Life's Greatest Game is a 1924 American silent melodrama directed by Emory Johnson. FBO released the film in October 1924. The film's "All-Star" cast included Johnnie Walker, Tom Santschi, Jane Thomas, David Kirby, and Gertrude Olmstead. Emilie Johnson, Johnson's mother, wrote both the story and screenplay. She was inspired by the 1919 World Series Black Sox Scandal. Life's Greatest Game was the sixth film in Johnson's eight-picture contract with FBO.
The plot unfolds as Jack Donovan, the pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, refuses to throw a game for gambler Mike Moran. Moran retaliates by breaking up Donovan's family. Believing that his wife and son died in the sinking of an ocean liner, Donovan remains in baseball and, 18 years later, becomes the manager of the New York Giants. Senior does not know that his family did not perish in the shipwreck, and his son, Jack Jr., is a grown man and star baseball player for a college team. The Giants hire Jackie Jr. to play for the club. Fate brings them together for a crucial world series game, just as Jackie Jr. discovers his birth father.
On September 28, 1924, FBO premiered Life's Greatest Game at the Cameo Theatre in New York City. In a serendipitous twist of fate, the Giants started a two-game series with the Phillies on September 27, 1924. The winner would become the National League champion. Before the start of the game, a Giants player approached a Phillies shortstop. He offers money to avoid "bearing down hard" during the game. Thus, a real baseball scandal occurred during the premiere of a film about a baseball scandal.
The 1924 World Series started on Saturday, October 4, 1924. They officially released Life's Greatest Game one day later on Sunday, October 5, 1924.
Contents
Plot
In the Fall of 1906, a large crowd of baseball fans attired in period garb gathered at the front gate of Chicago Cub stadium. They plan to attend the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants game. The fans also want to watch Cub's superstar pitcher - Jack Donovan.
Before the scheduled start of the game, other events unfold. Mike Moran is the proprietor of the local pool hall and a notorious gambler. He also is envious of Donovan's beautiful young wife, Mary, and unable to understand why she married Donovan. Moran has a plan to win a large sum of money. He wants to bet on the Giants against the heavily favored cubs. He secretly meets Donovan and offers him $5,000 to throw the series. Jack is deeply disturbed that anybody would offer him money to fix a game and angrily storms out of the room. Since Donovan balked at his moneymaking scheme, Moran seeks revenge.
The day of the big game arrives, and Jack is pitching. While on the mound, he sees Mary and Jackie sitting beside Mike Moran. His self-assurance falters, and he loses the game.
Still seeking revenge for Donovan's refusal, Moran breaks into Donovan's house. He plants a fictitious note addressed to Jack from Mary. After the game, Donovan returns home and finds the place deserted; he discovers a letter thrown on the floor. It reads:
Mary returns home and sees Jack consumed with rage. Donovan storms out of the house seeking Moran. After he finds him, the two have a fierce fistfight and Moran is thrashed by Donovan. Moran pleads for mercy and confesses he wrote the note. Donovan returns home only to find his wife and son are gone. After days go by, Donovan discovers his estranged wife and son are departing on a voyage to Europe. He rushes to the embarkation dock just in time to see the trans-Atlantic liner steaming out of sight.
Donovan does not understand that Moran is still seeking revenge and has booked passage on the same ship. Moran booked a compartment next to Mary and Jackie. Days into the voyage, a heavy fog envelops the boat. Moran can control his passions no longer. He breaks into Mary's cabin and tries to force his affection on her. During their struggle, there was a thundering crash. The vessel has hit an iceberg. While many passengers lose their lives, Mary and Jackie Jr. survive. Despite a desperate attempt to save himself, Moran drowns. After reading the newspaper, Jack believes his family drowned. He overlooks a news item on page 6, publishing a list of survivors. Because of his loss, Jack Donovan will devote his life to baseball.
Production
Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) was an energetic, independent American silent era film studio. The company released around 110 features and shorts a year. The company focused on producing low-budget films emphasizing first-class westerns, action films, romantic melodramas, and comedy shorts. The company mainly distributed its pictures to small-town venues and independent theater chains, which changed their pictures three times a week. FBO would make their pictures appeal to every member of the American family.
The average cost per FBO production was $50,000 to $75,000 equivalent to $961,730 to $1,442,594 in 2021 compared to the Major film studios which could spend five times as much to produce a movie.
