The television exposure and easy paycheck brought out the brightest stars in the baseball firmament. A partial list: Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Gil Hodges, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Duke Snider.
As each player waited for his competitor to complete his at-bat, he sat with Mark Scott (erstwhile actor and host) and chatted about his career and the contest. The stiffness of most of the interviews and the static camerawork are indicative of a time where sport and television were just learning to dance with each other. (Also, they were marks of a cheap syndicated show.)
However, you won't barely notice these flaws on first viewing. As a baseball fanatic, you will be far too awestruck. There's Hank Aaron smashing the ball 500 feet! Look, Ernie Banks is so charming! Willie. F. Mays! The dorkiest of baseball dorks will bounce from their chairs when they finally get to put a face to lesser lights like Gus Triandos and Wally Post.
Unfortunately, the show stopped production when Mark Scott was felled by a heart attack in 1960. Therefore, there are precious few examples of baseball players 50 years ago in a casual setting to enjoy.
This author has not seen the DVDs and cannot attest to their quality. Again, the original shows are nearly 50 years old and did not have high production values for the time. Therefore, nearly any transfer should do Home Run Derby sufficient justice. If you're a passionate baseball fan, check out Volume 1 today. Those four episodes will be just as thrilling as this year's Home Run Derby, Vlad notwithstanding. Also, you can watch the DVD twice in the same amount of time.
Article comments
1 - Camp Tiger Claw
Awesome tip. Just bought the first volume. I used to love this show when they played it on ESPN in the afternoon.