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Old 09-25-2020, 06:08 PM
Hankphenom Hankphenom is offline
Hank Thomas
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What I really love about this footage is that it consists mostly of outtakes, so you're getting a lot of the real person in clips that were cut because they started cutting up or engaging in other unscripted language or activities the editor deemed unsuitable for the final newsreel. The segment from the 1931 Washington spring training showing Walter Johnson trying unsuccessfully to help the filmmaker get Johnson's very young daughter Barbara to say a line they had prepared for her, then turning on a dime into the concerned and loving father when he saw that their badgering was making her upset, and putting a stop to the whole exercise, is just precious. There are other examples of Walter's personality and humor coming through when the planned routine wasn't working out or breaking down, and where else could you find such material?
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