Johnny Vander Meer: The Typical American Boy footage?

[Scott Garner]

According to Paul Lichtman (D), author of The Dutch Master, The Life and Times of Johnny Vander Meer 2001, here is info about the movie:

"Dave Driscoll (sic Business Mgr. of the Brooklyn Dodgers) happened to be in the office of National League President John A. Heydler, later in January (sic 1933), when Joseph Walsh, who produced short sport features for Pathe' in the New York City vicinity, came to see Heydler about an idea he had for a short baseball film.

Walsh's idea was to find some good-looking young man who looked like "the typical American boy", who could also play baseball well enough to get by, and have him pose as the typical rookie going to his first big league training camp, trying to break into the game. The idea of the picture would be to follow him through all of his experiences; to show how he lived, what he ate and the training regimen that he would experience. Walsh went on to explain that he wanted to show the boy's name and background, and that preferably, he wanted the boy's father to be an industrial worker. He really wanted a by who had a chance of sticking in professional baseball; and he had come to Mr. Heydler to help him find such a boy.

"I've got just the kid for you," Driscoll told Walsh. "He meets everycriteria that you have come up with and, in addition, he's smart and good looking." And that is how John, at eighteen years of age, chanced to "star" in a film A Typical American Boy. Part of it was filmed at the Miami training camp of the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the remainder being filmed at the Midland Park home of the Vander Meers and environs."