CLASSIC SPORTS COMMERCIALS 1950s-1960s  (Approx. 60 min.)

Whitey Ford Gillette Razors, Cominsky Park - Old Gold Cigarettes, Red Barber - Old Gold Cigarettes, Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Walt Davis - Kent, Crazy Leg Hirsch with the Rams, Duke Schneider - Ovaltine, Florence Chadwick - Ovaltine, Pat Flaherty, Pee Wee Reese - Gillette Razors, Don Zimmer, Ballantine Beer, Earl Buchholtz - Vitalis, Casey Stengel - Tabby Cat Food, Sun Beam Bread, Jimmy Lucas, Bill Talbert - Diabetes, Lucky Strikes, Gayle Cogdil - Detroit Lions, Brooks Robinson - Vitalis, Roger Maris - Papermate Pen, Newport Cigarettes, Bob Allison, Minnesota Twins, Mickey Mantle - Karo Syrup, Jim Taylor, Green Bay Packers, Bart Star, Paul Horny, Norelco Shaver, Mickey Mantle - Florida Orange Juice, Joe Namath Ovaltine, Hank Aaron, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Richards - Wheaties, Rocky Graziano - Breakstone Yogurt, Yogi Berra - Yoo hoo, Jack Dempsey - Tabby Cat Food.

 

SPORTS CLASSICS Vol. 1 (Approx. 55 min.)

Fast-paced newsreel overview of sporting events from the 1920's to the end of the 1950's: 54th World Series with the Yankees Vs. the Milwaukee Braves, in which the Braves--thought to be outmatched--surprised everyone; advertisements for scuff-proof, waterproof Voit balls; the Indianapolis Auto Classic of 1949 and 1951, including a harrowing multiple car crack-up with lots of flames; John Cobb's fatal 1952 jet speedboat wreck; championship bowling highlights featuring Ray Schanen; Franklin Roosevelt sailing in the 1930's; Jack Dempsey in his prime during the 1930's (from the documentary THE JAZZ AGE); the Harlem Globetrotters in action; advertisements for AMF balls, shoes, and bags; Mickey Mantle for Florida Orange Juice; Chris Evert pushes Borden Skim-American Cheese; Rocky Graziano as a befuddled traffic cop in a commercial for Post cereal; and Babe Ruth seen in 1920's footage in his prime and in his farewell appearance in 1947.

 

SPORTS CLASSICS Vol. 2 (Approx. 55 min.)

The most commercial and the least commercial side of sports, along with some miscellaneous highlights: St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a pitching duel between St. Louis's Larry Craig and Los Angeles' Roger Craig; Roger Maris lends his name to Papermate's three-sizes of pens and their special grips (he prefers the husky); an account of postwar Little League Baseball and its introduction to the town of Roslyn, Long Island, and its organization, fund-raising, the role of women (mostly as scorekeepers), and how the boys get their try-outs and their rankings, with an endorsement from the Yankees' Whitey Ford; a 1950's Universal-International newsreel present a football game between Seattle and Milwaukee; and a bloody 12-round fight between Kobayashi and Amaya, with a surprising amount of blood and obvious pain for both participants. The international Little League championships. Joe DiMaggio and Jack Barry appear on Lionel Trains clubhouse, talking sports and trains. And we get a glimpse of the 1930's animated Aesop's Fables cartoon "The Ballgame." Casey Stengel, Jack Dempsey, and Betty Grable each appear separately in early 1970's Tabby catfood commercials; and Jerry Coleman, Bill Mazerowski, Richie Ashburn, Marty Marion, Bob Turley, Curt Simmons, and Hank Bauer all plug Gillette razors.

 

SPORTS CLASSICS Vol. 3 (approx. 55 min)

Ralph Kiner, the former home run champion and future New York Mets announcer, plugs Gillette razor-blades. A 10 minute short, “The Fence Buster,” tells the life story of Babe Ruth, from Baltimore in 1910 to his farewell appearance at Yankee Stadium in 1947, including a surprising amount of warts, including his declining performance as his weight went up midway through his career, and his failure to become manager of the Yankees; “King of Diamonds,” a 10-minute short about the career and life of Lou Gehrig, from his days at Columbia University to his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola—a television short film by the ex-catcher and NBC sports personality, who takes us to Anzio and other locales in Italy, showing us architecture and customs, and history, and also the growing local fixation on baseball. “Broadway Handicap” – a short Official Films release about a horse race; “Bullfights From Mexico City” –- a short film (broken up with a few glitches) about bullfighting in Mexico City, focusing on the pageantry.