Casey at the Bat (1922) watch online HD

Every time I hear someone refer to The Jazz Singer as the first talking film I wonder, once again, why more people don't know about the many talkie shorts that preceded it, or about the contributions made by pioneers such as Lee De Forest and Theodore Case. In the early 1920s these two men collaborated on the Phonofilm system, the first sound-on-film process. Unfortunately, they had a falling out when Case came to believe that De Forest was taking all the credit for their work. Even so, before the interpersonal trouble started, the men produced dozens of sound shorts at their mid-Manhattan Phonofilm studio between 1922 and 1926, well before the Warner Brothers introduced their Vitaphone process. And although it's true that De Forest and Case made only short films and no features, anyone who has seen The Jazz Singer knows that it's primarily a silent film with several song interludes, and one brief dialogue scene; basically, that is, it's a collection of Al Jolson musical shorts spliced into an Al Jolson silent feature.

Many Phonofilm shorts survive, and, happily, several of them capture performances by legendary Vaudeville veterans such as Weber & Fields, Eddie Cantor, Ben Bernie, etc., offering a real treasure trove for theater historians. Casey at the Bat gives us the opportunity to enjoy a spirited recitation of Ernest Thayer's popular poem by the man who made it famous, actor and Vaudeville headliner DeWolf Hopper. Hopper first recited the poem at a ballgame between the N.Y. Giants and the Chicago Cubs way back in August of 1888. He went on to recite the poem thousands of times on stage, on radio, in at least one early phonograph recording, and in this film.

The movie begins as Mr. Hopper, a tall gentleman in his mid-60s, steps out from behind a curtain. He's wearing a suit, bow-tie, and (so I gather) a toupee. He begins with a couple of low-key jokes, saying that he's glad this poem has been requested because he happens to be familiar with it, as he's been reciting it throughout his entire stage career of "almost six years"; actually, the man had been appearing on stage about forty-five years when the film was made. He adds that it's comforting to reflect that if he forgets a line -- not likely! -- almost anyone in the audience could prompt him. He then launches into his "mock heroic" recitation, as he calls it, with gusto that is amazing to witness, and almost alarming. The guy could have billed himself as the Man of a Thousand Voices, because he uses most of them here: his tone shifts from a throaty growl to a high squeak and then to a deep rasp as he assumes the various characters; he pops his eyes, flutters his hands, glares menacingly, and at one point strikes a pose that reminded me of Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera, some three years ahead of Chaney. It's an astounding performance, histrionic in the extreme, and a real blast of 19th century showmanship. Just listen to Hopper's voice descend into the deepest basso imaginable on the line "and the multitude was awwwwwwwwed." You'll be awed, as well. (And amused, possibly, but definitely awed.) At the end, after he sobs his way through the last line announcing that mighty Casey has struck out, Hopper gives a modest little smile, bows, and steps back through the curtain.

It's too bad we don't have similar records of performances by 19th century luminaries such as Jenny Lind or Edwin Booth, etc., but we can be grateful that this film was made, and preserved. Absolutely fascinating for theater buffs.

Have you ever heard or read "Casey At The Bat"? Not by DeWolf Hopper, I'll bet - he died many years ago. I saw it recently in a 35mm print restored by the Library Of Congress, and I can guarantee you have never seen anything like it. This film was made by De Forest Phonofilms, which included a sound process which was used sparingly from 1922-26 (See review by wmorrow59 for info).

This was Hopper's signature achievement, as he apparently recited the poem for some 40 odd years, and here is the one recorded instance of it - and what a performance! Standing on a stage with the curtains closed and in medium close up, Hopper delivers one of the most outrageous, overblown poetry readings ever put on film. His gesticulating and grimacing are highlighted by the primitive quality of the film, which gives him circles under his eyes and darkens his lips.

I don't know if Hopper ever did Shakespeare, but his booming baritone and exaggerated, hammy delivery made this reading of a celebrated baseball poem terrifically entertaining. Try and see it if you haven't. This is great stuff.

From a purely historical viewpoint, this is an absolutely amazing short film, as it is a sound film and appeared five years before the super-famous JAZZ SINGER (the first sound full-length movie). Now this isn't the only sound film made in the early to mid-1920s, as several studios experimented using short films (though few theaters had the proper sound equipment). I've seen an early Eddie Cantor film as well as the famous speech by Will Hays he made for the prologue to DON JUAN, but aside from these this is one of the few surviving early sound films.

