Max Baer in..."Fisticuffs"(1938)

[Brutu]

Check out this 10 minute short featuring the (then) former Heavyweight Champion of the World,
Max Baer as he demonstrates some boxing techniques of the time as well as one or more of days gone by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpFTVrutZe4

[HomicideHenry]

I enjoy all things Baer, and this is especially interesting to watch. I might also encourage fans to look up Schmeling's one fight film which had him pitted against monster Argentinian Jose Santa. Its pretty cool! Also, 'Prizefighter and The Lady' was a kickass movie. Any film that has Baer, Carnera, Dempsey, Willard and hosts of others in it is a worth see!

[Brutu]

I had never even heard of the movie "Liebe im Ring" (1930)starring Max Schmeling until you just mentioned it.
People forget how popular Schmeling had been even in America during the early 1930's.
Here is a link to the motion picture starring a prime and World Heavyweight champiion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enMUH0aGLF0

[HomicideHenry]

Schmeling, imho, is still the greatest European HW of all time. He was quite popular, true. Its sad that for decades his name has been tarnished with the Nazi party and the Louis fights. Schmeling was a really special fighter, truly was. He reminded me of Dempsey, in ways, especially in looks. He could be tactical, but the man could punch too.

[Brutu]

Anyone know if the Two-round exhibition match that Max Schmeling had with HW champ Jack Dempsey
in 1925 at Colgne Germany was filmed?If so does it still exist?

[HomicideHenry]

Now THAT would be history my friend!

I had a helluva time finding the Corbett/Tunney sparring video, wasnt sure that little bit of history was still around or not. I bet million bucks the Dempsey/Schmeling video is out there somewhere, just nobody's talking. Might just be bits and pieces now, like Orson Welles Don Quioxte.

[The Great John L]

Might just be bits and pieces now, like Orson Welles Don Quioxte.

I think Welles Quijote was never anything more than bits and pieces since he couldn't get financing. As I recall, he tried for years to get funding to finish and never could get it finished.

[Brutu]

Jose Santa sort of fights like a limber version of Primo Carnera.

[Brutu]

Now THAT would be history my friend!

I had a helluva time finding the Corbett/Tunney sparring video, wasnt sure that little bit of history was still around or not. I bet million bucks the Dempsey/Schmeling video is out there somewhere, just nobody's talking. Might just be bits and pieces now, like Orson Welles Don Quioxte.

And possibly the original 10 hour version of Erich Von Stroheim's 1924 silent masterpiece
GREED.
It had been edited down to about 2 hours and 20 minute version over the years.
Reportly in the mid-1960's a 'janitor" cleaning the film vault thought the extra footage was trash and threw it in the incinarator
(so the story goes).

[Brutu]

It may not be a "lost"classic but Primo Carnera made a movie in Italy in 1942,
titled
I Cavalieri del Deserto (the Knights of the Desert).
The story was by Frederico Fellini who also did the screenplay.
So perhaps the movie exists.
Carnera made a number of movies in Italy in the 1940's.

[HomicideHenry]

Theres film of a young Carnera sparring with Flyweight champ Izzy Schwartz, believe it or not. Carnera was just starting out on the European HW division. Though I've never personally seen the film, its supposedly out there, as Jim Jacobs claimed to of had it in his collection.

[John Galt]

Was Max Baer serious about the techniques he demonstrated in the video? Most of what he showed was bad, but the left hook off the jab was particularly bad. Anybody know if the techniques were supposed to be a joke or if he was trying to be serious?

[Brutu]

The techniques shown were actual techniques,a few of course were no longer legal.
if you ask me Max Baer had too much vaudvillin in him to ever be taken seriously even in his real boxing contests.

[John Galt]

I hope no young boxers tried to copy the techniques Baer demonstrated. His balance was terrible, he never bent his legs, he dropped his hands to punch, his left hook was nothing but an arm punch, hard to believe that a top fighter could be so funadamentally unsound.

[Brutu]

I think you can see one or two of those actual techniques in this 5 minute clip of an actual Max Baer bout from 1940.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2DWswsfpmI

[HomicideHenry]

Baer couldnt have been too bad a fighter, considering the US Army gave him and his brother Buddy jobs as trainers in hand to hand combat. Sure, we know Bear for either being a brutal butcher or a clown in the ring, but the man had a jab that reminds me of Foreman's.

