Inabinett: Satchel Paige pitches again in rediscovered film footage (video)

The film brings to light one of those out-of-season games. It was shot at an exhibition game on Nov. 7, 1948, at Wrigley Field, at the time the home park of the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League (and later the setting for the TV series “Home Run Derby.”)

Paige is the lanky right-hander in the opening frame and several other shots interspersed throughout the footage of Hollywood types in the stands, a little game action and even the Goodyear blimp floating over.

The Film Archive obtained the 16mm film in a collection of footage from the Brooks estate in 1995. Curators initially thought they had nothing more than some typical pro game scenes until Lynne Kirste, the Special Collections curator, discovered that what they actually had was rare color footage of Paige in the 1 minute, 42 seconds of film.

The video itself doesn’t appear in the article, so please click here.