Original artwork, not a still
Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
— The Pride of the Yankees · 1942
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Gehrig had just been told he was dying, and he said the opposite. The speech is plain on purpose: no complaint, just thanks to the fans, the team and his family. That is why it holds up. Fans quote it at funerals, retirements and bad news, and the film's final scene is why a generation of fans heard it in Gary Cooper's voice.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Pride of the YankeesShow the scene
On 4 July 1939, Lou Gehrig stood in front of a sold-out Yankee Stadium between games of a doubleheader and gave what has been called baseball's Gettysburg Address. He had retired two weeks earlier because of the illness later identified as ALS. The Pride of the Yankees (1942) ends by re-enacting that speech with Gary Cooper in Gehrig's role. The closing line is ranked 38th on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest movie quotes.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: Lou GehrigFarewell and 'luckiest man' sectionsReference checked
- Wikipedia: The Pride of the YankeesIntroReference checked
Context reviewed