Did you know that Baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb was the 1st Pro Athlete to appear in a motion picture? And that scenes were filmed on Staten Island?
The baseball game sequence in “Somewhere in Georgia” was filmed at the Aquehonga Athletic Club, Tottenville, in 1916. Many locals were hired as extras for the film.
“Somewhere in Georgia is a 1917 silent film, starring baseball great Ty Cobb. It was based on a short story by sports columnist Grantland Rice.”
Plot:
Cobb stars as a small-town Georgian bank clerk with a talent for baseball. When he’s signed to play with the Detroit Tigers, Cobb is forced to leave his sweetheart (Elsie McLeod) behind, whereupon a crooked bank cashier sets his sights on the girl. Upon learning that Cobb has briefly returned home to play an exhibition game with his old team, the cashier arranges for Our Hero to be kidnapped. Breaking loose from his bonds, Cobb beats up all of his captors and shows up at the ball field just in time to win the game for the home team.
Cast:
- Ty Cobb … Himself – Ty Cobb
- Elsie MacLeod … The Banker’s Daughter
- William Corbett (as Will Corbett)
- Harry Fisher
- Edward Boulden (as Eddie Boulden)
- Ned Burton
Tyrus Raymond “Ty” Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed “The Georgia Peach,” was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team’s player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes. Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 Major League Baseball records during his career. He still holds several records as of 2012, including the highest career batting average (.366 or .367, depending on source) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source). He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source), most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001, most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974, and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977. He committed 271 errors in his career, the most by any American League player.
About the New York Aquehonga Athletic Club:
The AAC was founded in 1889 and they built their Clubhouse on 42 Brighton Street in Tottenville. A. Simonson was president as of 1919. Their baseball field was located nearby on Sprague Ave.
