NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL1946 : Reece "Goose" Tatum, Indianapolis Clowns, Kansas City Monarchs

For half a century African American baseball players had their own leagues. These rare pieces of unedited silent footage of Negro American League players, shot in September 1946 at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, focus on the amazing Reece Goose Tatum (1921 - 67) of the Indianapolis Clowns. Tatum and his teammates warm up with comic routines followed by a game against the Kansas City Monarchs.
From the 1920's through the 1940's various Negro Leagues flourished, embracing more than 50 teams. The Clowns also entertained with comedy along the lines of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball skills. The Clowns twice won the league's Eastern Division title and in 1952 featured future home-run king Henry Aaron at shortstop.
The origin of the film is unknown, but it was obviously taken to showcase the skills of Goose Tatum in uniform 15. Tatum was even more astonishing later on the basketball court for the Harlem Globetrotters.

[@nja3224]

The pepper to open was magnificent and so fun to watch. What a treat this film is. Noticed the 387 foot mark in right field. That’s a long way to go for a HR.

[@Countryjay]

They sure played for fun. They look so happy joking around

[@Johndoe-kw5zr]

Was great at baseball, basketball and a ww2 veteran. LEGEND!👑

[@Christophersboyd]

I love the way he taps the base. His light hearted style of play is a joy to watch.

[@anissawarren6747]

My stepfather played with the Clowns. He was Pigg for any of you who were in the Era. I miss my daddy so much.

[@halfcenturycollectingcards]

Len Pigg?

[@rollo131]

That fellow has the longest arms I've ever seen.

[@tommclain8893]

So smooth and fluid an amazing athlete, picked everything in the dirt effortlessly. R.I.P. Heavenly BD "Goose"

[@tootietalks]

And today those seats would b packed

[@ProphetWalker]

Played with the clowns 1951-56-57 Only one left from the exhibition featuring Jackie Robinson All Stars Tour with the Clowns "1951" Clowns sent several to the majors encluding ...Choo Choo Coleman New York Mets(my room-mate)"56" ...Johnny Wyatt Boston Redsox..Nate Peoples(signed with Dodgers)..and the great Atlanta Braves home run hitter...

[@jamalydude]

Wait you played with them?!!

[@immasoxfanbaby]

They were so talented they had fun

[@halfcenturycollectingcards]

@@jamalydude looks like he did

[@shanewhitefeather6298]

This is PURE Gold! This is The Harlem Globe Trotters of baseball. What's great is these are gifted ball player AND comedians

[@ProphetWalker]

Played n Evansville Ind with the Clowns 1956.......

[@MalikMahdi23]

Goose is multi talented & one of the best magical athletes I’ve ever seen. I love this very rare footage of him & the other legendary baseball performers. Thank you for posting this ⚾️⭐️

[@MikeSchlesinger]

Pure gold!

[@dmerls8571]

Of course I've known Goose Tatum of the Globetrotters but I never knew he played baseball in the Negro leagues! Such a personality!

[@staghornthedruid957]

There's a man clearly enjoying life.

[@oscarmason3252]

These cats doing globetrotters shit with a baseball, who in today's game can do shit like this? Unreal, thanks for the video

[@edwinmendezforlife]

They don’t allow pepper in ML baseball since the late 30’s everybody use to do it for the laughs with the fans then MLB cracked down on playing around the Diamond

[@whitemamba0089]

I mean prolly every professional baseball player that wanted to could do this lol still cool tho

[@Magnus_Inno]

​@@whitemamba0089I disagree

[@whitemamba0089]

@@Magnus_Inno I think u could do it honestly with enough practice an u actually have decent ability at sports for hand eye coordination etc it requires

[@whitemamba0089]

@@Magnus_Inno alright I lied I rewatched the vid some of it is down right difficult as shit to do lol but I think u could do some if it

[@AULSUCKS]

Thank you for sharing this. This was really cool

[@BaseballYakker]

I've watched this video over and over and it remains wonderful ever time.

[@joebrindley4570]

Great game of pepper. The best pepper i've ever seen was in films of the 1934 St.Louuis Cardinals. They were unreal with that ball.

[@ozvictorian]

+Joe Brindley but could the gas house gang do that with a basketball also? NOPE! foh

[@stephendavidgross]

I found this in the Guerneville (CA) library on Treasures From American Film Archives and rediscovered it on youtube. It's one of the most remarkable and telling shorts I've ever seen. It totally blows me away. "Telling" because these guys are so cool and in control, so confident and self assured, so balletic it has all the elements! I'm impressed and thrilled that I can now turn people on to it who sederve the best! Gracie!

[@6ADAM16]

Great shots of Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

[@Nas3ification]

Phenomenal footage ... that pepper game was epic!!!! The animated baseball play was amazzzzinnggggggggg ! ! ! ! !

[@bartley3742]

This Goose guy looks like his arms are long enough to just stand on home and touch all the bases in order!

[@eddierivera1860]

amazing! blacks played the game for love!

[@adscollection3106]

TRULY AMAZING!!!

[@DoUHearMeTV]

Amazing I wish I could had played with them.

[@CincyOrgan]

Film quality is great of Crosley Field and the players (LOL!).