FBO also produced and distributed a limited number of big-budget features labeled "Gold Bond" or "Special" productions. Emory Johnson's eight films for FBO were all specials.
In 1923, Emilie and Emory Johnson signed a contract extension with FBO. The contract was for 2 1⁄2 years. The agreement stipulated Emory was to make eight attractions for FBO. The agreement specified that his previous four films would count toward the total. FBO also agreed to invest two and a half million dollars (In today's money – equivalent to $40,472,167 in 2021) on the remaining four films. Another part of the new contract stipulated – "The contract also provides that Emory Johnson's mother, Mrs. Emilie Johnson, shall prepare all of the stories and write all the scripts for the Johnson attractions in addition to assisting her son in filming the productions."
Pre production
Tom Santschi (1878–1931) was born on October 14, 1878, in Crystal City, Missouri. He was an established star when the 45 year-old actor played Jack Donovan. He had acted in hundreds of movies by the time she starred in this film. Tom Santschi grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, where he started playing baseball. While attending high school, he became a pitcher but soon transferred to the outfield because of his hitting prowess. The athletic Santschi eventually went to Purdue University, where he played in the outfield but occasionally tried his hand on the pitcher's mound. Both Santschi and Johnnie Walker loved the game they played in their youth. Each admits they were happy to accept a role in this film. Tom was six feet one inch tall, curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes. The bulk of his movie career was making westerns. AFI credits the actor/director with 103 Titles in Filmography.
Jane Thomas (1899–1976) was born on May 31, 1899, in Chicago, Illinois. When Johnson began searching for a feminine lead in this production, he tried to find a woman possessing Gibson Girl flowing hair. He wanted this actress to look and dress like a typical woman in 1906. He then needed her to age 18 years to play Jackie's mother. In Hollywood, most actresses and flappers wore their hair in a Shingle bob. Unable to find his leading woman with the right hairstyle, Johnson turned his attention to the East Coast and selected Jane Thomas living in New York. She was a seasoned movie veteran and had the look Johnson desired. They put her on a train, and she headed West. She was an established star when the 24-the year-old actress played Mary Donovan. AFI credits the actress with 26 Titles in Filmography.
Johnnie Walker (1894–1949) was born on January 7, 1894, in New York City, New York. He was an established star when the 30 year-old actor played 20-year-old Jackie Donovan. Walker learned the game on the sandlots of New York and spent most of his early life playing baseball. He still loves baseball and regularly attends major league ball games on the East coast. America's most famous son played ball at Fordham college. Johnnie is five feet eleven inches tall, with black hair and blue eyes. AFI credits the actor with 48 Titles in Filmography. Johnnie Walker also became a Director and movie Producer.
Gertrude Olmstead (Also Known As Gertrude Olmsted) (1904–1975) was born on November 13, 1904, in LaSalle, Illinois. While she was still a student at LaSalle-Peru High School, she won the 1920 Chicago Herald-Examiner beauty contest. She became "The Spirit of America" in the July 1920 Elks parade in Chicago. Her win led to a movie contract with Universal. She had her first credited role in The Fox starring Harry Carey, released in July 1921. She was an established star when the 19 year-old actress played Nora Malone in this movie. Olmstead married director Robert Z. Leonard in June 1926 and made her last picture: The Time, the Place and the Girl released July 8, 1929. She remained happily married until her husband's died in 1968. She was five feet two inches, with light brown hair and grey eyes. AFI credits the actress with 45 Titles in Filmography.
Filming
The following ballparks were used for Location shooting for this film:
New York Polo Grounds – is the home park of the New York Giants with a Seating capacity of 43,000 fans. The 1924 World Series played three games in this park.
Washington Park (Los Angeles) – the home of the Los Angeles Angels playing in the Pacific Coast League from 1911 through 1925. It had a seating capacity of 12,000.
Oaks Park (Oakland Baseball Park) – is the home field of the Oakland Oaks, members of the Pacific Coast League. It opened in 1913 and had a seating capacity of 11,000.
To recreate the sinking of the ocean liner, Johnson contacted Commander Edward Parry, a friend in the Pacific coast Naval authority, to help him reconstruct the event. Along with Commander Parry, Johnson, and his associates found several survivors of the ill-fated Titanic. The director interviewed three Titanic survivors to get a firsthand version of that dreadful night. Then Parry and Johnson spent several days developing construction plans to build the towering replica of an iceberg. Construction crews finished the project, and the results were spectacular. Some critics observed the sinking alone was worth the price of admission.
FBO had studios at 860 North Gower Street, Los Angeles California.
When films enter production, they need the means to reference the project. A Working title is assigned to the project. A Working Title can also be named an Alternate title. In many cases, a working title will become the release title.
Working titles are used primarily for two reasons:
An official title for the project has not been determined
A non-descript title to mask the real reason for making the movie.
Post production
Post-production is a crucial step in filmmaking, transforming the raw footage into the finished product. It requires skilled professionals working together to create a film that meets the director's vision and engages audiences. This film's final length is listed at seven reels (7,010 feet) with a running time of 82 minutes.
This film opens with an event in 1906, including a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants. To add some realism to the game, segments from the 1924 Hal Roach comedy The Battling Orioles were cross cut into the movie depiction of the 1906 game. The movie link is displayed in "External links."
Newsreel footage from the 1923 World Series between the New York Yankees and New York Giants was intercut into the final version. The newsreel film is considered lost.
As mentioned previously, Johnson signed an 8-picture contract with FBO. This film was the sixth film honoring the terms of that contract. In March 1926, Johnson released The Non-Stop Flight. This was the eighth and final film of his contractual obligation to FBO. It would be Emory and Emilie Johnson's last film for FBO. In April 1926, FBO decided to let Emory and Emilie Johnson's contracts expire. There were no published reasons for the separation.
Emory Johnson's directorial career consisted of 13 films - 11 were silent, and two were Talkies.
Release and reception
Melodrama films have plots appealing to the raised passions of the audience. They concentrate on family issues, direct their attention to a victim's character, and develop the themes of duty and love. The format shows the characters working through their struggles with persistence, sacrificial deeds, and courage. Movie critics and theater owners often use the following expressions to describe the movies they are reviewing or showing.Terms used in reviewing silent movie melodrama
New York premiere
On September 28, 1924, Film Booking Offices of America premiered Life's Greatest Game at the B.S. Moss Cameo Theatre in New York City. The convention of holding a world premiere for a forthcoming film on Broadway was a widespread practice for large movie producers.
The eastern critics put a fine point on FBO's stated Main Street philosophy. The mainstream publications thrashed the film.
After previewing the film at the New York's Cameo Theatre, prominent New York magazine reviewers were unanimously displeased with what they saw.
Fred reviewed the movie in the October 8, 1924 issue of the "Variety," and wrote a particularly scathing review stating:"Decidedly wearying picture. It's much too long and could stand cutting. Whatever the reason FBO booked this film into a Broadway theater, it doesn't appear on the screen. The picture itself does not qualify for an extraordinary rental. For the baseball shots of the big series, those taken by newsreels have been pieced, in which the shots with the principals of the picture's cast. The matching is not very well done. Twenty minutes cut out and it would be a far better feature."
A snarky movie critic reviewed the movie in the October 6, 1924 issue of the "Time," and wrote:"The story deals mainly with baseball, past, and present, and includes the sinking of the Titanic. The old ball player's son survives, returns after 20 years to pitch the Giants to victory in the World Series, and shames the father for deserting the family in 1904. Probably one of the ten worst pictures. The heroine even wears curls down her back."
H.E. Shumlin reviewed the movie in the October 18, 1924 issue of the "Billboard," and wrote:"It's hokum, but it's terrible hokum. In his previous masterpieces. Mr. Johnson has held closely to the time-honored principle of handing out large gobs of action and homely sentiment. In this film, he hasn't the logical opportunity for much action, so he has to interpolate a shipwreck, which is undoubtedly the most artificial, childish, ineffectual thing these weary eyes have ever witnessed. Now it is only yesterday we were all saying that if a picture pleases the women, it s O. K. And here is FBO.—and Emory Johnson of all people! —making a Picture about baseball, than which there is probably nothing the well-known gentler sex cares less about."
Official release
This film was copyrighted to R-C (Robertson-Cole) Pictures Corp on October 5, 1924, with registration number LP20660. The registered copyrights for FBO Films were with their original British owners. FBO was the official name of the film-distributing operation for Robertson-Cole Pictures Corp. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. would clear this up later.
On October 5, 1924, they released the film for bookings.
Advertising
Nat G. Rothstein was the publicity, advertising, and exploitation director at FBO. He planned extensive, high-powered exploitation for this film. He intended to exploit this film more than previous Emory Johnson films.
Rothstein's recommendations included:
"Life's Greatest Game" will be dedicated to the Baseball League of each city in which it is shown, thus assuring the exhibitor of cooperation and help from all baseball fans when the production is booked."
Babe Ruth has promised his services to exploit the picture, while many tie-ups have already been affected.
Another stunt Rothstein contemplated is a huge baseball, fully six feet in diameter, inscribed by prominent baseball officials, to be rolled from Los Angeles to New York. There were no recorded sightings of the giant baseball.
Other magazine articles pointed out even more opportunities for exploitation:
"The newspapers are shrieking the news of this expose and scandal in their boldest type. Baseball editorials are being written by the most prominent minds of the day. With all the sensational stories about the baseball scandal occupying the greater portions of thousands of newspapers, Life's Greatest Game should prove the greatest moneymaker any exhibitor ever booked since this industry began!"
"The sensational scandal and expose of dishonesty and crookedness discovered in Major League Baseball create an unparalleled opportunity for exhibitors to tie up all the tremendous publicity this scandal is creating with Emory Johnson's FBO. production."
"Life's Greatest Game" as a picture, and to prove to theatre-goers that this picture is a gigantic factor in the fight for honest baseball."
"A special four-page section has been prepared by the FBO publicity department for insertion into the 24-page press book, which is jammed full of novel, snappy advertising, and exploitation ideas. The four-page special insert is brimming was suggestions whereby exhibitors can best take advantage of the baseball scandal."
Reviews
Small towns were FBO mainstays versus big cities.
C. S. Sewell reviewed the movie in the October 11, 1924 issue of The Moving Picture World, stating:"It belongs to the class of human interest melodramas of the old school in which attention has been concentrated on building up situations that strike home because of their heart appeal. The baseball scenes are well handled, and even though there is practically no suspense in the climax - Sophisticated persons will probably consider some of the titles and situations to be theatrical and overdrawn."
A movie critic reviewed the movie in the February 12, 1925 issue of the Times Recorder published in Zanesville, Ohio (pop 29k), stating:"The biggest of the Johnson pictures; which is taking in a lot of territories when such films as "The Third Alarm" and "The Spirit of the U.S.A. are considered. It is unquestionably the best picture the johnsons have made, according to astute critics who have seen it."
A movie critic reviewed the movie in the May 16, 1925 issue of "The Morning Union" published in Grass Valley, California (pop 4,006) and wrote a review quaint by today's standards:"The story pays a fine tribute to the sterling honesty and innate sportsmanship of the national game, but does not touch too heavily on, the technical angles of the sport and permits women and children to enjoy it just as much as the men. There is plenty of romance of the right sort to make it absorbing, and the human interest keeps you glued to your seat until the end"
Audience reviews were mixed depending on the size of the venue. Many larger moviehouse owners rented this movie based on Emory Johnson's reputation and were disappointed with their turnout. Other small-town theater owners thought they had a sure-fire gold mine since Emory Johnson's production.
Roy E. Cline Osage Theatre (200 seats) Osage, Oklahoma population 250This is a fair feature, but no drawing power. Not the picture that the other Johnson pictures are. The tone is good. Sunday, yes. Not much audience appeal. Small town class town of 250. Admission 10–25.
John W. Hawkins Capitol theatre New Bedford, Massachusetts population 121,000 A good melodrama woven around big-league baseball. Not up to the standard of Emory Johnson's previous productions because its appeal is limited to those who take some interest in baseball. Business good, but not as good as we expected General patronage.
Related baseball facts
Jack Spears cited life's Greatest Game in his 1968 Films in Review article on baseball movies states: FBO's life's greatest game is one of the few filmed to take a realistic look at baseball. It traces two generations are professional players by emphasizing the rank-and-file player rather than the big star. It makes baseball more human.
In 2020, ESPN named the 1924 World Series as the third greatest World Series of all time.
In the 1923 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in six games. This would be the first of the Yankees' 27 World Series championships. This newsreel footage was intercut with actual film footage of Life's Greatest Game.
The average salary of ballplayers in 1924 was $6,000 (equivalent to $94,870 in 2021)
Preservation status
According to the Library of Congress website,
this film has a status of - No holdings located in archives; thus, it is presumed all copies of this film are lost.