Rare Baseball Films

Just in time for baseball season, Rare Baseball Films returns for its 11th year. This year, like in 2013, the program draws on newsreels from the Hearst Metrotone News Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Before televisions became domestic fixtures, these newsreels allowed fans to watch players from around the country in action—and now they let you relive some of the best moments in the history of the game. Come out and see such greats as Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, and Willie Mays, as well as a fire at Fenway Park and games played between Hollywood celebrities, mothers and sons, on an aircraft carrier, in Sing Sing prison, and more! (approx. 120 mins., video)

Special thanks to the UCLA Film & Television Archive for its assistance with this program. Promotional support provided by Ohio State's Department of Recreational Sports. Thanks to Paul Gordon, Library and Archives Canada, and Bill Morrison for their assistance with footage from the 1919 World Series.