Volume II: Filmography

THE FINAL GAME

(Princess)

October 17, 1913 (Friday)

Length: 1 reel

Character: Documentary

Cast: The New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics baseball teams, including the following. Athletics: Eddie Murphy, Rube Oldring, Eddie Collins, Frank Baker, Stuffy McInnis, Amos Strunk, Jack Barry, Wally Schang, Eddie Plank. Giants: Buck Herzog, Larry Doyle, Art Fletcher, George Burns, Tillie Shafer, Red Murray, Larry McLean, Fred Merkle, Christy Mathewson, Doc Crandall, plus new recruits for the coming 1913 season with the Giants.

Location: New York City, October 11, 1913

Notes: 1. This was the first Princess film. Unlike nearly all later Princess films, it was a documentary. 2. Forthcoming Princess films were announced in a news article in Reel Life, October 18, 1913, which did not mention The Final Game, but which stated that: "Titles of initial releases are Looking for Trouble, Lobster Salad and Milk, and The Campaign Manageress, farces as the titles would indicate. In these Muriel Ostriche, a petite and attractive actress who figures in popularity contests, and Marie Kline [sic; Eline was intended], popularly known as The Thanhouser Kid, are the featured leads." Apparently, The Final Game was an anomaly; a documentary released under the Princess name before the regular Princess films were ready. 3. A full-page advertisement by Pathé Frères a year earlier, in The Moving Picture World, October 26, 1912, gave details of an agreement with the National Baseball Commission which provided that Pathé could exclusively film the 1912 World Series between the Giants and the Red Sox. The camera position was stated in the agreement, which may have also been the case when Thanhouser filmed the 1913 event: "The National Baseball Commission will allow the admittance of two motion picture cameras and two operators and three assistants, and will provide said Pathé Frères with one box immediately in a line drawn from the home plate to the first base, from which said motion picture camera may be placed."

BACKGROUND OF THE SCENARIO: The fifth and final game of the 1913 World Series was held at the Polo Grounds, New York City, with a registered attendance of 36,632. The game lasted one hour and thirty-nine minutes. While the cast listing given above includes all of the Athletics and Giants players who were in the final game, it is not known if all were actually included in the Thanhouser film of the subject.

SYNOPSIS: The following synopsis of the fifth game of the 1913 World Series is from a contemporary issue of Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide. Excerpts from this game formed a large part of the Thanhouser film:

"The fifth and final game was played at the Polo Grounds, October 11. The Athletics won the game, 3 - 1, Plank again pitching against Mathewson. The Giants seemed to have spent all their energy in Philadelphia the day before, and were powerless, and sometimes feeble, in their efforts to bat the ball. But two hits were made by the New York team. One of these was made by Mathewson and the other by McLean. There were some sharp drives by the New York players, but most of them were admirably taken care of by the Athletics' infield. Barry gave a beautiful display at shortstop, with two putouts and seven assists. It was, to some extent, his cleverness that enabled Plank to make such a fine pitching record. Collins covered a great deal of ground at second base, and in the outfield, Murphy and Oldring pulled down two long line drives, the first made by Doyle and the second by Fletcher, that might easily have been extra base hits. Of the three runs which were made by the Athletics, all were the result of errors. The sole run of the Giants was also due, in part, to a misplay, so that in reality Mathewson and Plank, for the second time, practically pitched shut-out base ball for nine innings. That, of itself, is one of the most remarkable instances in all World's Series contests.

"The Athletics scored their first run in the first inning. Murphy tapped a weak grounder to the infield, but the ball rolled in such a manner that it was impossible for Fletcher to field it. Oldring bunted, and Mathewson grabbed the ball and shot it to second base, for a force-out on Murphy. Collins singled to right field and Oldring went to third. Baker rapped a sacrifice to Burns, and if the latter had made an accurate throw to the plate, it is fair to presume that he would have caught Oldring. The ball went too high for McLean and Oldring scored. In the third inning, Murphy batted a single to left field, and Oldring pushed a grounder to Doyle. The latter, in his anxiety to make a double play, missed the ball, and failed to get either the runner or batter. It was an easy chance to retire both men. Collins pushed a sacrifice to Merkle, advancing both base-runners. Baker rapped a grounder straight to Merkle, and the Giants' first baseman, after running up the line to meet Baker, missed him, then threw the ball to the home plate, to head off Murphy, who had started in, had run back, and started for the plate the second time. The throw missed Murphy by about two feet, and he scored. Baker was also safe. Oldring went to third base, and reached home when McInnes batted a long sacrifice fly to Burns.

"The sole run which was made by the Giants was counted in the fifth inning. Burns popped a feeble fly to McInnes, and Shafer's patience was rewarded by a base on balls. Murray lifted a high fly that dropped in the center of the diamond. Both Plank and Baker went after the ball, and each got in the other's way, Plank finally making a muff. Shafer ran to second base, and scored when McLean hit safely to center. Again the bad luck of the Giants asserted itself, for Merkle batted the ball with tremendous speed, but, unfortunately, straight to Collins, and a fast double play followed. In the sixth inning, the Giants made their last despairing attempt to score. Mathewson singled to right field. Herzog slashed into the ball hard enough to drive it to the fence, but, with the usual fate which pursued the New York team, sent it straight to Barry, and a double play followed. Doyle backed Murphy into the stone wall in right field to catch his long drive, and that was the finish of any hard batting by the Giants."

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