Joe E. Brown was a funny man. Here he recreates the over-confident rube character he played in 'Elmer The Great', but the plot is very thin here. As someone already mentioned this is a one-joke movie and Joe E. milks it for all it's worth but it becomes tedious about half-way through.Without going into detail, the plot is formulaic and predictable, about a braggart pitcher from the minor leagues who becomes a sensation and falls in love with Olivia DeHavilland along the way. William Frawley is his manager and Roscoe Karns is his best friend. But Brown is the whole show and gets a lot of mileage out of his character, which first appeared in 'Elmer The Great'. Personally, I thought 'Elmer' was a better picture and a lot of what he did in it is recycled here, just not as well.I give a rating of 5 and the picture's appeal is mainly for his fans. One again, TCM comes through for all us old-time movie fans.

The Chicago Cubs finally win the pennant! And it takes Joe E. Brown's immortal character Alibi Ike to do it. William Frawley once again is superb in the supporting role, as the manager. Olivia De Havilland shines as the love interest. The rest of the supporting cast which includes Ruth Donnelly and Roscoe Karns are excellent. Director Raymond Enright keeps the film moving along in good fashion. The movie is predictable but it's a lot of fun getting to the end. The ending puts a lasting smile on one's face reminiscent of the movie "Some Like It Hot". This feel good movie hits a home run with this viewer. Take yourself out to the ballgame and enjoy!

Known as ALIBI IKE for his never-ending excuses, the brash new pitcher for the Chicago Cubs becomes involved with nasty crooks and a very pretty young lady.Comic Joe E. Brown has a grand time clowning about in this sporting comedy based on a Ring Lardner story. Although many of the jokes & situations are very similar to his previous films, Brown is always worth watching, his huge mouth & rubbery face perfectly fashioned for eliciting laughs. Whether careening about the infield in a runaway jalopy, attempting an escape from kidnappers or commandeering a huge truck to get to the ball field, Brown consistently delivers the comedic goods.Lovely Olivia de Havilland scores a home run, playing Joe's girlfriend in one of her earliest film roles. Gruff William Frawley does a fine job as the Cub's stern coach. Ruth Donnelly plays Olivia's older sister, but unfortunately this wonderfully talented comedienne is given little to do. Roscoe Karns is fun as the team's sarcastic catcher.This was the last of Joe E. Brown's Baseball Trilogy, following FIREMAN, SAVE MY CHILD (1932) & ELMER, THE GREAT (1933).

Alibi Ike is adapted by Ring Lardner from his short story about an apocryphal pitching wunderkind who never tells the truth when an alibi will do, especially about his true feelings. Lardner took some of the edge off his original wit in attempting to adapt it to the slapstick talents of Joe E. Brown and it loses its punch in the process. Brown is lively enough, however, to engender enough good will to watch the fast-moving film to the end. Frawley is a standout as the manager, and Karnes, Harvey, and Dehavilland head a splendid supporting cast. If you have any tolerance for slapstick, this is pleasant enough fluff.Yet, the most interesting thing about the movie is that the climactic scene in the movie takes place at a NIGHT game at a then-recently-built Wrigley field. For many years, until the last 80's, Wrigley was the only stadium which had no lights installed, and no scheduled night games. Apparently, I have come to learn just yesterday, that many teams, including the Cubs, experimented with temporary lighting for occasional big games at night, in the mid-30's, until Ebbets Field in Brooklyn became the first stadium with permanently installed lights in 1938. Still, it seems strange to watch a night game at Wrigley as it was in 1935. For that alone, baseball fans will find this worth watching. One final note, in real life, the Cubs went from cellar-dwellers in '34 to NL champs in '35 which is exactly what the movie reflected, even though the film was in the can by July of 1935, and there was no way that Enright and company could have known that the Cubs would win the pennant that year. Interesting. 6 of 10.