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Primary sourceDocumentary1920

Headin' Home

Lawrence C. Windom · 1920

A 1920 silent film in which Babe Ruth starred as a fictionalized version of himself, an early attempt to market him as a movie star.

Ruth starred as a fictionalized version of himself, an early effort to market him as a celebrity beyond baseball.

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Trade magazine advertisement for the 1920 film Headin' Home starring Babe Ruth. Left: an illustrated cartoon of a batter in pinstripes with a bat, numbered 54. Large text reads Babe Ruth in Headin' Home. Below: a still of a man in a work shirt grinning beside a woman in a wide-brimmed hat by a fence. Text reads a delightful photoplay of youth and happiness.
Advertisement for Headin' Home (1920), starring Babe Ruth. Exhibitors Herald, October 16, 1920.

About this source

What it is

Headin' Home is a 1920 American silent film directed by Lawrence C. Windom, with a screenplay by Arthur 'Bugs' Baer. Babe Ruth plays a fictionalized version of himself, alongside actors including Ruth Taylor and William Sheer. The story invents a small-town background and loving family life for Ruth that did not match his real childhood, which he spent largely in a Baltimore reformatory. The final scenes use footage of the Polo Grounds, the Yankees' home field at the time.

Why it matters

The film shows how early filmmakers and marketers built a myth around Ruth, turning his real life into a wholesome, feel-good story. It is an early example of a sports star being used in the growing movie industry, showing how fame could be packaged and sold to the public beyond the ballpark.

Look closer

  • Why might filmmakers have changed the true story of Ruth's childhood for this film?
  • What does this fictionalized version reveal about what audiences wanted from their sports heroes?
  • How does comparing the film's story to Ruth's real life change how you read this source?

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