Joe DiMaggio

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), was an American baseball player.

Legacy

DiMaggio was used by artists as a touchstone in popular culture, not only during his career, but decades later. He is mentioned in the South Pacific song "Bloody Mary." "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" was recorded during his hitting streak by Les Brown. In Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, Philip Marlowe follows the streak, which Chandler uses as a metaphor for good in Marlowe's debased world. A generation later, Simon and Garfunkel used him in that same vein in "Mrs. Robinson". The literal-minded DiMaggio was reportedly not fond of the lyric "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you" as he was very much alive and well.

Related Topics:
South Pacific - Les Brown - Raymond Chandler - Farewell, My Lovely - Philip Marlowe - Simon and Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson

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Woody Guthrie wrote a song about DiMaggio's stunning performance in a crucial series against the Boston Red Sox in June 1949, when surgery for bone spurs in his right heel had kept him out of the Yankees' first 65 games and threatened his career. It is during this period Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is set, the worshipful Santiago drawing courage from his hero's ordeal. He "appears" in a episode of Seinfeld, where Kramer tries to convince the gang that he saw him at Dinky Donuts. He is even referenced in the Porky Pig/Daffy Duck cartoon Boobs in the Woods.

Related Topics:
Woody Guthrie - Boston Red Sox - Ernest Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea - Seinfeld - Porky Pig - Daffy Duck

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He turned down large sums of money to appear in movies, but did appear in the original "Angels in the Outfield" (1951) and a scene in "The First of May" (filmed in 1997). According to its director, DiMaggio refused to accept payment, as its subject, foster children, was dear to his heart, but Screen Actors Guild rules mandated he take the minimum $250 per day fee.

Related Topics:
1997 - Screen Actors Guild

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He was admired by his peers as a consummate professional, refusing to rest on his talent, working constantly to improve, and playing in spite of tremendous pain and injuries. On July 21, 1969, DiMaggio was named the greatest living player at a gala celebrating baseball's 100th anniversary.

Related Topics:
July 21 - 1969

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No doubt, his place in American culture would have been different had he not become involved with Monroe, and had she not died young and under tragic circumstances. His refusal to "cash in" on their union enhanced his standing with the public.

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On September 19, 1992, the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital opened, for which he raised over $4,000,000. Elián González was taken there after he was rescued off the coast of Miami on what would have been DiMaggio's 85th birthday.

Related Topics:
September 19 - 1992 - Elián González - Miami

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Yankee Stadium's fifth monument was dedicated to DiMaggio on April 25, 1999. The Yankees wore 5's (DiMaggio's uniform number) on their uniforms for the entire 1999 season.

Related Topics:
Yankee Stadium - April 25 - 1999

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