Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2020 October 14

= October 14 =

What was the "Philadelphia All-Professional foot ball team" (1903)?
I came across the article Oscar Lang, which states that he "...played with the Philadelphia All-Pro team," and here is the reference provided. However, when searching for such a team, I find nothing. Does anyone have any information about this team, such as what league they were in? ~EdGl  talk  01:19, 14 October 2020 (UTC)

Edit: Could it have been the Frankford Athletic Association? reference from that article ~EdGl   talk  01:30, 14 October 2020 (UTC)


 * A better guess may be the 1903 Philadelphia Athletics Football Team, which played in the 1902 National Football League and then barnstormed the next year. There's an article here on the history of that league.  It should be noted that professional football was a new concept in 1902, and the designation of a team as an "All-Professional Foot Ball team" probably meant that he played on a team consisting of entirely paid athletes, it was a descriptor and not a nickname, and the term "All-Pro" for an all-star team was also unknown at the time.  I can't find any record of the team's roster (records are scant from the time) but if I were to hazard a guess, that would be the best option.  If you really want to research this, I would recommend the [Professional Football Researchers Association].  They have been around a long time, and they are the foremost experts on the early days of American football.  I used them extensively (along with the work of David M. Nelson on the college side) when researching the writing I did for History of American Football.  If they don't know, nobody does.  I've never directly contacted them for help with researching a topic (I mostly used their published works) but they have a "contact us" page, and may respond to requests like this.  Who knows, such a request they may find interesting enough to help you work it out.  -- Jayron 32 12:09, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * In Newspapers.com (pay site), there are various references to the Philadelphia Athletics football team, which to no surprise was operated by Connie Mack. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:27, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks Jayron32 and Baseball Bugs! Do either of you (or anyone reading) have access to newspapers.com? I searched "oscar lang" "philadelphia athletics" and this promising newspaper clipping came up... please let me know if it sheds any light. (In the meantime I may contact the organization Jayron suggested.) Thanks again! ~EdGl   talk  15:44, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * It mentions his name, under "Baseball Notes", but all it says is, "Oscar Lang surprised many of the fans when he appeared at Front and Union Streets yesterday." I suppose that made sense at the time. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:16, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * There's a Front Street and a Union Street in Philadelphia but they don't intersect. They are roughly parallel with Front running North-South along the Delaware River and continuing up into North Philadelphia.  Union Street is out in West Philadelphia near the Art Museum and the Zoo, between 39th and 49th street (Front is the start of the numbering system, so is the putative "First Street").  What city was that in?  -- Jayron 32 11:59, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
 * The newspaper was published in Wilmington, Delaware. They have a Front and Union, except that part of Front is called Lancaster. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:57, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Ah. Wilmington is quite close to Philadelphia.  That would make sense.  It's quite possible that in the early 1900s, it was still called Front Street.  -- Jayron 32 06:12, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

"I'm Dick Tracy and you're still under arrest!"
In that scene from A View to a Kill where the San Francisco Police Department captain tries to arrest James Bond, when he says this does it mean that he's actually identifying himself as Dick Tracy, or is he simply mocking Bond as an alleged impostor (as in, "If you're James Bond then I'm Dick Tracy")? 2601:646:8A01:B180:B4FB:DB65:63C7:7AC2 (talk) 07:04, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * From what I gathered reading online script segments and watching the video of the scene, U.S. Police Captain (played by actor Joe Flood), tells Bond (Roger Moore): "You're under arrest." Stacey Sutton (played by Tanya Roberts) explains: "Wait a minute, this is James Stock of the London Financial times." Bond further explains: "Well, actually, captain, I'm with the British Secret Service. The name is Bond, James Bond." A humorous back and forth commences: U.S. Police Captain: "Is he?" Stacey Sutton: "Are you?" James Bond: "Yes." To which the Police Captiain replies sarcastically: "And I'm Dick Tracy and you're still under arrest!" Given the writing, and the acting (tone), humor, I would definitely say that the Police Captain was mocking Bond. Plus, it seems to be quite a famous Bond film line often referenced. Maineartists (talk) 12:42, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Certainly sarcastic. And is that the only place in the movie where he states that iconic line? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:26, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * This line confused me when I was younger, because it seems to imply that James Bond is famous in-universe, so that claiming to be James Bond is equivalent to claiming to be Dick Tracy. (And in some of the 1970s movies, Bond does indeed seem to be a celebrity spy whom everyone knows by reputation.) But another interpretation is just that the police captain is saying he doesn't care who this man claims to be, his identity is of no importance and he's under arrest regardless. L ANTZY T ALK 16:48, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I'm not the world's biggest 007 fan, but it seems to be standard that almost everyone he meets already knows him to some degree. He rarely uses a pseudonym. Being world-famous, at least within certain circles, would seem to be singularly incompatible for a spy, but I'm not sure he is a spy in the usual sense. He's an special forces agent, certainly, but his adventures are typically light on actual espionage. Matt Deres (talk) 18:00, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * They may know his name, but do they know he has license to kill? (Hence the 00 prefix) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:08, 14 October 2020 (UTC)


 * Reminds me of a line in, i think, Wonder Woman (the tv series): "Oh, you're [character obviously based on Howard Hughes]? Well I'm John D. Rockefeller, and I don't even take my own checks!" (The actor speaking that line was my father-in-law.)  —Tamfang (talk) 02:43, 16 October 2020 (UTC)
 * In a biography of Brooks Robinson, it told of his early days with the Orioles and how he and a teammate or two showed up at Yankee Stadium, wanting to check it out. He told the guard he was the Orioles' starting third baseman. The guard said, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Babe Ruth!" ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:45, 16 October 2020 (UTC)
 * [un-indent] Thanks, everyone! So it's just like I thought -- he was only mocking/being sarcastic!  2601:646:8A01:B180:A80C:BCAA:FAFC:F345 (talk) 06:26, 16 October 2020 (UTC)