Baseball history comes to life for Cub and Tiger fans on this new DVD of the 1945 World Series! As a bonus, we have included four vintage interviews of players who played starring roles in the 1945 classic! Phil Cavarretta, Hal Newhouser, Virgil Trucks and Paul Richards are interviewed by Lew Fonseca and Marty Glickman as they look back on the 1945 World Series played eight years earlier! For Cub fans, we have also included a look into the past at the 1939 Cubs in Spring Training at Catalina Island! This segment shows the Cubs of the 1930’s, including Dizzy Dean, Bill Lee, Larry French, Charlie Root, Gabby Hartnett, Dick Bartell, Gus Mancuso, Cavarretta and others!
The World Series footage, recently restored to brand new condition, is narrated by long time broadcaster Bob Elson. Cub greats of the past such as Phil Cavarretta, Stan Hack, Andy Pafko, Bill Nicholson, Andy Livingston, Claude Passeau and “Peanuts” Lowery are seen close-up and in action throughout the series. Tiger fans will enjoy seeing Hank Greenberg, Eddie Mayo, Roy Cullenbine, Paul Richards, Rudy York, Jimmy Outlaw, Dizzy Trout, Stubby Overmire, Tommy Bridges and Hal Newhouser as they all looked over 50 years ago!
Dedicated to the memory of the late “Judge” Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the 1945 World Series film includes all the highlights of every game of the seven game series won by Detroit, and was the first series played after the end of World War II. War-time travel restrictions were still in effect, so the first three games were all played at Briggs Stadium, Detroit. Covered is the pre-game excitement of the series opener, including shots of celebrities Connie Mack, Will Harridge, new baseball commissioner “Happy” Chandler and opposing managers Steve O’Neill and “Jolly Cholly” Grimm.
Game 1 at Briggs Stadium - Cubs jump on A.L. MVP Hal Newhouser for four runs in the first inning, and behind starter Hank Borowy, zap Tigers 9-0.
Game 2 at Briggs Stadium - Detroit bounces back on a fifth-inning three-run homer by Hank Greenberg and young Virgil Trucks stops the Cubs for a 4-1 victory.
Game 3 at Briggs Stadium – Claude Passeau pitches one of the masterpieces in World Series annals, shutting out Detroit 3-0 on only ONE hit (only the second one-hitter in W.S. history to that time).
Game 4 at Wrigley Field – Tigers tie the series at two games apiece with Dizzy Trout beating Ray Prim, 4-1.
Game 5 at Wrigley Field – In opening game pitching rematch, Hal Newhouser comes back to beat Borowy and Cubs 8-4 to give Tigers a 3-2 edge in the series. So far in the series, the home team has only won once!
Game 6 at Wrigley Field – In a wild scoring affair, the desperate Cubs finally beat the Tigers 8-7 in 12 innings! A bad hop hit over the shoulder of Hank Greenberg goes all the way to the wall and scores Bill Schuster from first with the winning run!
Game 7 at Wrigley Field – Next day the big hit is a bases loaded double by Tiger catcher Paul Richards, which highlights a five-run Detroit first inning. With Newhouser scattering 10 hits and running his strikeout total for the series to 22, Tigers win final game, 9-3. Heroes of the series are Newhouser, who wins two games after being blasted in the opener, Hank Greenberg with seven hits, including two homers and three doubles, and Roger Cramer with a .379 average. Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs led all batters with .432 and a homer.
