Interesting Item: FIRST TELEVISED BB GAME? (1934 World Series)

[rhettyeakley]

I recently came across a small grouping of items associated with the 1934 World Series and among my favorite items is a neat advertising card from Ward's Bread featuring a die-cut card of a Tiger with advertising on the back (too bad it didn't depict a player!) and the other "favorite item" was a handbill for what appears to be a theatre offering its patrons the chance to see a "televised" World Series game!

Not sure exactly what this is advertising as it says on front "Televisions Only Rival" but from the description is sounds like a televised game. A quick search seems to indicate the first Televised World Series game was the late 1940's.

Can anyone shed any light on this strange item?

Items seen here:
http://starsofthediamond.com/34tigersworldseries1.jpg

Back of Ward's Tigers Card:
http://starsofthediamond.com/34tigersworldseries2.jpg

[Leon]

Seems like a large movie screen theater? Great stuff and thanks for showing it.

[KMayUSA6060]

"Bring the ladies"

:cool:

[EYECOLLECTVINTAGE]

I recently came across a small grouping of items associated with the 1934 World Series and among my favorite items is a neat advertising card from Ward's Bread featuring a die-cut card of a Tiger with advertising on the back (too bad it didn't depict a player!) and the other "favorite item" was a handbill for what appears to be a theatre offering its patrons the chance to see a "televised" World Series game!

Not sure exactly what this is advertising as it says on front "Televisions Only Rival" but from the description is sounds like a televised game. A quick search seems to indicate the first Televised World Series game was the late 1940's.

Can anyone shed any light on this strange item?

Items seen here:
http://starsofthediamond.com/34tigersworldseries1.jpg

Back of Ward's Tigers Card:
http://starsofthediamond.com/34tigersworldseries2.jpg



Really Neat Item! Thanks for sharing

[JustinD]

That theatre was about a couple seconds walk from my office -

http://www.historicdetroit.org/building/shubert-lafayette-theatre/

All I saw as reference was a small advertisement in the Oct.4, 1934 Free Press right below that Tiger character (sorry I do not have a better pic, didn't want to pay for it.:()

https://img8.newspapers.com/img/thumbnail/97963488/400/400/0_0_4761_6620.jpg?cs=604800

[ramram]

If that handbill is 1934 then that "television" had to be some kind of hokey reenactment of the game probably based off of the audio feed.

Rob M

Edited to add: Still very cool item especially since it was just at the time when television was in its infancy.

[steve B]

If that handbill is 1934 then that "television" had to be some kind of hokey reenactment of the game probably based off of the audio feed.

Rob M

That's the most likely explanation. A theatre could probably reproduce a game using pre- filmed segments of film, and showing the appropriate ones as the game accounts came in over the radio.

There was actual television at the time, but it wasn't sensitive enough for outdoor use until 1937 (UK) or 39 (US) Most of the television in the 30's was mechanically scanned and while there were regular broadcasts they were all licensed as experimental.


Steve B

[drcy]

I'm thinking some sort of stock slide show with the radio playing.

[cardswin53]

shortly after the 1934 world series, movie theaters showed a short film "Dizzy and Daffy" which had various clips from the 1934 world series. The film also starred Moe Howard of 3 Stooges fame. It portrayed the fictional story of the Dean Brothers and Moe's character playing for a local team and being signed by the Cardinals in time for the pennant push and world series. It is available in some Stooges compilation videos.
It is possible, that the theater had actual game film and inning by inning would show it at the theater,

[rhettyeakley]

What you guys are saying is what I thought initially as well but it talks about it being an "invention" and how it shows each play as it is made on the field and then states "moving pictures reproduce the plays instantaneously" being shown on a 30-foot screen.

Then is states "No announcements made" and you see every play.

Really not sure what to make of it all.

[Butch7999]

Very likely this, or some such similar thing:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e237/Butch799/objects/bbColemanLifelikeScoreboard13adPopularScience24Nov _zpstzhuf5xs.png~original

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e237/Butch799/objects/bbColemanLifelikeScoreboard13WashingtonDCNationalT heatre240802e1_zpslg7wuyi3.jpg~original

[tjb1952tjb]

Very likely this, or some such similar thing:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e237/Butch799/objects/bbColemanLifelikeScoreboard13adPopularScience24Nov _zpstzhuf5xs.png~original

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e237/Butch799/objects/bbColemanLifelikeScoreboard13WashingtonDCNationalT heatre240802e1_zpslg7wuyi3.jpg~original

Bingo!!

[JollyElm]

It's funny, but if you read the verbiage on the orange card, it doesn't match up to this device at all.

It says, "Moving pictures reproduce the plays instantaneously thrown on a 30 foot screen…You see the batters hit the ball, run the bases, slide, catch, throw, pitcher wind up, curve the ball over the plate…"

Plus it talks about seeing balls hit into the stands and caught by a fan, the crowd cheering, etc.

None of this relates to the device shown above. Of course, the verbiage in the newspaper story matches up with what the card says. Talk about taking creative license. Yowza.

[Leon]

Nice assist on the monstrosity...That thing looks crazy :).

Very likely this, or some such similar thing:

[bbcard1]

According to Wiki, the first game televised was in 1939.