Don Newcombe

As seen through the eyes of true baseball enthusiasts, this award-winning documentary tells the story of America's favorite pastime from the Depression to the 1950s, using footage shot from the movie cameras of fans and players. From the first color filming of a baseball game to the 1938 World Series and through the careers of legends such as Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, the film thoroughly explores the history of baseball in America.

Throughout the 1900's, before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1946, black baseball talent blossomed in the Negro Leagues. Baseball buffs still sing the praises of Josh Gibson who could be counted on to hit 70 homeruns in a season, and Satchel Paige who pitched over 100 no-hitters in his career. Only the Ball Was White pays tribute to the many topflight players from the Negro Leagues. Narrated by actor Paul Winfield, the program documents a bygone bittersweet era in baseball and the men who were denied stardom by the color line. Ballplayers throughout the country were interviewed for this program, all of them quick to tell tales of the life, the competition, and the camaraderie. These include: Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Buck Leonard, Jimmy Crutchfield, David Malarcher, Effa Manley, and Quincy Trouppe.

This documentary chronicles the 1955 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees and is based on the poem "1955" by James T. Crawford.