Rare Sports Films

MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS
WORLD CHAMPIONS!

     Minneapolis Laker and professional basketball fans and historians can now enjoy the first video ever made entirely of early 1950's pro basketball film footage. Two vintage basketball films, "Basketball Fundamentals With The Minneapolis Lakers" ('50-'51) plus "Meet The Champs" ('52-'53), are both on this new 48-minute high-quality black & white video from Rare Sportsfilms! This video covers one of the great NBA basketball teams of all time, the Minneapolis Lakers, which won five world championships in six years. Throughout these films you'll see both informal and game action footage of Lakers Slater Martin, Bob Harrison, Vern Mikkelsen, Jim Pollard and the first of the great "big men" in NBA history, George Mikan.

      Sponsored by U.S. Pro Keds and narrated by famed basketball announcer Marty Glickman, "Basketball Fundamentals" shows Laker players demonstrating the plays and techniques that are essential to the success of any championship team. Discussed are the two-hand chest pass, bounce pass and overhand baseball pass. George Mikan demonstrates layups and pivot shots. Jim Pollard and Bob Harrison demonstrate the old one-hand and two-hand set shots. Vern Mikkelsen is shown using the jump shot. Jim Pollard demonstrates dribbling and George Mikan demonstrates free throw shooting. Also shown are proper cutting to the basket and pivot play as well as one-on-one defense, collapsing or sagging defense and the switching or man-to-man defense. Most of this film is shot in old Madison Square Garden, with game action against the New York Knickerbockers used to illustrate the basics of sound basketball play. You'll see some of the early New York Knick stars in action also, such as Ernie Vandeweghe, Vince Boryla, Ray Lumpp, Connie Simmons and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, one of the first Black players in the league. Game footage also shows players on other teams in action such as Al Cervi and Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals and Ed Macauley, Bob Cousy and "Bones" McKinney of the Boston Celtics. An interesting segment of the film also shows coach John Kundla and the Lakers in the locker room with Mikan and Arnie Ferrin lacing up their new U.S. Pro Keds!

      "Meet the Champs" was released after the 1953-54 NBA season, however, it shows game action mostly from the Championship '52-'53 season. Much of the action is from two games, an 89-81 thriller over the old Fort Wayne Pistons and the final game of the '52-'53 NBA Championship Series at Madison Square Garden in which the Lakers clinched their fourth World Championship. Throughout the film you'll again see all the great Lakers including Pep Saul, plus stars on other teams such as Cousy and Macauley of Boston, Schayes of Syracuse, Bob Davies of the old Rochester Royals, Jack Nichols of the Milwaukee Hawks, Chuck Share and Dike Eddleman of Fort Wayne, and Carl Braun, Dick McGuire, Vince Boryla and Harry Gallatin of the Knicks. Included are shots of Knicks coach Joe Lapchick and Boston coach Red Auerbach on the bench. An interesting segment shows coach Kundla in the Laker training room with the team as they joke around before looking at game films. The players comment as they watch and Kundla points out team mistakes. Following the championship celebration in the Madison Square Garden locker room, you'll even see the Lakers visit Yankee Stadium with Mikan & Co. visiting Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, and Lil' Phil Rizzuto!

      You can get both of these rare pro basketball films, now on video for the first time ever, for only $29.95 plus $5.00 for shipping! (Illinois residents must add $2.00 sales tax.)

"RARE SPORTSFILMS N", 1126 Tennyson Lane, Naperville, IL 60540 (630) 527-8890


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1126 Tennyson Lane Naperville, Illinois 60540
(630) 527-8890
doakewing@raresportsfilms.com