Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Panzerfaust]

while in L.A i met a facinating and pretty large woman


Me with Dolores Del Rio wall painting. This wallpainting really caught my eye. I found it to be ''a thing of beauty''

[bennie]

Former WBO featherweight champ Steve Robinson with trainer Ronnie Rush and the late, great Howard Winstone.

Good to see the late Howard Winstone's face appear on this thread. The former featherweight champ fought Vicente Saldivar three times unsuccessfully for the title, but when Saldivar retired, he stopped Mitsunori Seki to win the vacant title. I would like to have seen Winstone in L.A. during the late 60's. He was a helluva fighter and would have found a lot of competition in the City of Angeles back then. A Raul Rojas-Winstone match would have been a good one, so would a fight with Dwight Hawkins. Winstone fought a tough L.A. contender, Don Johnson, three times, winning two times. Winstone is from the same town in Wales as the late bantam title challenger, Johnny Owens.

Johnson looked desperately lucky to get the verdict over Winstone in their first fight in London's Olympia.

[bennie]

Frank Bruno's most complete performance as he roughs up, busts up and breaks up South Africa's Pierre Coetzer in eight rounds at Wembley in 1992.

[Rick Farris]

Former WBO featherweight champ Steve Robinson with trainer Ronnie Rush and the late, great Howard Winstone.

Good to see the late Howard Winstone's face appear on this thread. The former featherweight champ fought Vicente Saldivar three times unsuccessfully for the title, but when Saldivar retired, he stopped Mitsunori Seki to win the vacant title. I would like to have seen Winstone in L.A. during the late 60's. He was a helluva fighter and would have found a lot of competition in the City of Angeles back then. A Raul Rojas-Winstone match would have been a good one, so would a fight with Dwight Hawkins. Winstone fought a tough L.A. contender, Don Johnson, three times, winning two times. Winstone is from the same town in Wales as the late bantam title challenger, Johnny Owens.

Johnson looked desperately lucky to get the verdict over Winstone in their first fight in London's Olympia.

Road Warriors . . .

Bennie, Don Johnson was one of those L.A. guys that could not get a lot of action in Southern Cal, so he traveled the world.
I don't doubt that he was desperatly lucky to get the nod over Winstone in London. Winstone was a great fighter and a helluva lot closer to home. I used to enjoy reading about Howard Winstone when I was a kid. I really hoped he could come here and face some of our local and Mexican stars who fought here. Although we had air travel, etc. in the 60's, the world was not as accessable as it is today. Another issue was the fact that the smaller fighters just didn't get the attention or money they do today. We were lucky in L.A. as we had promoters who brought in the world's best in all divisions, and had local talent capable of competeing against the best in each weight class from flyweight to heavyweight.

[Rick Farris]

while in L.A i met a facinating and pretty large woman


Me with Dolores Del Rio wall painting. This wallpainting really caught my eye. I found it to be ''a thing of beauty''

Remy, I regret that we could not hook-up during your recent visit.
Hopefully you will be able to attend the CBHOF event in June.
I think most who have attended the banquet will agree that it is the best event of it's kind.

[Panzerfaust]

while in L.A i met a facinating and pretty large woman


Me with Dolores Del Rio wall painting. This wallpainting really caught my eye. I found it to be ''a thing of beauty''

Remy, I regret that we could not hook-up during your recent visit.
Hopefully you will be able to attend the CBHOF event in June.
I think most who have attended the banquet will agree that it is the best event of it's kind.

Im definatly going to make the cbhof next year. allready told my boss i was going to take my vacation in june.

[Rick Farris]

while in L.A i met a facinating and pretty large woman


Me with Dolores Del Rio wall painting. This wallpainting really caught my eye. I found it to be ''a thing of beauty''

Remy, I regret that we could not hook-up during your recent visit.
Hopefully you will be able to attend the CBHOF event in June.
I think most who have attended the banquet will agree that it is the best event of it's kind.

Im definatly going to make the cbhof next year. allready told my boss i was going to take my vacation in june.

That will be great.

[Panzerfaust]

What can you guys tell me of Baron Von Stumme ?
When did he appear on the california scene? etc

thx Remy

[Rick Farris]

What can you guys tell me of Baron Von Stumme ?
When did he appear on the california scene? etc

thx Remy

The Baron . . .

I can give you a little on Baron Von Stumme, I remember him handling a fighter when I was boxing.
However, the best to answer your question is our friend, Hap Navarro.
Hap and the Baron were both involved with the Hollywood Legion Stadium.
Hap has discussed the Baron in detail in his CBZ "History of California Boxing" thread.

Remy, I'm going to copy your question and forward it to Mr. Navarro.
I'll post his response.

[Rick Farris]

What can you guys tell me of Baron Von Stumme ?
When did he appear on the california scene? etc

thx Remy

The Baron . . .

