Comedian Joe E. Brown, the Chicago Cubs and a Baseball-Focused Chicago Magazine.
Lot 216. Comedian Joe E. Brown, the Chicago Cubs and a Baseball-Focused Chicago Magazine. Two of the four items offered here are original 8” x 10” b&w photos from the 1933 movie “Elmer, the Great” starring Brown, a popular actor, comedian and baseball enthusiast. In this movie, Brown plays a naïve Cubs rookie with a huge ego and appetite. One photo, which has an edge tear on each side, shows Brown alone; the image area is vg+. The second photo has Brown with three teammates. The image area is strong with a couple of light creases; one corner is slightly clipped, the three others show wear, and there is a ½” tear at the top. Matted and framed, both photos would display very nicely. The player uniforms in these photos have a Cubs logo. Brown served as president of PONY League baseball from its founding in 1953 until 1964, and he was the father of Joe L. Brown, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager for more than 20 years. The comedian-actor is pictured on the cover of the Sept. 1935 edition of “Fan and Family” magazine, which was published in Chicago. Inside is a two-page article on Brown, and an accompanying photo has him in a Cubs uniform. The Oct. 1935 edition of “Fan and Family” is also present. These two issues provide plenty of Chicago baseball coverage, with articles on Ted Lyons of the White Sox and Rabbit Maranville, Lon Warneke, Charlie Root, Jack Doyle, Gabby Hartnett and Billy Herman, all of the Cubs. Both magazines are vg+. Winning Bid $30.
