Joe DiMaggio

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Joe DiMaggio : biography

November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999

Comics/graphic novels

  • DC Comics’ 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso:
    • "The Counterfifth Detective", DiMaggio is recruited by Graves for the Minutemen May 28, 2010.
    • "Idol Chatter", the former baseball player befriended by Graves is based on DiMaggio May 28, 2010.
  • DC Comics’ "Sandman Mystery Theater" Issue #1 (also collected in Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 1: The Tarantula, which contains issues 1-4).
  • Harvey Comics’ Babe Ruth Sports Comics (August 1949) May 28, 2010.
  • Parents’ Magazine’s True Comics #71 (May 1948) May 28, 2010.
  • Revolutionary Comics’ "Baseball Legends: Joe DiMaggio" (July 1992) May 28, 2010.

Literature

  • "Buck Wischnewski" is based on him in Alvah Bessie’s novel The Symbol
  • "The Athlete" is based on him in Joyce Carol Oates’s novel Blonde
  • "The Old Man And The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway makes repeated references to "the great DiMaggio."
  • Hanoch Piven’s What Athletes are Made Of, 2006, features Joe DiMaggio (ISBN 1-4169-1002-6).

Music

  • Billy Bragg and Woody Guthrie’s "DiMaggio Done It Again."
  • Les Brown & His Band of Renown’s "Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio". Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio, Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  • Bon Jovi’s "Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars" references DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe.
  • Mike Plume’s "DiMaggio."
  • Dan Bern’s "Wasteland."
  • Abie Rotenberg’s "The Great Joe DiMaggio’s Card."
  • Simon & Garfunkel’s "Mrs. Robinson" asks "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away." DiMaggio later complained about this, saying he had not gone anywhere. He retracted his complaint after meeting with Paul Simon, who told him the meaning behind the lyric.
  • Kinky Friedman’s "Marilyn & Joe" references DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe.
  • Billy Joel’s song "We Didn’t Start The Fire."
  • John Fogerty’s song "Centerfield."
  • Tori Amos’s song "Father Lucifer," in which Joe and Marilyn are referenced. "Does Joe bring flowers to Marilyn’s grave"
  • Rodgers and Hammerstein’s song "Bloody Mary" from the stage musical "South Pacific" 1949 had the lyrics "her skin is tender as DiMaggio’s glove."
  • Madonna’s song Vogue mentions DiMaggio in its rap section.
  • Demi Lovato’s song "Without the Love" has the lyrics "You try to take me home like you’re DiMaggio."

Movies

  • In Paddy Chayefsky’s cinema release The Goddess, the character of "Dutch Seymour" is based on him in, played by Lloyd Bridges.
  • In the cinema release Insignificance, the character of "The Ballplayer" is based on him, played by Gary Busey.
  • In the TV movie "61*" (2001), he is portrayed by Michael Nouri
  • In the TV movie "The Rat Pack" (1998), he is portrayed by John Diehl
  • In the TV movie "Norma Jean & Marilyn", he is portrayed by Peter Dobson
  • In the TV movie "Marilyn & Me" (1991), he is portrayed by Sal Landi
  • In the TV movie "Marilyn: The Untold Story" (1980), he is portrayed by Frank Converse
  • In the cinema release, Wonder Boys: the character of James steals the jacket that Marilyn Monroe wore the day she married DiMaggio. The jacket belonged to the character of Walter Gaskell, who is obsessed with the DiMaggio-Monroe marriage.

Television

  • "The Bronx Is Burning", DiMaggio is played by Christopher McDonald.
  • In the TV mini-series "Blonde" (2001), he is played by Titus Welliver (as The Baseball Player).
  • Smash: centred around a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, which features DiMaggio as a main character.
  • The Flintstones: "Kleptomaniac Pebbles", Fred tells Wilma Bamm Bamm "could be another Joe DiRockio" after fielding Bamm Bamm’s hit sent Fred sliding across the house and under the kitchen sink.
  • Frasier: "Room Full of Heroes", Martin dresses as DiMaggio, his boyhood hero.
  • I Love Lucy: "Lucy is Enceinte", Fred gives Lucy a baseball signed by DiMaggio.
  • Mad Men: "Six Month Leave", Hollis tells Peggy and Don that he is thinking of DiMaggio in the wake of Monroe’s death.
  • Saturday Night Live, (Season 26, Episode 4), Jimmy Fallon as DiMaggio and Charlize Theron as Monroe.
  • Second City Television, (Series 4, Cycle 3–9), Bill Murray plays DiMaggio in a faux commercial "DiMaggio’s on the Wharf" with Eugene Levy as Dom DiMaggio, and Martin Short as Vince DiMaggio.
  • Seinfeld: "The Note", (season 3 episode 1) Kramer insists to Jerry, George, and Elaine that DiMaggio patronizes Dinky Donuts and dunks them in his coffee; Jerry, however, doesn’t believe him. Kramer sees DiMaggio have a donut at the coffee shop, but he’s not sure it is actually DiMaggio and tries to get his attention but to no avail. The episode ends with the four of them confirming it is DiMaggio and dunks his donuts; George makes a remark on DiMaggio’s "handsomeness" that ties up with George’s homophobia through the whole episode and Kramer once again tries to get DiMaggio’s attention.
  • The Simpsons: "’Tis the Fifteenth Season", Mr. Burns gives Homer a DiMaggio rookie card.
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "If Wishes Were Horses", Sisko’s favorite player breaks DiMaggio’s hitting streak. record
  • 61*: In Billy Crystal’s film chronicling the Roger Maris-Mickey Mantle home run chase of 1961, DiMaggio appears briefly in the Yankee clubhouse, portrayed by Michael Nouri.