I can give you a little on Baron Von Stumme, I remember him handling a fighter when I was boxing.
However, the best to answer your question is our friend, Hap Navarro.
Hap and the Baron were both involved with the Hollywood Legion Stadium.
Hap has discussed the Baron in detail in his CBZ "History of California Boxing" thread.

Remy, I'm going to copy your question and forward it to Mr. Navarro.
I'll post his response.

From Hap Navarro:



Hi Rick:

As always, it's good to hear from you.

The story of Von Stumme has been written many times in the past, but the gist of his action in our midst was that he spent a fortune from the early 1920s on trying to find a heavyweight to compare with Dempsey. But he never succeeded.
He did get some miles out of a couple of good ones, like Chuck Crowell and Jack Van Noy, but nothing sensational happened even with those two.
He was still active in the late 60s importing fighters from Germany, but nothing truly outstanding happened.
He was also a matchmaker, not great, but capable, at the Legion and at San Diego.
His forte was hotel managing. I also remember his wife was a keen fight fan who screamed in glee at our fights and her name was Jo.
When I knew and worked with him he managed both Charlie Salas and Jackie Blair.

My eyes are killing me, buddy, so I have to quit for a while now.

God bless you, my friend Rick.
Hap

[bennie]

The enigmatic, charismatic Kirkland Laing

[bennie]

Laing also happened to be gifted.

[kikibalt]

What can you guys tell me of Baron Von Stumme ?
When did he appear on the california scene? etc

thx Remy

The Baron . . .

I can give you a little on Baron Von Stumme, I remember him handling a fighter when I was boxing.
However, the best to answer your question is our friend, Hap Navarro.
Hap and the Baron were both involved with the Hollywood Legion Stadium.
Hap has discussed the Baron in detail in his CBZ "History of California Boxing" thread.

Remy, I'm going to copy your question and forward it to Mr. Navarro.
I'll post his response.

Rick, wasn't Gil King handle by the Baron?

[Rick Farris]

What can you guys tell me of Baron Von Stumme ?
When did he appear on the california scene? etc

thx Remy

The Baron . . .

I can give you a little on Baron Von Stumme, I remember him handling a fighter when I was boxing.
However, the best to answer your question is our friend, Hap Navarro.
Hap and the Baron were both involved with the Hollywood Legion Stadium.
Hap has discussed the Baron in detail in his CBZ "History of California Boxing" thread.

Remy, I'm going to copy your question and forward it to Mr. Navarro.
I'll post his response.

Rick, wasn't Gil King handle by the Baron?

No. Gil was handled by Suey Welch, who brought him to L.A. from Akron, Ohio.
I remember the Baron with a couple of boxers in the 60's, one was a German heavyweight named Wilhelm Von Hombeg.
Von Homberg was a former wrestler, who made his pro boxing debut in L.A. during the early 60's, then finished his boxing career in Germany.
There was another, whose name escapes me at the moment.

[scartissue]

The Baron . . .

I can give you a little on Baron Von Stumme, I remember him handling a fighter when I was boxing.
However, the best to answer your question is our friend, Hap Navarro.
Hap and the Baron were both involved with the Hollywood Legion Stadium.
Hap has discussed the Baron in detail in his CBZ "History of California Boxing" thread.

Remy, I'm going to copy your question and forward it to Mr. Navarro.
I'll post his response.

Rick, wasn't Gil King handle by the Baron?

No. Gil was handled by Suey Welch, who brought him to L.A. from Akron, Ohio.
I remember the Baron with a couple of boxers in the 60's, one was a German heavyweight named Wilhelm Von Hombeg.
Von Homberg was a former wrestler, who made his pro boxing debut in L.A. during the early 60's, then finished his boxing career in Germany.
There was another, whose name escapes me at the moment.

Didn't he also handle "Windmill" White?

Scartissue

[raylawpc]

Today on the set of "Desperate Housewives" . . .
By Rick Farris



Vanessa Williams and Eva Longoria Parker, moments before the camera rolls.
Nothing I enjoy more than lighting beautiful women.
These two were in every shot we filmed today.

Now in it's 7th season, Desperate Housewives is the most watched TV series in the world.
It's broadcast across the world in dozens of languages.
Vanessa Williams is the newest member of the cast.
I shot the photo with my cell phone, from a bad angle.
I wish you could see how good they looked thru the lens of our Panavision 35mm cameras.

I missed this photo . . . I'm glad I went back.

Let's see . . . you spent that morning hanging around and working with two of the most beautiful women on the planet who were all dolled up for their camera appearances. I, on the otherhand, spent that morning with an fat middle-aged businessman listening to him bitch about his taxes. . . . Can I have your job??

