The Babe Ruth Story

The Babe Ruth Story is a 1948 American biographical film directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is a fictionalized depiction of professional baseball player Babe Ruth, who achieved fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. The film stars William Bendix, Claire Trevor, and Charles Bickford.

A film on Ruth's life was in talks for years following his real-life success. However, the project underwent production hell as deals fell through with multiple studios. Ruth initially wanted to portray himself in the film, but ultimately, his deteriorating health prevented him. The casting of Bendix as Babe Ruth received backlash due to his lack of resemblance to Ruth, a move that was defended by the film's producers. The film was rushed due to the real life Babe Ruth's declining health, and the final film makes no mention to Ruth's first wife, Helen Woodford Ruth. Ruth was able to view the finished film three weeks before his death in August 1948 to esophageal cancer.

It was distributed in the United States by Allied Artists on July 26, 1948. During its initial release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics. However, retrospective critical reviews have been negative, with its writing, Bendix's performance, historical inaccuracies, lack of baseball scenes, and Ruth's direction sparking criticism, now being considered one of the worst films ever made and one of the worst biopics of all time. The film received $2.4 million through US rentals.