Damn Yankees, based on Douglas Wallop's The Year
the Yankees Lost the Pennant, gives a new twist to the legend
of Faust when a middle-aged baseball fan sells his soul to the
Devil, a.k.a. Mr. Applegate, for the chance to play for the Washington
Senators. Transformed into a young man, this over-eager fan's
dreams are soon fulfilled when he finds himself leading the team
in both hitting and pitching, but Damn Yankees keeps the
story interesting, for there is a price to be paid, and the Devil
and his seductive assistant Lola (Gwen Verdon) are waiting to
collect.
Damn Yankees shattered the jinx that had plagued other
baseball related shows. It opened at the 46th Street Theatre
on May 5, 1955 and ran for 1,019 performances. Miss Verdon, who
was rocketed to stardom by the original production, reprised
her role in the 1958 screen version.
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