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Documentary “39 Seconds” of inductee Donaldson set for summer release

Donaldson-39 Seconds

A 400-game winner who also struck out more than 5,000 batters in the Negro Leagues after growing up in north central Missouri has long been championed by The Donaldson Network.  The organization is ramping up efforts even further in hopes Cooperstown gives the man a second look for induction.

The documentary film “39 Seconds” about Glasgow’s John Donaldson is due to be released this summer, but The Donaldson Network is asking for baseball fans’ donations to help cover production costs, network founder Peter Gorton said Thursday, the start of a 20-day countdown for fundraising.

“We are attempting to open the eyes of America to the greatness of John Donaldson,” says Gorton. “This story is about more than just baseball and athletic achievement. It is about restoring American history by telling about John Donaldson’s perseverance in the days of the color barrier. We need help to bring this story to a wider audience.”

The film (www.39Secondsfilm.com) could enhance the Glasgow native’s chances of induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which in 2006 inducted 17 representatives of the Negro Leagues. Donaldson was a finalist but missed the cut; in 2017 the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted the left-handed pitcher posthumously.

Accepting Donaldson’s plaque last spring Gorton said about John Donaldson, ”They will tell us we are wrong…they will say he was not good enough…They will say he played against weak sub-par competition.  We will say John Donaldson was a credit to his race…a credit to his family…a credit to all of Missouri.”

 

Visit www.39Secondsfilm.com to contribute to this effort.

 

The Donaldson Network has assembled 5,500 press references from 25 states to bring his career to life. A left-hander, Donaldson was considered the equal to famed Negro Leagues pitcher Satchel Paige. The pitcher won 404 games and struck out 5,034 batters between 1908 and 1941 and was part of the inaugural Kansas City Monarchs. He later became the first African-American full-time scout in the big leagues when he was hired by the Chicago White Sox in 1949.

The film is titled “39 Seconds” is derived from the only known film footage of Donaldson in a 1925 game. It is being directed by Paul Irmiter and subtitled, “The true life story of John Wesley Donaldson the Greatest Colored Pitcher in the World.”