For half a century African American baseball players had their own leagues. These rare pieces of unedited silent footage of Negro American League players, shot in September 1946 at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, focus on the amazing Reece Goose Tatum (1921 - 67) of the Indianapolis Clowns. Tatum and his teammates warm up with comic routines followed by a game against the Kansas City Monarchs.

From the 1920's through the 1940's various Negro Leagues flourished, embracing more than 50 teams. The Clowns also entertained with comedy along the lines of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball skills. The Clowns twice won the league's Eastern Division title and in 1952 featured future home-run king Henry Aaron at shortstop.

The origin of the film is unknown, but it was obviously taken to showcase the skills of Goose Tatum in uniform 15. Tatum was even more astonishing later on the basketball court for the Harlem Globetrotters.