Baseball, the great American game, the national pastime of millions, both young and old, is the subject of How to Play Baseball, the Goofy cartoon sport short that swung into theaters on this day in 1942. Audiences learned the game, the Goofy way, as he played batter, pitcher, and every position on both teams with the narrator calling the shots. Also in 1942, the great screen biography of baseball legend Lou Gehrig was released, Pride of the Yankees, with Gary Cooper in the starring role, and baseball greats Babe Ruth and Bill Dickey appearing as themselves. To coincide with this now historic film, How to Play Baseball was rushed into production and made in just 12 weeks so that it would be released and appropriately accompany that feature film.
