A likely beginning
Eisenmann later said that he acquired London as a watchdog. His sequence of baseball and nightclub work, newspaper-office years and then Hollywood points to an early-1950s start. Baseball became one of the first places where their partnership was visible to the public.
What we do not yet know
We do not know the original London’s exact acquisition date, birthplace or earlier owner. Eisenmann told the story more than once in his books, but those retellings remain his own memories of the beginning.
Publicly visible by 1955
By 1955, London was already part of Chuck’s baseball life in Kearney, Nebraska. A dispute over London carrying a pitcher’s jacket made national news when LIFE covered it on 25 July. The report shows their partnership was attracting attention well beyond the ballpark.