Punctuation Dugout

Jim plays umpire in this legendary skit illustrating punctuation marks. Skip is the catcher, and Hattie plays the batter. As a director I have to say this entire sketch was miraculous. Two impossible things happened that normally require several dozen takes to get right - and both occurred in a single take! The miraculous items are: a) Hattie actually hits the ball perfectly on cue, and b) The ball thrown by someone off-set hits Jim squarely on the head. Try to reproduce this scene on videotape with friends at home and you'll get a sense what the odds were against this skit coming together this smoothly. Hats off to director Bob Schwartz, who probably helmed this, and to Jim for one of his best performances.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• raposofan
• umpire
• baseball
• jim
• hattie
• skip

[swarlock]

Yes. He is. He recently did intros from The 2nd series Electric Company DVD Box Set

and I got a letter from him last year.

[quirpco]

I know - I love the guy. Is he still alive?

[swarlock]

Jim Boyd can do it all.

[jeopardy60611]

Hattie's bat is so big--that's why she was able to hit the ball so well. That's much bigger than a regulation bat.

[jeopardy60611]

No wonder she wants to put a question mark after every single call--that umpire is calling everything wrong. The strike was outside, and the ball was dead-center. I'd question the calls too, with loud question marks!!!!!!!

She hits a grounder, and the sound effect doesn't seem to go well with it. But since I only noticed that after watching it several times, and I don't think the kids would care, it's still a cool skit.

[mrjimmyg]

Jim Boyd was the man. Jim Boyd was the man? Jim Boyd was the man!

[ebf1957]

Great skit.

[heine71]

Hit. Hit? Hit!