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Robinson played himself and Minor Watson played Dodgers president Branch Rickey in "The Jackie Robinson Story," 1950
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Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
Reaction to Robinson from baseball fans and players ranged from enthusiasm and joy to hostility and death threats. However, his talent on the field could not be denied, and he won respect as well as the first Rookie of the Year award in 1947. In 1949, he won the National League's Most Valuable Player award, leading the league with a .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. Off the field, he was the subject of everything from songs to a feature-length film about his life. Robinson even starred as himself in the movie, "The Jackie Robinson Story." Released in 1950, it was one of the first films to portray a black man as an American hero. Robinson retired from baseball after the 1956 season. A legend even in his day, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility.
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