Oh Boy!…Do I Have a Film Clip For You! It’s Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, 1931!

Subscribe to Baseball History Comes Alive! to receive new posts automatically

Vintage 1930’s Baseball Photo Gallery

Click on any image to see photos in full size and to start photo gallery:

Oh Boy!…Do I Have a Film Clip For You! It’s Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, 1931!

…And you don’t have to be a Yankee or Red Sox fan to enjoy it, either!

Ya’ got 15 minutes to spare? I know you love baseball history, so do yourself a big favor and travel back in a virtual time machine to 1931 to see this incredible footage, filmed with an early Movietone Sound camera. It’s Opening Day, April 14, 1931 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are hosting the visiting Red Sox. You’ll see amazing footage and hear the original voices recorded in this pre-media-savvy age. The exciting Opening Day atmosphere is captured in all its splendor. I felt like I was visiting Yankee Stadium back in the ‘30s.

The baseball footage is spectacular enough; but as you view the clip, you’ll also experience a real slice of “Americana” as it existed in the 1930s. It was an era when baseball was king…and you can sense it as you watch the clip. 

Here’s a few highlights:

• This was Joe McCarthy’s first game as Yankee manager. You’ll see a real awkward pre-game handshake between managers Joe McCarthy and John “Shano” Collins.  There’s also awkward pre-game comments from starters Red Ruffing and Wilcy Moore. No one ever quite seems to know what to say!
• There’s close ups of pre-game batting practice swings of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Once the game starts, there’s plenty of action shown from the game itself, all surprisingly crisp and clear, with the wonderful sound of baseballs hitting the wooden bats echoing throughout the clip.
• One of the highlights is a real neat scene and recorded conversation between Babe Ruth and wife Claire in the stands prior to the game. Hear Claire giggling while asking the Babe, “What do you want me to say?” in her sweet Southern drawl.
• You see how uncomfortable the players were in front of microphones when pressed for comments in these early days of broadcasting. For many this was the first time a microphone was pushed in front of their faces. This gives the clip a “genuine” feel, unlike the often canned and rehearsed responses we hear from today’s media savvy players.
• Complete Opening Day festivities are shown, including marching bands, player processions, raising of the flag, singing of the National Anthem, and the ceremonial First Pitch thrown out by the dapper New York mayor, Jimmy Walker amidst his entourage.
• The flag is shown at half-mast, probably due to the recent death of Ban Johnson, or possibly the death of Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne a few days later, which was considered a national tragedy at the time.
• You’ll see the fans “Dressed to the Nines” in the stands (as they said back then), with suits, ties, dresses, and fancy hats. Even the kids have ties and sweaters. Compared to today’s cell phone, texting, slovenly dressed tattooed generation, those people in the 1930s had style and class!
• Watch for the “Betting Is Prohibited” sign.
• There’s nice footage of the integrated crowd in the bleachers, even though, of course, the game itself was segregated, and it was still many years until the arrival of Jackie Robinson.

This is a great flim clip, one that all baseball history buffs will enjoy! Spent the 15 minutes to watch it…You won’t regret it!

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Check out my two books, both now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback:  “Paul Pryor in His Own Words: The Life and TImes of a 20-Year Major League Umpire” and “Memorable World Series Moments.” All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation