"Casey at the Bat" On The Horn performing at The Rucker Archive

Most everyone knows 'Casey At The Bat,' but only a few know it was first performed by DeWolf Hopper, a New York based actor.‘Hey! You’ve got this one in the wrong category,' one could say.  'Where's the baseball?' you might ask.  It's hidden, behind a stage career. His vaudevillian skills were well reported, his singing, dancing and stage production skills legendary.  He was among the top in his field in all forms of drama.  And, as this cabinet card attests to the man's comedic talent, so we can imagine that his recitation of the famous poem was electrifying, and hilarious.  Though Hopper is said to have recited 'Casey' over ten thousand times, we do not have such a revealing photo of him playing Casey - only a short film of the recitation made in 1923, Hopper aged 65.But back to the horn playing.  Taking one look at this guy, there is no doubt he would crack up an audience.  The Falk celebrity photographers at Union Square in New York did well by Hopper in this photograph.  No joy in clownville on that day, mighty Casey had blown out.