The Kings of October & The Duke

During my career in the performing arts, I spent some time in Hollywood. While there, I wrote a screenplay on spec about the First World Series in 1903.

In 1903, there was only one baseball league, the National League, which was formed circa 1850. A sportscaster, Ban Johnson, decided It was time to form a second league, and against the wishes of all Nation Leaguers, Johnson organized The American
League.

Johnson put together a stellar team to head The American League and called it the Boston Pilgrims which later became the Boston Red Sox.

Johnson’s team included some top players: Cy Young; Jimmy Collins, star 1st baseman and later Hall of Famer; Chief Bender, American Indian, also a pitcher and left fielder and Hall of Famer; Dummy Hoy, deaf/mute and center fielder; and Germany Schaefer. (I added some of these colorful characters of the era to spice up the story, but the basic events were true).

The fans of the National League hated the new team and the new league. There were fights and some stadiums were burned down. The whole 1903 year was one of discord and violence.

The Pilgrims went on to beat the Pittsburg Pirates in the First World Series with Bill Dineen winning 4 games and Cy Young 3 games for the new Boston team. 

I knew a guy who lived in New Port Beach next to John Wayne who got my script, The Kings of October, to him and his film company, Batjac Productions. The Duke loved it (He was to play the part of Jimmy Collins who managed the Boston team), and they optioned the film. 

He said he wanted to do one last major film, but we were too late. He passed on before we could go into production.