Baseball Shadow Ball (Season 1, Episode 5)
TV-PG
TV Episode | 122 min | Documentary, History, Sport

Baseball

Shadow Ball (Season 1, Episode 5)

TV-PG

TV Episode | 122 min | Documentary, History, Sport

In the period 1930-40, the Depression had a major impact on the game of baseball. Many teams were nearing bankruptcy with attendance dwindling and fan interest at its lowest ebb. The owners introduced many innovations in an attempt to ...See moreIn the period 1930-40, the Depression had a major impact on the game of baseball. Many teams were nearing bankruptcy with attendance dwindling and fan interest at its lowest ebb. The owners introduced many innovations in an attempt to revive interest and attendance including the All Star game. Night games were introduced in 1935 and the Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown in 1939 on the mythical 100th anniversary of creation of the game. The sport still provided its heroes however. Babe Ruth was larger than life and in 1930 signed an $80,000 a year contract; his teammate Lou Gehrig had become the best hitter in the AL. Barnstorming black teams played white teams regularly and had an entertaining pre-game warm-up routine dubbed shadow ball. The Negro leagues came into its own and drew huge crowds. It had its own stars such as Satchel Paige, one of the greatest pitchers in all of baseball, and catcher Josh Gibson it's greatest hitter. By the end of the decade, the Babe's career was over, Gehrig had retired due to ALS and professional baseball was still segregated. Written by garykmcd See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
63 cast members

Name	Known for
Grover Cleveland Alexander Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917)
Roger Angell Self Self See fewer	The Loretta Young Show (1953)
Adam Arkin Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	Get Shorty (2017)
Red Barber Self Self See fewer	Bundle from Brazil (1948)
Philip Bosco Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	The Savages (2007)
Roy Campanella Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Lassie (1954)
John Chancellor Narrator (voice) Narrator (voice) See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Mickey Cochrane Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)
Eddie Collins Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917)
Robert W. Creamer Self (as Robert Creamer) Self (as Robert Creamer) See fewer	Babe Ruth (1991)
Mario Cuomo Self Self See fewer	The Ghosts (2011)
Ossie Davis Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	Do the Right Thing (1989)
Dizzy Dean Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Dizzy & Daffy (1934)
Joe DiMaggio Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937)
Leo Durocher Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Matinee Theatre (1955)
Gerald Early Self Self See fewer	King of Cool (2021)
Bob Feller Self Self See fewer	It's My Turn (1980)
Shelby Foote Self Self See fewer	Memphis (1992)
Jimmie Foxx Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
Lou Gehrig Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rawhide (1938)
Doris Kearns Goodwin Self Self See fewer	Lincoln (2012)
Hank Greenberg Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)
Lefty Grove Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer
Donald Hall Self Self See fewer	Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon: Keeping You Safe Beside Me (1999)
Sammie Haynes Self (as Sammy Haynes) Self (as Sammy Haynes) See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Babe Herman Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Hollywood Theatre Time (1950)
Billy Herman Self Self See fewer	1953 MLB All-Star Game (1953)
Gregory Hines Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	History of the World: Part I (1981)
Claire Merritt Hodgson Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Fancy Curves (1932)
Carl Hubbell Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Big Leaguer (1953)
Connie Johnson Self Self See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Walter Johnson Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917)
Nap Lajoie Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Game of Base Ball (1903)
Kenesaw M. Landis Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Pathé News, No. 58 (1915)
Connie Mack Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917)
Amy Madigan Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	Field of Dreams (1989)
Manuel Marquez-Sterling Self Self See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Joe McCarthy Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Sport Thrills: Play Ball (1938)
Charles McDowell Self / Various (as Charley McDowell) Self / Various (as Charley McDowell) See fewer	Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
John J. McGraw Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Detective Swift (1914)
Joe 'Ducky' Medwick Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (I) (1982)
Paul Newman Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	The Hustler (1961)
Buck O'Neil Self Self See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Daniel Okrent Self Self See fewer	Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
Leroy 'Satchel' Paige Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Wonderful Country (1959)
George Plimpton Self Self See fewer	Good Will Hunting (1997)
Ted Radcliffe Self (as 'Double Duty' Radcliffe) Self (as 'Double Duty' Radcliffe) See fewer	The Living Century (2001)
Wilbert Robinson Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	World Series Games 1916, Boston vs. Brooklyn (1916)
Paul Roebling Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	Blue Thunder (1983)
Franklin D. Roosevelt Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The President's Mystery (1936)
Babe Ruth Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Speedy (1928)
Vin Scully Self Self See fewer	For Love of the Game (1999)
George Sisler Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 14 (1922)
Tris Speaker Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
Riley Stewart Self Self See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Slick Surratt Self Self See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Studs Terkel Self Self See fewer	Eight Men Out (1988)
John Thorn Self Self See fewer	Baseball (1994)
Dazzy Vance Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer
Honus Wagner Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Spring Fever (II) (1919)
Eli Wallach Various (voice) Various (voice) See fewer	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Paul Winfield Satchel Paige (voice) Satchel Paige (voice) See fewer	Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Cy Young Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	I've Got a Secret (1952)