Tom, you wouldn't have wanted my job yesterday.
We filmed in a Hollywood Cemetary from mid-afternoon friday until sun-up this morning.
It's a legendary cemetary right next to Paramount Studios. Rudolph Valentino is interred there, as is "Alfalfa" from the Little Rascals.
There were no women working last night, just two of the men in this episode.
It was very slow with this director, and I ended up wandering around grave yard, trying to find Alfalfa's final resting spot.
Somedays are interesting, some are very boring.

Alfalfa is buried in the Garden of Memory:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... &GRid=1011

[Rick Farris]

Rick, wasn't Gil King handle by the Baron?

No. Gil was handled by Suey Welch, who brought him to L.A. from Akron, Ohio.
I remember the Baron with a couple of boxers in the 60's, one was a German heavyweight named Wilhelm Von Hombeg.
Von Homberg was a former wrestler, who made his pro boxing debut in L.A. during the early 60's, then finished his boxing career in Germany.
There was another, whose name escapes me at the moment.

Didn't he also handle "Windmill" White?

Scartissue

Yes. That's who I was trying to think of. Thanks, Dan.

[Rick Farris]

I missed this photo . . . I'm glad I went back.

Let's see . . . you spent that morning hanging around and working with two of the most beautiful women on the planet who were all dolled up for their camera appearances. I, on the otherhand, spent that morning with an fat middle-aged businessman listening to him bitch about his taxes. . . . Can I have your job??

Tom, you wouldn't have wanted my job yesterday.
We filmed in a Hollywood Cemetary from mid-afternoon friday until sun-up this morning.
It's a legendary cemetary right next to Paramount Studios. Rudolph Valentino is interred there, as is "Alfalfa" from the Little Rascals.
There were no women working last night, just two of the men in this episode.
It was very slow with this director, and I ended up wandering around grave yard, trying to find Alfalfa's final resting spot.
Somedays are interesting, some are very boring.

Alfalfa is buried in the Garden of Memory:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... &GRid=1011

The cemetary is now known as "Hollywood Forever". It originally had a different name, but was sold and has really become quite tacky. The Garden of Memory is the section where his grave is. I didn't find it or inquire the other night. But I do have a photo I took of the cemetary about 3am, after lighting it for a scene. I know that Valentino is in the Mauselium, and quite a few other stars, such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & Sr., John Huston, Actor/boxing promoter Tom Kennedy, Darla Hood (Little Rascals), Jayne Mansfield, Peter Lorre. Don Adams, Estelle Getty, Tyrone Power, Peter Finch, and C. B. DeMille.

[raylawpc]

Tom, you wouldn't have wanted my job yesterday.
We filmed in a Hollywood Cemetary from mid-afternoon friday until sun-up this morning.
It's a legendary cemetary right next to Paramount Studios. Rudolph Valentino is interred there, as is "Alfalfa" from the Little Rascals.
There were no women working last night, just two of the men in this episode.
It was very slow with this director, and I ended up wandering around grave yard, trying to find Alfalfa's final resting spot.
Somedays are interesting, some are very boring.

Alfalfa is buried in the Garden of Memory:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... &GRid=1011

The cemetary is now known as "Hollywood Forever". It originally had a different name, but was sold and has really become quite tacky. The Garden of Memory is the section where his grave is. I didn't find it or inquire the other night. But I do have a photo I took of the cemetary about 3am, after lighting it for a scene. I know that Valentino is in the Mauselium, and quite a few other stars, such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & Sr., John Huston, Actor/boxing promoter Tom Kennedy, Darla Hood (Little Rascals), Jayne Mansfield, Peter Lorre. Don Adams, Estelle Getty, Tyrone Power, Peter Finch, and C. B. DeMille.

There are a bunch buried at Hollywood Forever. Find-a-grave lists 575 celebrity graves. Jayne Mansfield isn't one of them, however. Her marker is a cenotaph. She is buried in Pennsylvania. I have no idea why I knew that - I'm not even a Jayne Mansfield fan. Fairbank Sr.'s tomb is quite elaborate, with its own reflecting pool (a la the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.). Mel Blanc's epitaph says, "That's all folks!! . . ." Its quite an interesting cemetery. I imagine it is featured in many films when the producers need a cemetery for a scene.

The cemetery was formerly known as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery.

[Rick Farris]

Alfalfa is buried in the Garden of Memory:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... &GRid=1011

The cemetary is now known as "Hollywood Forever". It originally had a different name, but was sold and has really become quite tacky. The Garden of Memory is the section where his grave is. I didn't find it or inquire the other night. But I do have a photo I took of the cemetary about 3am, after lighting it for a scene. I know that Valentino is in the Mauselium, and quite a few other stars, such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & Sr., John Huston, Actor/boxing promoter Tom Kennedy, Darla Hood (Little Rascals), Jayne Mansfield, Peter Lorre. Don Adams, Estelle Getty, Tyrone Power, Peter Finch, and C. B. DeMille.

