Today’s mail brought a photograph featuring #13 for the Bruins escorting a female ball carrier toward the end zone. Oh, and of course #13 on the Bruins is none other than the great…wait a minute!
Despite the jersey, this most definitely is not Kenny Washington! In reality, the photo features actor-comedian Joe E. Brown along with co-star Martha Raye in a scene from the 1939 Paramount film “$1,000 A Touchdown!”
Before you dismiss the #13 Bruins jersey as coincidental, it should be known that Brown, one of America’s biggest stars at the time, was a huge Kenny Washington fan and one of the UCLA athletic department’s biggest boosters. (In fact the baseball team’s first stadium was Joe E. Brown Stadium.
The back of the photograph includes a “Paramount Photo” stamp at the bottom and this caption at the top.
PERFECT INTERFERENCE –
Martha Raye could ask no better protection for her march down the gridiron than her co-star, Joe E. Brown, in their new Paramount film, “1,000 A Touchdown.” If any opposing player gets obstreperous, Brown might simply swallow him.”
While the caption may read a bit odd today, Brown’s main shtick was a mouth he could open impossibly wide.
Two of his trading cards from 1935 emphasize the point.
Now, back to Brown’s #13 UCLA jersey. Despite his love of Kenny, there are at least two reasons why it was a surprising choice for the actor. I’ll get to that part soon enough, but first, here’s a bit more on Brown himself.
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Though Brown played a football player in “$1,000 A Touchdown,” Brown’s favorite sport was baseball, as no shortage of ballplayer roles among his film credits can attest. Here he is, for example, playing a Chicago Cub in “Alibi Ike” (1935) along side the future Ricardo neighbor Fred Mertz—okay, William Frawley.
However, Brown didn’t simply play baseball on the big screen. He played in real life, accomplishing a feat in the Pacific Coast League likely never seen before or since.
On September 22, 1935, the final day of the season, a 43-year-old Brown, who at one point had turned down an offer from the Red Sox, umpired a PCL game between the Mission Reds and Hollywood Stars AND took the mound to strike out the game’s final batter.
To my knowledge, Brown has never appeared on a baseball card, though the above feat would have fit the 1974 Fleer “Baseball’s Wildest Days and Plays” set perfectly. Nonetheless, Brown does get a mention on the back of the 1951 Bowman Thurman Tucker card!
“Thurman, a bespectacled outfielder who looks a lot like Joe E. Brown of the movies…”
Now that they mention it, dear God!
Returning to Brown’s third of an inning of work, his battery mate, hitting third in the Mission lineup that day, was future Hollywood studio exec Mike “M.J.” Frankovich, who played five seasons of minor league ball, earning two baseball cards. He also just happened to be Brown’s adopted son!
However, Frankovich was not Brown’s only son to make it big in professional sports. Another son. Joe L. Brown, was a first-rate baseball executive who succeeded Branch Rickey as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and built World Series winners in 1960 and 1971.
Coincidentally, the younger Brown also earned mention on a baseball card back, or more specifically I guess, a baseball pog!
But finally it’s time to get back to that “$1,000 A Touchdown” photo and the Kenny Washington jersey! Why was it such an odd choice for Brown? After all, Kenny was the top player in the nation and the greatest Bruin of all time!
Two reasons really: Mike and Joe.
In addition to the accomplishments mentioned, Brown’s sons Mike and Joe played varsity football at UCLA! Mike, now in the school’s Hall of Fame, was the quarterback from 1932-34, and Joe Jr was an end (receiver) on the 1938 squad.
So yeah, Joe Sr. chose Kenny over his own kids!
“Quick question from wardrobe, Mr. Brown. Do you wanna be 55 like Mike or 19 like Junior?”
“C’mon, Doris! You know I’m all about the Kingfish!”
And I thought I was a little too into Kenny Washington. Compared to Joe E. Brown, I got nothing!
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1939 Bruins: Tribute to a Legendary Team 
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