Now as for the film itself, it, unfortunately, is drier than dirt. In other words, it is very dull as the entire film consists of a guy reciting the poem "Casey At The Bat". Believe it or not, this actor made a career of doing this on stage, so you must assume he must have been famous and beloved by his audiences. Today, though, he just seems like a lousy actor hamming it up and isn't worth a look unless you are really, really curious.

Casey at the Bat Analysis

This short film reveals Ernest Thayer's popular poem being read by DeWolf Hopper. This poem, Casey at the Bat, was first recited in 1888, but was made famous afterwards, as it was read numerous times in a variety of ways. Some of these ways include, on stage, radios, and in this particular film. The poem was eventually made into children's book and later, a cartoon in 1946. This storyline is known throughout the United States, as I can remember watching this cartoon when I was younger as well. This particular film is a black and white film, focusing on the one and only character, DeWolf Hopper. Because there is only one character in the film, the audience plays an important role in the film. This actor does a great job of reciting the poem and a variety of using facial expressions to convey the message of the poem. A live audience is used in the background of the film to add to the overall production. This is a single-shot film, and the shot changes in length throughout the short time period, but does not cut to another shot. As the shot varies, as the actor enters at first with a wide shot, and eventually walks closer to camera. The camera finally focuses in on his face and facial expressions as the poem progresses. The camera motion is somewhat unsteady in this film, as there is only one shot throughout the five and half minute clip. There tends to be a lot of fuzziness; however, Casey at the Bat is an older film, created in 1922. The lighting plays an important part in the film, as the shadow of the actor adds to the suspense in the beginning of the film. Because the length of the first shot is long, the audience does not know who the character is for a short time period. As he enters the shot, there are actually two shadows, which have a somewhat strange effect on the film. This makes it clear that the lighting used is from the overhead position. Hopper enters the shot wearing a Mudville baseball uniform, the name of Casey's team. Hopper appears to be somewhat drunk or off-balance as he enters the shot. The audience immediately reacts to his actions, adding some comic relief. He is holding a bat, while reciting the poem, and swings the wooden object around frivolously. The props used in this film include a chain-linked fence for a backstop and white clouds sporadically placed in the background. There is a white baseball diamond on the floor, and Hopper stands on the diamond during the shot. These props convey the idea that the set is a baseball field; however, the audience is aware that the set is not real. The audience is heard in the background, laughing and interjecting emotions, as Hopper recites the poem. This aspect of a live audience adds to the emotion of the film, and incorporates more humor, as the audience laughs at the poet's voice and actions. Throughout the film, the camera zooms in on Hopper, at intense moments. This technique allows the audience to draw closer into the moment with only a camera movement. The focus of the camera is clearly on Hopper, as no other person is in the shot. This film is viewed head-on, without moving from side to side. This is an interesting technique, as it allows the actor to move about rather than the camera shifting. Hopper speaks directly into the camera, another unusual technique. In the short film, Casey at the Bat, the poem made famous by the actor, Hopper, is recited on camera through a short, single clip. The lighting and shot length used in the film carefully creates a mood and allows the actor to perform alone on stage. The props incorporated in the film create an atmosphere and stage of a baseball field, the scene in the poem. A live audience contributes to the humorous aspect of the film, as they laugh and go along with the wild facial expressions used by Hopper in the performance. The camera focuses on Hopper's face, as an up-close shot is revealed 99% of the time. The camera slightly moves in the film, allowing Hopper to walk around while reciting the poem. The techniques used in the short film create a funny, interesting, single-shot, connecting the audience to the storyline of the famous poem Casey at the Bat.

Casey at the Bat (1922)

** (out of 4)

Five years before The Jazz Singer there was this experimental sound film with De Wolf Hopper reading the title poem. Hopper was famous all around the world for reading this poem and while his performance is very energetic, I can't say I was overly entertained.

There's still no question that this is a very important film that should be talked about when sound is discussed. It's not the best film in the world but a lot of historic films aren't.

From Kino's Reel Baseball set.