[@jaygardner7036]

the opening minutes and a half reminds me of the globetrotters magic circle goose took that from baseball and brought to basketball with the trotters

[@joshhudson3364]

Talked gentleman in my home town name Wali Cathcart played with the New York Cubans. He loves to tell stories when he played in the NLB and as a warm up both teams would do something called shadow ball

[@musicalrevo]

I love thus channel.

[@TheKingofSwing714]

See the great music video tribute to all the many dozens of great Negro Leaguer teams & players - from Rube Foster to young Henry Aaron - who played ball in Hot Springs, Arkansas, from the 1880's to the 1950's : "HOT TIME IN THE HOT CITY" on KZbin!

[@GoldenSilents]

Cool!

[@CincyOrgan]

That's going up on my Facebook wall. That was funny!

[@wandervaldezcontreras37]

Biutyfull

[@SROTulsa]

Love this entire footage that brings to life things I've read about the pepper game and the animated game. Pretty sure that's King Tut in the tux tails. Does anyone have any info, photos or video of Specs Beebop? He was a little person that performed in the Negro Leagues. I'm very interested in any thing about the entertainment side of this league.

[@cbanks1980]

Jon Terry yeah that's Tut

[@nflmlbclassics]

Love the nickname!

[@kaneda1674]

Definitely chuckled at 3:27

[@brettk9316]

globe trotters of baseball?

[@robmclean4352]

7:10 The Clowns actually split their games between Indianapolis and Cincinnati that year; this film was shot in Cincy's Crosley Field, sometime in September 1946, when the Reds were on the road.

[@montezwashington385]

Actually, they were The Cincinnati Clowns before moving to Indianapolis.

[@MMcCree7]

since the origin of the film is unknown does that make it apart of the public domain?

[@GoldenSilents]

They probably weren't paying attention, sad for them.

[@boomerangb]

anybody know who did this version of "take me out to the ballgame?"

[@cbanks1980]

GOOSE!!!!!!

[@brolylegion608]

My grandfather played in the negro leagues......crying as I say this. If anybody knows Lefty Bowe.....that's him

[@brolylegion608]

Left Hand pitcher

[@marrob357]

He this guy the "Medow Lark Lemon" of the league?

[@EvansvilleRage]

Oh Pastor Walker I need an autograph...Please....I'm being serious I collect autographs. Just to tell you I have a few AAGPBL players, Duke Snider, and Robin Roberts signatures. I'd love to add yours. Thanks!

[@chrissinatra1217]

When the bases were indeed “bag” s

[@jcoburn3590]

Right! ...and you come out to warmups with a lit cigar lol. Oh, the times!

[@walterkoziol3822]

And now you know where and how when an commentator says it's a three bagger or a two bagger comes from.

[@latouselatrec]

I get a kick out of the umps they don't seem too amused

[@malcomshaw5962]

✌🏿😎

[@javusbonmon6937]

💪🏾✊🏾👍🏾⚾⚾⚾🧢🇺🇲

[@edwardhuster8466]

Goose was a t4ip.

[@HeadCoachKev]

sadly that Jim Crow era encouraged such Step & Fetchit style minstrel vaudeville shows instead of these Gents simply being accepted to showcase their Athletic Baseball Skills

[@berachtdorian6191]

Exhibitions like those would probably do as much for the MLB's popularity as they did for the NBA's popularity. They're fun! Quite frankly, they make me want to go out and try them.

[@HeadCoachKev]

@@berachtdorian6191 have you watched the Savanna Bananas' highlights? They're making Baseball Fun Again

[@berachtdorian6191]

@@HeadCoachKev I will. Thanks for the suggestion.👍

[@rollandwoods97]

Who gave this video dislikes?

[@jillkjv3816]

People with no sense of humor.

[@julesg7430]

The Mexican baseball league's legacy on the U.S. and the relation with black players: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i36qXnSve7SlkNU

[@nemshibenyisrael1337]

We're the G.O.A.T., the Aboriginal Americans, the first inhabitant of the land, did you know that the richest woman in the world lived in KC, her name was Sarah Rector, look it up, her family members are still living, where did her wealth go

[@sonsofthunder7]

Truely amazing to watch but I guess this was the only way to keep small minded people feeling secure that their status was not being threatened by the other group. Clowns are not a threat. but lets still remain segregated.

[@travismaxwell9115]

Sad times for the BLACK MAN!

[@jillkjv3816]

They don't look sad.

[@areguapiri]

@@jillkjv3816 Trust me, it was a brutal day-to-day life for ALL black people back then, except when they got together for fun.

[@jillkjv3816]

@@areguapiri If it was that brutal there would not have been any opportunity to have any fun at all.

[@lloydkline1518]

Negro baseball league great black.history ;; like harlem grobetritter of basketball

[@FreeeJ]

@@jillkjv3816 if you honestly believe the things you are saying you must have zero education on history. through every civilization and era on this planet people have took times to entertain there selves. some of the saddest people were also great comedians i mean even slaves thorough all eras and races played games and sung songs what did you think they just sat around and cried all day or something?

[@billpierce4833]

i wonder what white people thought about this back then.

[@Haroldbeavis1969]

Bill Pierce they thought “Aren’t they funny! Too bad theyre not good enough to play with the white fellas.” That’s what they told themselves anyway.

[@latouselatrec]

Haroldbeavis1969 oh bullshit you really don't know what your talking about. The white people flocked to these games. And the major leaquers knèw they were they were just as good as theirselves

[@areguapiri]

White people were the reason this was happening back then.