REEL BASEBALL Baseball's Golden Era, The Way America Witnessed It - In The Movie Newsreels

by Les Krantz

A celebration of the Golden Age of Baseball through the movie-house newsreels that once presented the game’s great plays and players to fans across the country.

Reel Baseball is an enchanting look back at baseball from 1932 to 1965, a time when major league teams were franchised only in America’s biggest cities in the East. Back then, most Americans who witnessed baseball did so in local theaters, where game highlights were shown in the newsreels before the feature film. This handsomely illustrated volume traces the seminal role of newsreels in making baseball the national pastime, before major league teams expanded to the South and West and television brought the game into homes across America. A one-hour DVD accompanies the book and presents the most thrilling moments from these original newsreels.

A grand compilation of baseball at its best, Reel Baseball invites fans to both read about and watch on the accompanying DVD such landmark moments

Lucky Ducky, 1934 : Detroiters pelt Ducky Medwick with rotten fruit, but the Cardinals win the World Series

Today…Today…Today , July 4, 1939 : A doomed Lou Gehrig brings Yankees fans to tears with his “luckiest man” speech.

Four in a Row , 1939 : The latest Yankees juggernaut wins the World Series for its fourth straight title.

Old Rivals , August 25, 1942 : Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson play in Army-Navy baseball games.

One-Armed Outfielder , June 15, 1945 : Pete Gray of the St. Louis Browns fields with ease and drills line drives—without a left arm.

Sweet Perfection , October 8, 1956 : The Yankees’ Don Larsen throws the only no-hitter—a perfect game, no less—against the Dodgers in the World Series.

One Last Hurrah , September 26, 1960 : Ted Williams caps his epic career with a home run in his final at-bat.

One-Upping the Babe , October 1, 1961 : His hair falling out because of all the pressure, the Yankees’ Roger Maris breaks Ruth’s home run record of 60 on the last day of the season.
The Eighth Wonder of the World, April 17, 1965 : Baseball moves indoors, as Houston unveils the Astrodome, marking the end of the Golden Era.


The book and DVD (hosted by baseball and broadcasting legend Joe Garagiola) brilliantly capture the magic of “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio, the “Say Hey Kid” (Willie Mays),” “Stan the Man” Musial, and other legendary players who elevated the boys of summer to the pinnacle of American popular culture.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read it, but the three star rating is reflective of the memory that I have - fun to read and look at, but selective in its approach. Due to the limitations of the "reel" don't expect any pre-1930 baseball. I do like the fact that the book covers many Fall Classics and legendary moments. Each chapter is only a couple pages, so it made for a great bedtime story. The accompanying DVD matches 30% or so of the stories, but in an unorganized fashion - they run together and are not in the same order as the book.
One would love to read more about the way America saw the newsreels, and just how popular that really was.
The newsreels themselves come across as a sports report. And for my tastes, they're too short. But maybe I've been spoiled by all the modern instant replays; the reporters back then could hardly know which plays and players have turned out to be the most memorable. The announcers don't even seem to know the significance of the event. It is clear that modern editing can dramatize to a greater effect.
I seem to remember a couple of editing mistakes when looking at captions and the chapters, though I cannot qualify that statement at this time (check for yourself!). That said, there are some excellent pictures to match many unique and historic events. This book fits well into the "reference" part of my baseball library - not for stats, and not for chronological questions, but short stories and pictures that give a glimpse of the black and white photographic era of baseball.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy to read and view


While the book is educational and entertaining with many pictures from the history of baseball, I enjoyed the DVD more. The content is based on what appeared in the newsreels and since their production was ended in the early 1960’s, there are no highlights beyond that time. Yet, the viewer is able to experience through video archives some of the greatest moments in baseball.
Momentous occasions such as the Pirates victory over the Yankees in the 1961 World Series, Bobby Thomson’s home run, Ted Williams’ last home run, Lou Gehrig’s brief but moving farewell speech and Willie Mays hitting four home runs in a game are all hightlighted. There is more information in the book, but for the fan of baseball history, seeing it happen is the ultimate rush.
Events are covered in the book that don’t appear in the video, such as a brief overview of flamboyant owner Bill Veeck. He invented the unusual publicity stunt, boosting attendance and leading to some of the most memorable events in the history of baseball. Veeck was also instrumental in integrating baseball, giving the 47 year old Satchel Paige the opportunity to play major league baseball.
This is a book and video that baseball fans will cherish, the game of baseball has been an American addiction for a long time and from this package you can see why.

This review also appears on Amazon

[Ron Kaplan · Rating 3 out of 5]

baseball,film