of schmaltz toward the end of the picture, but it cannot be avoided in a movie of this kind. Robinson was a paragon of All-American boys (he had a newspaper route) and his story could only be written "in a country where every American boy has the opportunity to be President...or play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers." There will be some who disapprove of the parallel.

Excellent characterizations are given in supporting roles by Minor Watson, as Rickey, and Richard Lane, as Clay Hopper, a Mississippi who managed the Montreal Royals when Robinson played for them. It is unfortunate that all of the baseball scenes could not have been filmed in the parks where they occurred, but this is a minor criticism. The same can be said for the facts that Robinson was slightly overweight when the picture was made and that Robby's batting stance had to be altered for the purposes of the camera. These are hardly noticeable and they certainly do not detract from the general worth of the movie-one which anyone who enjoys baseball will appreciate.