1961

ALL-STAR GAMES

A new DVD just released by Rare Sportsfilms, Inc. shows B & W highlights of both Major League Baseball All-Star Games of 1961 - at Candlestick Park, San Francisco and Fenway Park in Boston. This unseen footage from the Rare Sportsfilms film vault is very rare, has only recently been restored and is now finally available to view for the first time!

Action of the game in San Francisco is from reel 1 of 2 (reel 2 has never been found) of an unusual kinescope of highlights of the original TV broadcast. Shown are the innings in which there was scoring, through the first 8-plus innings of the game. Parts of innings 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 are shown and described with live play-by-play, with the innings being shown in order as the game progresses. The opening of the broadcast is shown with titles, sponsors are named (Chrysler & Gillette), and after the National Anthem, Casey Stengel throws out the first ball to N.L. starting catcher Smoky Burgess. Play-by-play starts with American League #3 hitter Mickey Mantle at the plate against N.L. starting pitcher Warren Spahn, then Willie Mays is shown striking out vs. Whitey Ford at the end of the first inning. With one out in the N.L. second, Roberto Clemente hits a stand-up triple against the fence between Mantle and Maris. Bill White's sac fly to Mantle then drives in Clemente with the game's first run. Moving on to the N.L. 4th, Mays is leading off second after an error by Tony Kubek. Orlando Cepeda's groundout off new pitcher Dick Donovan moves Mays to third, then Clemente hits a sac fly to Roger Maris driving in Mays from third and the N.L. takes a 2-0 lead after four innings. By the A.L. sixth, Mel Allen is doing the play-by-play when Harmon Killebrew, pinch-hitting for pitcher Donovan, gets hold of a Mike McCormick pitch and hits a long one to left, just over the leaping try of Cepeda, and the A.L. scores its first run. It's Killebrew's first All-Star homer! Then, in the N.L. 8th, George Altman of the Cubs, batting for McCormick, smashes a long home run over the LF fence off Mike Fornieles. In his first career All-Star Game at-bat he gives the N.L. a 3-1 lead!

The top of the ninth is a long half-inning with Elroy Face, Sandy Koufax and Stu Miller all trying to finish the game. With one out, Elroy is shown pitching to Norm Cash, who hammers a 3-2 pitch into deep right field for a stand-up double. Nellie Fox is sent in to run for Cash. Al Kaline singles to center scoring Fox and then Sandy Koufax replaces Face, as lefty Maris is up next. On another 3-2 pitch Maris singles sharply to right field and the film ends with the score N.L. 3, A.L. 2 and manager Danny Murtaugh heading to the mound to remove Koufax and bring in Stu Miller. All scoring before the film ends is shown in this reel of broadcast highlights of the game, and all highlights are play-by-play, as in any typical baseball TV broadcast kinescope.

Action from the second game is of a totally different format. This film was shot by a Boston photographer who had access credentials and used a professional movie camera to shoot B & W film of almost every play of the game. We've added titles and all scenes are in order and presented as the game progresses. Most plays of the game are captured as well as most pitches to each batter, but the camera is shut off between pitches, so there's little time wasted and lots of pitches! The pitchers in this game (starters Bob Purkey of the pennant-bound Cincinnati Reds and Detroit's Jim Bunning), as well as Art Mahaffey of the Phillies, Stu Miller of the Giants, and Camilo Pascual of the new Minnesota Twins, are seldom seen (Pascual does come to bat once) as the camera is always on the home plate area as each pitch comes in to each batter. The one exception is Red Sox rookie Don Schwall, who happens to be the only Boston player to make the All-Star squad for this second game! Schwall pitches three full innings, giving up the tying run in the 6th, but is shown extensively coming in from the bullpen on the Red Sox golf cart and warming up on the mound to begin the 4th inning. It's a close game all the way, with excellent pitching and the lone home run being Rocky Colavito's blast in the first inning off Purkey. And it's a memorable game, with a memorable ending, including an incident from the 8th inning which everyone who was there will remember, but no one remembers today!

Other All-Stars you'll see in this presentation include American Leaguers Johnny Temple, John Romano, Elston Howard, Brooks Robinson, Dick Howser, Luis Aparicio and Roy Sievers. Other National Leaguers are Maury Wills, Frank Bolling, Dick Stuart, Eddie Kasko, Ernie Banks, John Roseboro, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Stan Musial.

This DVD brings back memories of both 1961 All-Star games played over half a century ago!
To order your copy, send only $29.95 + $4.60 S & H to: