Filmed Baseball Shorts: Home Run Derby

[Phillyrich]

Back in 1960, there was filmed program called "Home Run Derby." It lasted only one season,
but captured baseball sluggers of that era in a relaxed setting. The dvds show the films remain
in very good shape, and it's a blast just to see Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews,
etc in their prime.

The camera set ups were pretty basic and no trick photography, but did the job in conveying the
great power skills of these athletes, and a little bit of their personal quirks too as they competed against
each other for small cash prizes.

Does anyone have any background on this program, and how it came to be? Was there anything like it
in prior eras--where players demonstrate their skills? There appears to be very little footage of greats such as: Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, or Honus Wagner, Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb.

[silentfilm]

And here's an article on the show from The American Society of Baseball Research.