The home run king was the darling of Hollywood, but it was a tennis player who turned his head.
by Rich Watson
During the 50s, Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner was often seen with celebrities. He was friends with team co-owner Bing Crosby, and his picture was taken with leading ladies from Hollywood he dated such as Elizabeth Taylor.
He would marry four times in his life, though. His first wife was tennis star Nancy Chaffee.
The hero of a losing team
Kiner played for the Pirates, Cubs and Indians throughout his career but mostly for the Pirates. He led the National League in homers seven times and finished with 369 total, more than Joe DiMaggio, Bobby Bonds and ex-teammate and mentor Hank Greenberg. There was a Ralph Kiner comic book.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Pirates during this era were poor. When legendary executive and notorious cheapskate Branch Rickey became general manager in
1950, he turned Kiner into the club scapegoat, in part due to his $90,000 salary.
In 1952 the team lost 112 games. Rickey tried to cut Kiner’s salary but Kiner refused, leading Rickey to respond, “Son, we can finish last without you.” The next year Rickey traded him.
Kiner finished his career as a six-time All-Star and a Hall of Famer. In 1962, he began a second career as a broadcaster for the expansion Mets. He spent over fifty years with the team. He was very quotable.
Kiner and the ladies of Hollywood
Through Crosby, Kiner hobnobbed with quite a few movie stars. In 1949, Kiner met Taylor when the two attended the premiere of Twelve O’Clock High at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. They ate at an after-party in Beverly Hills.
At one point he had a house in Palm Springs and was neighbors with Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz and Frank Sinatra. Kiner was linked in the gossip pages to Ava Gardner, Jane Russell and even Marilyn Monroe.
In 1951, Crosby and Kiner made cameo appearances in Angels in the Outfield, a film about how divine intervention turns the Pirates into winners. Kiner met Janet Leigh, the movie’s co-star, while filming. They dated for a time.
They all paled in comparison, however, when Kiner met Chaffee.
Chaffee emerges as a contender
The daughter of a tennis instructor (her first lesson was at age nine), Chaffee first got noticed in 1947 when she won the US girls lawn tennis singles and doubles titles.
She attended the University of Southern California but had to play with the men. At the time there was no women’s tennis team.
Then, in 1950, she made it to the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the semifinals at the tournament known today as the US Open. She also won the US Women’s Indoor Championships. By 1951 she was fourth-ranked in the world.
Kiner and Chaffee tie the knot
Kiner and Chaffee met in late 1950, when the two were guests on an LA sports program on television. Sparks flew, and by the fall of 1951 they were married in Santa Barbara. Greenberg was the best man.
Here’s footage of Kiner and Chaffee at their wedding reception. They honeymooned in Acapulco.
They stayed together for seventeen years and had three children.
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Did you ever see Kiner or Chaffee play?
I remember their names and their fame, but not the details. I enjoyed reading this article. That Palm Springs lifestyle certainly sounds appealing.
ReplyDeleteIt’s surprising baseball didn’t expand to the west coast sooner.
ReplyDeleteWonderful footage of their wedding reception. They both look over-the-moon happy, which is always heartwarming to see.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I like the new blog! Hope all is well on the writing front.
Hi Ruth. Good to see you here. Glad you like the new blog.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at the number of big-name Hollywood actresses linked to Ralph Kiner. One doesn’t often hear him discussed in the same breath as Mantle or Aaron or Mays, so researching him this way gave me a better idea of his popularity back then.