Alibi Ike



Alibi Ike is a series of short stories written by Ring Lardner and first published in the Saturday Evening Post on July 31, 1915. The story is about Frank X. Farrell, a baseball player who continually makes excuses for everything that goes wrong or right. For example, when asked what he batted last year, Farrell says that he had had malaria most of the season, which is why he hit only .356.

The stories were made into a 1935 screwball comedy movie starring Joe E. Brown and Olivia de Havilland. In the adaptation, ace baseball player Frank X. Farrell is nicknamed "Alibi Ike" due to his penchant for making up excuses. Farrell falls in love with Dolly Stevens, played by de Havilland. Farrell is kidnapped by gangsters to stop him from pitching. The film is considered one of the better baseball comedies.