“Hey, Abbott! It’s the Silk Sox!”
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello perform "Who's on First?"
Look closely in the background – can you see what’s written on the outfield wall?
In the 1945 film, The Naughty Nineties, Bud Abbott and Costello reprised their iconic baseball comedy routine, “Who’s on First?” – an act enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. During the scene, Abbott is dressed in a “St. Louis Wolves” turn-of-the-20th century uniform; Costello wears a bow tie and vest, sport coat and slacks – a lovable rube seeking to play on the team.
Behind the comedians is a movie flat of players on a baseball field in front of large buildings. Written across the outfield fence (though obscured by the painted players) are the words “Paterson Silk Socks” – Costello’s homage to the team he loved.
In his movies and TV shows, Costello, a proud Patersonian, often mentioned his beloved city. The “Paterson Silk Socks” written on the wall surely referred to the Doherty Silk Sox (out-of-town newspapers often referred to the team as the “Paterson Silk Sox”). Though they played in Clifton a few blocks from the Paterson border, Costello likely referred to the Silk Sox this way.
Bennie Borgmann (left) and Paddy Smith
Another reason Costello told the set builders to paint his favorite team’s name on the flat was Bennie Borgmann played for the Silk Sox.
“Bennah” was Costello’s hero. As a teenager, Lou would meet Borgmann before his basketball games at the Paterson Armory and carry his bag inside, earning free admission. Costello, a local foul-shooting champion, also swept the armory court. In the mid-twenties, when Borgmann was playing as the Silk Sox’s regular shortstop, Costello was in the Doherty Oval stands.
Borgmann was a better basketball player and later elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame. He also nearly made it to baseball’s major leagues. After sorting out his eligibility issues with Commissioner Judge Mountain Landis over his association with the Silk Sox, Bennie played 14 seasons of minor league baseball – missing out on becoming the St. Louis Cardinals starting shortstop in 1934 after contracting pneumonia.
Lou Costello
Borgmann then worked as a scout, coach and manager for the Cardinals for 32 years, guiding future skippers like Walter Alston and Danny Murtaugh, and players such as Marty Marion and Wally Moon. He also scouted for other major league teams and coached basketball at St. Michael’s and Muhlenberg Colleges, dying in 1978 at age 78.
Lou Costello never forgot him.