My Daddy
This is a short clip of Bill Veeck speaking about his father, whom he affectionately calls “My Daddy.” This segment was shot for the documentary “Veeck: A Man for Any Season.” Timecode onscreen.
This is a short clip of Bill Veeck speaking about his father, whom he affectionately calls “My Daddy.” This segment was shot for the documentary “Veeck: A Man for Any Season.” Timecode onscreen.
B-roll of Robyn Smith walking from the horse stables of a racetrack onto the track itself and back to the stables.
Part one of an interview with Ken Holtzman, retired Major League pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees, for the television special, “Once A Star.” The interview, conducted by Roger Wallenstein, focuses on Holtzman’s career after baseball as an insurance administrator. Holtzman discusses how being an ex-ballplayer is sometimes a disadvantage in his career, and comments in-depth on “dumb jock syndrome.” Timecode onscreen.
BBC portrait of Studs Terkel, the Chicago author. Features current interviews and footage of Terkel; archival footage of Terkel; footage of Terkel receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his book “The Good War” on May 20, 1985; Terkel’s audio recordings of people’s reactions to Chicago’s Picasso sculpture at its unveiling; and a brief interview with Terkel’s wife, Ida.
Old film transfers about baseball history, including segments about Micky Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, and Babe Ruth. The second half of the tape is video from “Bill Veeck: A Man for Any Season” with poor audio.
Four short opinion pieces featuring Bill Veeck speaking about sports.
Bill Veeck was a legend in baseball. He was the colorful owner of the Chicago White Sox (twice), the Cleveland Indians, and the old St. Louis Browns. His Chicago baseball roots go back to the 1920s when he actually planted the vines in the outfield at Wrigley Field. This documentary is an intimate portrait of the man and his world, in 1984, the year before his death. The story is told using voice over by Veeck’s wife, Mary Frances, current and archival interviews with Veeck and his colleagues, and footage of Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field. It covers many of his famous promotions, such as when he sent 3’7″ Eddie Gaedel to bat for the St. Louis Browns. He was called “The Barnum of Baseball” for his showmanship, but he was also a deep, lovable, down-to-earth “regular guy.”
Raw interview footage with Mark–The Bird–Fidrych, former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, for the TNT special Once a Star.