On August 13, 2014, the day after the legendary Lauren Bacall passed away, baseball PR veteran Marty Appel shared an intriguing observation on Facebook. He noted that in the iconic “you know How To Whistle” scene from “To Have and Have Not,” a baseball photograph subtly graces the background, behind Lauren Bacall. It’s a detail easily missed, much like the subtle art of whistling itself. Rest in peace, Ms. Bacall, an unforgettable resident of New York’s Dakota.
Marty’s post featured an image of Bacall as Marie “Slim” Browning in the 1944 cinematic masterpiece. The baseball photo he pointed out is indeed visible to the left: You can view the scene on YouTube.
My initial reaction was one of slight embarrassment. How could I, a devoted fan of this movie, someone captivated by the intersection of baseball and classic cinema, have overlooked such a detail? I’ve watched this film countless times, even own it! It felt like missing a simple step in learning how to whistle, something seemingly obvious yet somehow unseen. I’ve even explored other cinematic baseball mysteries, like in my blog about a baseball mystery in “The Maltese Falcon.”
Perhaps, I initially joked, the sheer allure of Lauren Bacall in the frame was a distraction. It’s easy to get sidetracked by the obvious, much like focusing on the sound of a whistle and not the precise lip movements required to create it. But the baseball picture actually appears much earlier in the movie, a full half-hour before Bacall’s famous line. It’s there when we first see Humphrey Bogart’s Harry Morgan in his room. And in this scene, there’s no Bacall to blame for diverting my attention:
There was no denying it. Just like missing the subtle nuances when you’re first learning how to whistle, I had simply missed the baseball picture. Fortunately, Marty’s sharp eye did not.
Screen grabs make it difficult to truly appreciate the picture. A publicity still from the movie offers a much clearer view:
Here’s a contrast-enhanced close-up from that still:
The most striking feature of the baseball photo is the grandstand in the background. It’s undeniably the iconic Polo Grounds in New York. Compare its distinct characteristics to this 1908 photograph of the famous ballpark. (I delve into this image in my blog post “When Wall Street Occupied the Ball Park”):
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-00475
About an hour after his initial discovery, Marty Appel added another insightful comment to his Facebook post:
It almost resembles a Honus Wagner photo, Tom, although it’s understandably difficult to confirm.
Indeed, the batter’s stance did have a Wagnerian quality. After examining various images of “The Flying Dutchman” at bat, I found a perfect match. Marty’s hunch was spot on.
The location is clearly the Polo Grounds. But what more could we discern? On Wagner’s left shoulder is a distinctive symbol: an intertwined “PBC,” representing “Pittsburgh Baseball Club” (or, historically, “Pittsburg Baseball Club,” reflecting the city’s spelling at the time). You can learn more about “How To Spell Pittsburgh.” online.
This particular “PBC” emblem adorned the Pirates’ uniforms in 1908 and 1909. The Giants catcher is wearing light stockings with a single dark stripe and a dark cap. In 1908 and 1909, only the 1908 Giants uniforms fit this description. Therefore, the photograph captures Honus Wagner of Pittsburgh batting at the Polo Grounds in 1908.
A quick check of retrosheet.org reveals that the Pirates played twelve games in New York in 1908: June 9-12, July 24-25, 27-28, and September 18 (doubleheader), 19, 21. After some research into contemporary images of these games, I located our photograph in the September 20, 1908 issue of The New York Times:
The photograph captured action from the September 19th game between the Pirates and Giants. A glance at the box score identified the third figure in the image, the home plate umpire, future Hall of Famer Hank O’Day.
Interestingly, this moment occurred just four days before the infamous Giants-Cubs game on September 23, 1908, where Fred Merkle’s failure to touch second base became a pivotal point in baseball history. Keith Olbermann offers a detailed explanation here.
Years later, the image of O’Day, Bresnahan, and Wagner at the Polo Grounds was republished as a supplement in the October 7, 1911 edition of the National Police Gazette. Here’s the National Police Gazette version:
The print is titled: “READY FOR THE WALLOP. Hans Wagner, Pittsburg Club, Well Set for the Coming Ball; Bresnahan, St. Louis Nationals, Behind the Bat.” (Note the period-accurate spelling “Pittsburg.”) While the photo accurately depicts Bresnahan as a Giant, by the time of its reproduction in the Police Gazette, Roger Bresnahan had been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1909 season.
It’s my strong suspicion that the picture hanging in Harry Morgan’s room was a framed, slightly trimmed version of this Police Gazette supplement, rather than the original photograph. The resemblance is undeniable:
Intriguingly, above the Wagner image hangs a picture of another early 20th-century American icon: Duke Kahanamoku. Widely known as the father of modern surfing, Kahanamoku also earned five Olympic medals in swimming across three Olympic Games (1912, 1920, 1924). He’s honored in both the Surfing and Swimming Halls of Fame.
Here is Kahanamoku’s image as featured in a 1915 National Police Gazette issue.
And here’s how the Kahanamoku National Police Gazette image aligns perfectly with the picture in the movie:
Take a look at another still from the movie, revealing a different wall in Harry Morgan’s room:
Note the two framed pictures in the background, not baseball-related, but featuring a boxer (far left) and another athlete (possibly a boxer as well?) just to Bogey’s left. I suspect these were also National Police Gazette supplements, waiting for other researchers to identify these figures and their publication dates.
For now, I’m content knowing two things: the identity of the picture on Harry Morgan’s wall… and, of course, remembering the iconic line, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?” Sometimes, like learning to whistle or spotting hidden details in a beloved film, it’s about looking closely and appreciating the subtle notes.
