1969 World Series Highlight Film

The 1969 World Series Highlight Film is a 40-minute documentary on the post-season series played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles. It is compiled of the major moments of the Series won by the Mets in five games. Curt Gowdy serves as the narrator.
The sponsors for the film were Coca-Cola, Gillette and United Airlines. These companies' names make subtle appearances during the film as forms of advertisement.
Introduction
The documentary opens with Gowdy appearing on camera. He informs the audience that two events of 1969 caught the attention of the American public. The first one was in July when man first landed on the moon and the second being the Mets' winning the championship. Gowdy then says that both events were described by using one word.
A group of people are then seen, one by one, uttering the word of which Gowdy spoke - amazing. Among this group are Ernie Banks, Joe Garagiola, Joe DiMaggio, Lindsey Nelson and Pearl Bailey. Also included is one man who gives the Spanish translation asombrosos.
Game highlights
Game 1
Following an overview of the teams' backgrounds, the Series coverage begins with Orioles' pitcher Mike Cuellar retiring the Mets easily in the first inning. Cuellar's effective pitching continues to be an area of focus into the ninth when he gets New York's Art Shamsky to ground out, sealing Baltimore's 4-1 win. Also highlighted are Don Buford's first inning leadoff home run, the Orioles' 3-run fourth inning and Brooks Robinson's barehanded pickup of a ground ball hit by the Mets' Rod Gaspar.
Game 2
The initial highlights for this game are outstanding defensive plays by the teams' shortstops, Mark Belanger (Baltimore) and Bud Harrelson (New York). After Donn Clendenon's homer that gives the Mets a 1-0 lead, it is then indicated that New York's Jerry Koosman has a no-hitter through six innings. Paul Blair then singles, steals second and scores on Brooks Robinson's single to tie the game.
Mets' third baseman Ed Charles takes much of the spotlight for the rest of the game. He fields a solidly hit ball by Davey Johnson, scores the go-ahead run on Al Weis's single in the ninth and throws out Brooks Robinson for the final out in the Mets' 2-1 win.
Also during this game is a humorous scene involving Mets' third base coach Eddie Yost. A young girl with a broom goes around sweeping the bases. She asks Eddie to sweep her shoes for her. Yost obliges and then receives a kiss. As the girl runs off, Yost removes his cap and bows to her.
Between Games 2 and 3
The Mets are shown at the airport, boarding their flight home following their Game 2 win. A descending aircraft is then seen going past Shea Stadium, which Gowdy describes as "where Mets' fans pour in by the thousands". Among the fans are celebrities, one of which is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, shown greeting Mets' outfielder Ron Swoboda.
Game 3
Tommie Agee's first inning home run and pitcher Gary Gentry's surprising two-run double in the second are early highlights. The following coverage focuses mainly on Agee's two outstanding catches that cost the Orioles at least five runs. Jerry Grote's run-scoring double in the sixth and Ed Kranepool's eighth inning homer are also shown.
Nolan Ryan, described by Gowdy as "the young, fireballing strikeout artist", is seen in what would be the only World Series game of his career. Initially, he is seen warming up in relief of Gentry in the seventh. He then retires Blair via Agee's second great catch. Ryan's strikeout of Blair in the ninth, shown from a camera directly behind home plate, ends the game to give the Mets a 5-0 victory.
Game 4
Clendenon's second homer of the Series, the Orioles' third inning scoring threat and Baltimore Manager Earl Weaver's getting ejected provide the early game coverage. Mets' pitcher Tom Seaver's wife Nancy is then seen cheering her husband after he gets through the threat without any run scored. Left fielder Cleon Jones's sliding catch of Davey Johnson's fly ball is also shown.
The film moves directly to the ninth with a shot of the scoreboard showing a 1-0 Mets' lead. Swoboda's diving catch of Brooks Robinson's line drive highlights the inning. It then moves to the bottom of the tenth where the Mets win, 2-1, on an errant throw by Baltimore pitcher Pete Richert on J. C. Martin's bunt that scores Gaspar with the winning run. Gowdy goes on to explain that this play produced a delayed controversy regarding Martin's running on the wrong side of the foul line when Richert's throw hit him.
Game 5
The Orioles' three-run third inning is highlighted with Belanger's single (and Grote's attempt to shove him off of first base), pitcher Dave McNally's home run and a homer by Frank Robinson off Mets' pitcher Koosman. Frank Robinson is then seen in the sixth arguing with umpire Lou DiMuro over a pitch that he claimed to have hit him before it hit his bat. He then is called out on strikes by DiMuro.
