In 42, Wendell Smith (played by Andre Holland) introduces himself to Jackie Robinson by telling him he’ll be his Boswell. In that pivotal early time of Robinson’s injection into the all-white world of the top levels of professional baseball, however, Smith ended up being much more than that. This is a wire photo of the real Wendell Smith meeting Robinson at a football game in October 1945. In the film, their first meeting comes about four months later at the start of spring training. Knowing of this discrepancy should not detract from your enjoyment of the picture. (For more Jackie Robinson-related items, look here.)
The real Wendell Smith
eBay Item of the Day