There are a bunch buried at Hollywood Forever. Find-a-grave lists 575 celebrity graves. Jayne Mansfield isn't one of them, however. Her marker is a cenotaph. She is buried in Pennsylvania. I have no idea why I knew that - I'm not even a Jayne Mansfield fan. Fairbank Sr.'s tomb is quite elaborate, with its own reflecting pool (a la the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.). Mel Blanc's epitaph says, "That's all folks!! . . ." Its quite an interesting cemetery. I imagine it is featured in many films when the producers need a cemetery for a scene.

The cemetery was formerly known as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery.

Tom, there is quite a bit of filming done there. I've worked there dozens of times over the years. It's not well maintained any longer. Today most celebs choose one of the two Forest Lawn graveyards for buriel, in Glendale or the Hollywood Hills in Burbank.

[scartissue]

The enigmatic, charismatic Kirkland Laing

Bennie, I must admit to being somewhat disappointed the first (and only) time I saw Laing in action. It's funny, when I read about a fighter I get a mental image of the kind of fighter he is, but when I saw Laing against Fred Hutchings I didn't figure on his 'hands at his hips' style. A style that always has me shouting at the TV, "Keep your hands up!" Obviously it must have worked for him and if memory serves me correctly, he was ahead on points in both fights with Colin Jones before Jones nailed him (perhaps if he kept his hands up......OK, OK, we won't get into that again). But one thing that really ticked me off about Laing (and maybe this has something to do with his eccentric behavior) is the fact that after his career greatest win, he sat on his haunches for a year idle. Man, do something, anything, fight bums, keep your name in the ratings. He could have gotten that title shot but instead.....

Scartissue

[kikibalt]

The Baron

[raylawpc]

The cemetary is now known as "Hollywood Forever". It originally had a different name, but was sold and has really become quite tacky. The Garden of Memory is the section where his grave is. I didn't find it or inquire the other night. But I do have a photo I took of the cemetary about 3am, after lighting it for a scene. I know that Valentino is in the Mauselium, and quite a few other stars, such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & Sr., John Huston, Actor/boxing promoter Tom Kennedy, Darla Hood (Little Rascals), Jayne Mansfield, Peter Lorre. Don Adams, Estelle Getty, Tyrone Power, Peter Finch, and C. B. DeMille.

There are a bunch buried at Hollywood Forever. Find-a-grave lists 575 celebrity graves. Jayne Mansfield isn't one of them, however. Her marker is a cenotaph. She is buried in Pennsylvania. I have no idea why I knew that - I'm not even a Jayne Mansfield fan. Fairbank Sr.'s tomb is quite elaborate, with its own reflecting pool (a la the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.). Mel Blanc's epitaph says, "That's all folks!! . . ." Its quite an interesting cemetery. I imagine it is featured in many films when the producers need a cemetery for a scene.

The cemetery was formerly known as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery.

Tom, there is quite a bit of filming done there. I've worked there dozens of times over the years. It's not well maintained any longer. Today most celebs choose one of the two Forest Lawn graveyards for buriel, in Glendale or the Hollywood Hills in Burbank.

I knew that it went through a bad period of mismanagement in the late 1980s and 1990s when the State of California actually shut down the sale of plots. However, I had read that an investment group purchased the cemetery around 2000, renamed it Hollywood Forever, and restored it. I am sad to hear from you that it is “down-on-its-heels” again. A lot of famous people are buried there.

[kikibalt]

"Hollywood Forever Cemetary" 3am Saturday

[Rick Farris]

There are a bunch buried at Hollywood Forever. Find-a-grave lists 575 celebrity graves. Jayne Mansfield isn't one of them, however. Her marker is a cenotaph. She is buried in Pennsylvania. I have no idea why I knew that - I'm not even a Jayne Mansfield fan. Fairbank Sr.'s tomb is quite elaborate, with its own reflecting pool (a la the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.). Mel Blanc's epitaph says, "That's all folks!! . . ." Its quite an interesting cemetery. I imagine it is featured in many films when the producers need a cemetery for a scene.

The cemetery was formerly known as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery.

Tom, there is quite a bit of filming done there. I've worked there dozens of times over the years. It's not well maintained any longer. Today most celebs choose one of the two Forest Lawn graveyards for buriel, in Glendale or the Hollywood Hills in Burbank.

I knew that it went through a bad period of mismanagement in the late 1980s and 1990s when the State of California actually shut down the sale of plots. However, I had read that an investment group purchased the cemetery around 2000, renamed it Hollywood Forever, and restored it. I am sad to hear from you that it is “down-on-its-heels” again. A lot of famous people are buried there.

They are building more walls in which to plant more bodies. Some people really believe it's important to be buried in the same neighborhood with Valentino, or Alfalfa.