Charlie Grimm
A first baseman and manager whose unshakable cheer and folksy charm made 'Jolly Cholly' a beloved fixture of Chicago Cubs baseball for over four decades.
1898–1983 (age 85)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: August 28·The Lost Generation
Biography
Charlie Grimm's career was a love affair with the Chicago Cubs, punctuated by a banjo and a grin. Traded to the Cubs in 1925, his slick fielding at first base and consistent hitting helped propel the team to three National League pennants. But his true impact came as a leader. As a player-manager and later full-time manager, his optimistic, easygoing demeanor—earning him the nickname 'Jolly Cholly'—defined the club's culture. He famously played the banjo and led sing-alongs in the clubhouse and on train trips. Grimm managed the Cubs to the 1935 pennant and, after a stint broadcasting, returned to the dugout in the 1960s. More than his win-loss record, he was baseball's ambassador of goodwill, a link to the game's playful, pre-television soul who believed joy was part of the strategy.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Charlie was born in 1898, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charlie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1898
Charlie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1898Born
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1903Started school
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Became a teenager
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could drive
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Could vote
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Turned 21
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 30
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 40
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 50
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 60
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 70
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 80
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Died at 85
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
Key Achievements
- Played as the starting first baseman for the Chicago Cubs in three World Series (1929, 1932, 1935).
- Managed the Cubs to the National League pennant in 1935.
- Had a lengthy second career as a popular baseball radio broadcaster for the Cubs.
Did You Know?
He was a skilled banjo player and would often entertain teammates with music.
He briefly came out of retirement to play a few games for the Boston Braves in 1936 at the age of 37.
Grimm was also a minor league owner, co-owning the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association before they became a major league team.
“You can't win a ballgame with a long face in the dugout.”
