Charley Chase's terrific 1940 two-reeler THE HECKLER---sadly unavailable on DVD as of this writing---not only showcased Chase's talent for obnoxious élan (observed to scene-stealing effect in the 1934 Laurel&Hardy classic SONS OF THE DESERT), it also provided a legendary catcall well known to baseball fans who might not know its origin in THE HECKLER. Charley's piercing outcry---the prototype of that single voice that rises above the crowd noise at any baseball game---hilariously causes a hitter to swing and miss so violently that he nearly screws himself into the ground! He rights himself and angrily searches the crowd for the offending fan, only to be subjected to more of the same from the triumphantly cackling Charley! I recall that this short would turn up often on TV during my youth, giving rise to an epidemic outbreak from Little League benches of Chase's batter-rattling psyche-out:
"Watch 'im MISS it!!"
Great stuff---whose attribution has been lost in the churn of pop culture.
"Watch 'im MISS it!!"
Great stuff---whose attribution has been lost in the churn of pop culture.