MovieChat Forums > Pat and Mike (1952) Discussion > Babe and George

Babe and George

posted 11 years ago by alfredocp
1 reply | jump to latest

Of course, Babe Zaharias was in the movie, but the real story of Babe and her husband/promoter George is so similar to the plot that it makes me wonder if they were the inspiration. George, a wrestler, married Babe in 1938 and promoted her sports career. Babe was a multi-faceted athlete, having won Olympic medals in several different events. By the time of this movie, Babe was well known for breaking certain gender barriers in the world of sports. Unlike Pat Pemberton, Babe was a lesbian, so the relationship with her husband was not a traditional one. Even that sort of mirrors the relationship between Pat and Mike until later in the movie. Do you think Gordon and Kanin had the Zaharias story in mind when they wrote this screenplay?

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 9 years ago

I don't have any info to prove myself in agreeing with you but I gotta believe Babe was the inspiration. How loosely or closely can be argued. But right down to "Pat Pemberton" having the same rhythm as "Babe Didrickson", sounds like a dead ringer to me.

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