I saw this fabulous framed print in a Kingsbridge charity shop this week. I wish I'd have got it now!
I was immediately drawn to it because it reminded me of series of Aurora kits that fascinated me since first seeing them in Rick Polizzi's Classic Plastic book, Great Moments in Sport, the box art of which is simply stunning and includes boxing, football and baseball.
My favourite is Willie Mays
Famous baseball Catch, a beautiful illustration.
I got to wondering if they they were the same artist of both the print and the box art?
After some digging, sadly they're not but they are both very well-known American artists in their own right.
The top framed print is by the late Frank McCarthy. I found the same image in an old fictional story, the Take-Charge Guy, from a May 1952 Colliers magazine online. Looks like they issued prints of it judging by what I saw in Kingsbridge. I don't know if the play shown is fictitious. Do you?
The Aurora box artist on the other hand was Mort Kunstler, who is still around and creating art. From what I can see online no prints of the Willie Mays painting are available, which is a shame.
Willie May's incredible move is known simply as The Catch and is widely seen as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, baseball catch of all time.
Here it is in real life, an amazing shot borrowed from Wikipedia, showing The Catch for the New York Giants, New York, 1954.
Have you got any baseball art or collectables or even the Aurora sports kits readers?
A great post on an almost forgotten kit range. I have the Thomas Graham book on Aurora kits. The Great Moments in Sport series ran to six kits, all US subjects. Two Baseball, two American Football, one Boxing, and one Basketball. Scales varied from 1/10th to 1/14th.
ReplyDeleteMort Kunstler did the artwork for all six. Sadly, a very short lived series from the mid-1960s.
Yeah, it's a fabulous series Paul. The box art is just stunning.
DeleteI have Willie Mays' autograph on a piece of notebook paper somewhere in my attic.He just kind of appeared at my high school at the end of my '86 school year.Apparently,a last- minute arrangement and very few people knew about it.I was there after school hours because I was serving detention,for clowning around in class
ReplyDeleteWow, Brian. Kudos! That must be very collectable! It pays to clown around maybe!
DeleteI have never heard of any of the players or teams in the story so I assume it is a work of fiction. I wouldn't mind reading the rest of it though.
ReplyDeleteIt may be online somewhere. The page number is mentioned.
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