This HBO documentary is based on a highly original idea: tell the story of baseball from the Great Depression era through the late 1950s using footage from home-movie cameras shot by fans and players. The result is a marvelous look at baseball in America as seen from the ground--the culture of stadiums, the ritual of afternoon games, the spiritually sustaining rivalries. Among the truly unexpected sights is color footage of the 1938 World Series, not only from inside the stadium walls but from the street as traffic cops, crowds, and vehicles amassed. It also covers World War II's impact on the game, and, of course, the heroes, often caught in relaxed, unselfconscious moments.

Arguably more defined and even more lyrical than its predecessor, When It Was a Game 2 moves from a general celebration of baseball culture in America to a specific focus on various facets of the game's history, including the special relationship between game announcers and fans and the farm-team system during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. Brooklyn's assimilation of the Dodgers into their community identity is covered quite winningly as is the heartbreak of the team's desertion to California. Last, the film takes us on a tour of some of the game's legends and presents a touching tribute to the extraordinary Babe Ruth. --Tom Keogh

Great Video

Bought this product for my Dad for Father's Day. He really loved the trip down nostalgia lane.

When it was a Game-Triple Play

Great collection of DVD's showing all the old time baseball parks. Great time to buy since it is Baseball season. Home videos are priceless!!

Triple Play! But Not Quite An Unassisted One

An engrossing three pack of DVDs that shows color film of stars from the Thirties thru the Sixties - there were a few too many "odes to baseball" for me and not enuff ID of the players in the first two DVDs, which made the last disc the most enjoyable for me because more players were identified (and I guess I recognized them better, too) - it would've been even better if HBO had taken the time to identify the other players in the film - sure, we all know Babe and Mickey and Ted, etc. when we see them but it would've been great to see identification of "lesser" players (by "lesser" I mean players we dont recognize right off). But still, plaudits to HBO for doing this series when they did - much better than anything that Burns series did for baseball, which had far too many "odes to New York" for my tastes.