Harry Danning (nicknamed Harry the Horse; September 6, 1911 – November 29, 2004) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Giants, and was considered to be both an excellent hitter and one of the top defensive catchers of his era. He batted and threw right-handed, and was a member of the National League All-Star team for four consecutive years, 1938-41. Early and personal life Danning was born in Los Angeles to Jewish parents: his father, Robert Danning, was a Polish immigrant and owned a used-furniture store; his mother, Jennie Danning (née Goldberg), was a Latvian immigrant. Danning was one of six children, including three sons; Robert Danning took his sons to see baseball games, including the Pacific Coast League and the Negro league games. Robert's love of baseball inspired both Harry and his older brother Ike Danning, who played for the St. Louis Browns in . Danning attended Los Angeles High School in Los Angeles. His father became ill and Harry started working at 13, including delivering ice. Danning also worked for a rug salesman after high school. By that time, Danning's father had passed away, and the rug store job paid well — $90 a month — helping Danning support his family. He supplemented his income playing semipro baseball on Sundays, for $7.50 a week. Baseball career In 1931, Danning signed a $150-a-month contract with the Class-A team in Bridgeport, Connecticut, owned by the Giants. When the Bridgeport franchise folded, mid-season 1932, Danning moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to be part of the Piedmont League. Danning's batting average in the minor leagues was above .300 every season. Danning first played with the New York Giants in 1933. From 1934 to 1936, he served as the Giants reserve catcher, working behind Gus Mancuso. In 1934 in spring training, despite a team reservation Jewish ballplayers Phil Weintraub and Danning were refused entry to the Flamingo Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, which had a "No Jews" policy. However, they were allowed to stay when Giants manager Bill Terry threatened he would take the whole team to another hotel if his Jewish ballplayers were not allowed in. In the 1937 season, Danning and Mancuso shared the catching duties with Danning appearing in 93 games, while Mancuso appeared in 86 games. In 1938 Danning took over the role as the