In the bottom of the inning, Jones is also denied first base after claiming to have been hit by a pitch. DiMuro changes his mind when Mets' manager Gil Hodges shows him a spot of shoe polish on the ball. When Weaver gives DiMuro a few words of this own, Gowdy sums things up by saying about Earl:
"Destiny seems set against him. He's having the same results with arguments as he is with games. He isn't winning any."
Clendenon's third home run of the Series that followed, Weis's game-tying homer in the seventh and eighth inning doubles by Jones and Swoboda that produce the Mets final two runs are then covered. All three Oriole outs in the ninth are shown, the last being Johnson's fly ball to Jones where Cleon drops to one knee for the final out of New York's 5-3 Series clinching victory.
Final scenes
Immediately following the final out, there are no words spoken by Gowdy as scenes of New York's celebration are shown. Finally, Curt states that "the New York Mets are Number 1, baseball champions of the world" with jubilant player and fans on screen. The final celebratory scenes are those of the Mets' victory parade on the streets of New York a few days later.
Film clips of the outstanding fielding plays of the Mets in the Series are then shown and stilled as the closing credits are displayed on the screen. The tail end of the film shows a still picture of Casey Stengel with the sound of his voice repeating the word amazing several times.
Sign Man appearances
Mets' fan Karl Ehrhardt displays his famous flash cards with messages in the film:
*MET POWER - displayed after Tommie Agee's leadoff home run in Game 3.
*A DAZZLER - after Nolan Ryan's first strike to Paul Blair in Game 3.
*BEEOOOTIFUL - after Nolan Ryan's second strike to Paul Blair in Game 3.
*FANTASTIC - for Ed Kranepool's home run in Game 3. Gowdy says this word as it is shown.
*BIG DEAL - during Frank Robinson's Game 5 argument with umpire Lou DiMuro.
*BACK TO YOUR NEST, BIRD - after Frank Robinson strikes out following his argument.
*THERE ARE NO WORDS - following the final out of the Series. Gowdy says nothing when this sign is on camera.
Sound bites and interviews
In addition to Gowdy's narration, there is commentary provided by others in the documentary:
*Brooks Robinson talks about his barehanded fielding play in Game 1.
*Hodges explains his reason for moving second baseman Al Weis out to left field with Frank Robinson batting in Game 2.
*Koosman tells of his feelings as he departs from Game 2.
*Joe DiMaggio gives his thoughts on Agee's first outstanding catch in Game 3. Agee's himself talks about his second one.
*Swoboda speaks about his diving grab of Brooks Robinson's line drive in Game 4. Ron points out here that the tying run scored on the play, which is often forgotten.
*Prior to Game 5, Stengel gives his thoughts on the Mets in his famous 'Stengelese'. Casey says the word amazing many times. It is from this scene that the film's tail end is formed.
*During the part of Game 5 when Jones is hit by a pitch, Pearl Bailey is seen and heard in the stands yelling "How wonderful" and "It's amazing".
Errors and discrepancies
*Gowdy mispronounces the names of two Baltimore players during the course of the film. He identifies pinch-runner Merv Rettenmund as Marv in Game 2 and relief pitcher Richert (pronounced RICK-ert) as RIKE-ert in Game 4.
*As Frank Robinson comes to bat in Game 2, he is shown in his road uniform with 'Baltimore' on his jersey. The Orioles were at home for this game, donning their home uniforms with 'Orioles' on the jerseys.
*Twice during Game 3, Gowdy fails to identify Orioles' pitcher Dave Leonhard. On Kranepool's homer, Leonhard is in view delivering the pitch, but his name is not mentioned. When Clay Dalrymple bats for Leonhard in the ninth, Gowdy describes Dalrymple only as "pinch-hitting for the pitcher".
*The part where Weaver is ejected by umpire Shag Crawford in Game 4 is shown right after the Orioles' unsuccessful third inning scoring chance. The ejection actually occurred in the second inning and, therefore, should have been shown earlier. Also, Gowdy states that Earl was the first manager to be thrown out of a World Series game in 34 years without giving the name of the last manager who had this unfortunate experience.
*Grote's pop-fly double in the tenth inning of Game 4 is hit to left field. Gowdy mistakenly says it is hit to right.
*On two occasions, Gowdy mentions that Clendenon's three home runs set a record for a five-game World Series. This was a record only for a Series that ended with the fifth game. Lou Gehrig hit four home runs in the 1928 World Series which lasted only four games. Gehrig also hit three homers in the 1932 World Series, which ended after four games.
*Final totals of runs, hits and errors for both teams are displayed on the screen after each of the first four games, but not after Game 5.

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