'''Alibi Ike''' is a series of short stories written by
Ring Lardner and first published in the ''
Saturday Evening Post'' on
July 31,
1915. The story is about Frank X. Farrell, a baseball player who continually makes excuses for everything that goes wrong or right. For example, when asked what he batted last year, Farrell says that he had had
malaria most of the season, which is why he hit
only .356.
The stories were made into a
1935 screwball comedy movie starring
Joe E. Brown and
Olivia De Havilland (in her film debut). In the adaptation, ace baseball player Frank X. Farrell is nicknamed "Alibi Ike" due to his penchant for making up excuses. Farrell falls in love with Dolly Stevens, played by De Havilland. Farrell is kidnapped by gangsters to stop him from pitching. The film is considered one of the better baseball comedies.
Ring Lardner is said to have patterned Alibi Ike after baseball player
King Cole.
External links
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Text of "Alibi Ike"
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