Death on the Diamond

Death on the Diamond is a 1934 comedy-mystery film starring Robert Young. It was based on the novel Death on the Diamond: A Baseball Mystery Story by Cortland Fitzsimmons, directed by Edward Sedgwick and produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Plot
Unless his team can win the pennant, owner Pop Clark will lose his baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals. He gets Larry Kelly in order to try and seal the deal. However, rival teams and mobsters are trying to stop his team from winning the pennant race, with some of his star players getting killed on and off the field.

Cast

 * Robert Young as Larry Kelly
 * Madge Evans as Frances Clark
 * Nat Pendleton as Larry "Truck" Hogan
 * Ted Healy as Terry "Crawfish" O'Toole
 * C. Henry Gordon as Joseph Karnes
 * Paul Kelly as Jimmie Downey
 * David Landau as Pop Clark
 * DeWitt Jennings as Mr. Patterson
 * Edward Brophy as Police Sgt. Grogan
 * Willard Robertson as Police Lt. Luke Cato
 * Mickey Rooney as Mickey
 * Robert Livingston as Frank "Higgie" Higgins
 * Joe Sawyer as Duncan "Dunk" Spencer (as Joe Sauers)

Production
Appearing uncredited in the film were a number of ex-Major Leaguers, including Bob and Irish Meusel, Ping Bodie, Ivan Olson and Pat Flaherty, plus one player who was still very much active, slugger Wally "Red" Berger.

Reception
Leonard Maltin described the film as an "absurd crime tale" while giving it 2 out of 4 stars.