Anyways, though, someone mentioned Santa being a more limber Carnera, just to remind them, Carnera met Santa in the ring an kayoed him early on---imho Santa had the look of being a monster, very muscular specimen, had the intimidation factor, but when it came to giants in the 1930's, there was only one: Carnera. 'Da Preem' also beat Ray Impaltiere (or however it was spelled) who was 6'9".

I always thought Carnera to be slow and ponderous, but even in losing efforts to Baer and Louis, for being 270 pounds Carnera had pretty light feet. I was amazed that such a large man had that kind of foot speed.

[Brutu]

Some of those questionable boxing techiqnues that Max Baer demonstrates in FISTICUFFS.
whats the last fight that you have seen them used?

[Brutu]

According to IMDB,
the uncredited boxers in Fisticuffs are,

Hank Hankinson,
Mickey MacAvoy,
Al Morro,
Jack Roper.

[raylawpc]

Baer couldnt have been too bad a fighter, considering the US Army gave him and his brother Buddy jobs as trainers in hand to hand combat.

Lou Ambers was my Dad's self-defense instructor during basic training for World War II. When I asked Dad what he learned from the ATG lightweight champion, Dad said that Ambers mostly told them dirty jokes and didn't really teach them any hand-to-hand combat. Sounds like the kind of job Max would have enjoyed . . .

[dempseyfire]

I hope no young boxers tried to copy the techniques Baer demonstrated. His balance was terrible, he never bent his legs, he dropped his hands to punch, his left hook was nothing but an arm punch, hard to believe that a top fighter could be so funadamentally unsound.

First off, the punches are exaggerated for effect since this was a film for the general public.

2ndly, what are you talking about? He clearly does bend his legs even though usually the camera is only showing Baer from the thighs up. And the hook off the jab is often done more as an arm punch than a true classic body-turning hook to maximize the speed of the shot.

The film was for entertainment purposes and not as some sort of instructional video for young boxers but I don't see Baer being 'so fundamentally unsound' at all . . actually there are several moves in there that many current boxers could take heed to incorporate into their arsenal if they have the athleticism to pull them off.

[Brutu]

MGM
"Thats Entertainment"!

[Brutu]

Max Baer and Slappsie Maxie Rosenbloom put together a night club
act in the 1940's and even made a few movies(shorts) together as a team,
like"Wine,Women and Bong".(1951)
I wonder if those too are "lost"movies?

[BoxBuzz]

Brutu....what I can't understand is how it's possible that there is not ONE FRAME of Slapsie Maxie boxing. Has any footage EVER been found? He was a ham in front of the cameras out of the ring....so I just don't get it. Got to be one of the biggest mysteries of that time. And there HAS to be film rotting somewhere with several of his fights.

[BoxBuzz]

I hope no young boxers tried to copy the techniques Baer demonstrated. His balance was terrible, he never bent his legs, he dropped his hands to punch, his left hook was nothing but an arm punch, hard to believe that a top fighter could be so funadamentally unsound.

First off, the punches are exaggerated for effect since this was a film for the general public.

2ndly, what are you talking about? He clearly does bend his legs even though usually the camera is only showing Baer from the thighs up. And the hook off the jab is often done more as an arm punch than a true classic body-turning hook to maximize the speed of the shot.

The film was for entertainment purposes and not as some sort of instructional video for young boxers but I don't see Baer being 'so fundamentally unsound' at all . . actually there are several moves in there that many current boxers could take heed to incorporate into their arsenal if they have the athleticism to pull them off.

I have to agree dempsey, in addition though they MAY have been pulling punches somewhat for the camera, it's clear that there is some steam on those as well, it looks as if their heart was at least into creating a fair degree of reality in those exchanges. Sure beats most every movie sequence i've seen for reality in terms of style, technique and power. Have you ever slowed down some hollywood scenes to see just what was going on? It makes you just never want to watch said movie again. (Although I thought some of the sequences in Million Dollar Baby were better than many, believe it or not.