Casey At The Bat | 1927 | Comedy, Sports

Title: Casey At The Bat | 1927 | Comedy, Sports Director: Monte Brice Studio: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation Starring: Wallace Beery, Ford Sterling, ZaSu Pitts, Sterling Holloway Based on: Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer Release Date: March 8, 1927 Runtime: 59 Format: Silent ; Black-and-white; 6 reels Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Comedy, Sports --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Centerville diamond and Casey introduced 00:09:30 Scout O’Dowd discovers a slugger 00:20:00 Big‑league contract and departure 00:31:30 City life and Florodora distraction 00:43:00 Scheme to fix the game 00:55:00 Ninth‑inning showdown --- Summary: A rough-hewn junk dealer with a prodigious bat becomes the hero of his small-town ball club. When a fast-talking scout signs him to the big leagues, Casey’s rise brings easy popularity, a crafty manager, and the temptations of city nightlife. As rivals plot to profit from his downfall, Casey faces a decisive game with his reputation and future at stake. The film reframes the famous poem’s final at-bat within a broader comic tale of ambition, manipulation, and public adoration. --- Background: Produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures, this feature-length silent adaptation expands Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s 1888 poem into a turn-of-the-century baseball comedy. Early trade publicity linked the project to A. Edward Sutherland and a Wallace Beery–Raymond Hatton pairing before Monte Brice ultimately directed and Sterling Holloway made his screen debut. The film was copyrighted March 5, 1927 and released March 8, 1927; a copy is preserved at the Library of Congress. --- Trivia: Sterling Holloway made his feature-film debut here as Elmer Putnam. Trade ads initially suggested A. Edward Sutherland would direct, with Raymond Hatton alongside Wallace Beery, before the production shifted to Monte Brice and a revised cast. AFI lists the picture at six reels, measuring approximately 6,040 feet, for a running time of about 59 minutes. The narrative moves Casey from a village sandlot to a major-league club, reflecting the period’s fascination with big-city professional baseball. Paramount’s release positioned the film among a wave of late-silent-era sports comedies. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: March 8, 1927 Original Studio / Distributor: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation / Paramount Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: CaseyAtTheBat SilentFilm PublicDomain WallaceBeery ZaSuPitts SterlingHolloway Baseball Paramount FamousPlayersLasky 1920sCinema Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Casey_At_The_Bat_(1927).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Casey_At_The_Bat_%281927%29.webm