Jack Dempsey's Broadway Restaurant

[Ezzard]

Anyone ever visit?

Or know someone that did?

Would love to know your stories...

I was too young to have ever have gone. But would have loved to have dined there.

[Expug]

Very interesting topic. Come to think of it , I’m curious also as I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who has been there either. I’ve read that it really fell on hard times when the area around there got rough.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- First ever boxing forum, AOL, was chock full of old salts singing the praises of Dempsey who always checked in on his customers, often with a healthy handshake. Any fighter down on his luck could show up for a free steak dinner.

I was obviously too young and too distant at the time to go to it, and yeah, downtown NYCity was becoming a HellHole, so that transpired into another Dempsey legend on the night of Ali/Frazier 1 where Ali got whooped badly by smokin' Joe that destroyed the Ali myth.

Returning from the fight, cabbie dropped off Jack at his restaurant where a couple of ghetto rats saw a well dressed elderly 70ish man step out of the cab, easy $$$. Bum rushing him, he knocked both cold and told the cabbie to go inside to call the cops while he held them in place.

Later the ref for that fight, Arthur Mercante, dropped in and was discussing the incident with Dempsey who told him(paraphrased), "Arthur, I can't go long anymore, but I had enough left to take care of them tonight...yup, don't be messing with ol' Man Dempsey

[Caractacus]

saw this old movie from 1937 on TV years ago, not only shows the original Jack Dempsey restaurant opened in 1935,
that was on Eighth Avenue and 50th street (with Jack Dempsey himself)
It also has a "smorgasbourg' of ex-prizefighters in it , including Jim J. Jeffries and "Slapesy Maxie Rosenbloom, also George Godfrey, Joe Rivers and the great athlete Jim Thorpe !(as themselves) in a free for all on the NY docks too !

https://imdb.com/title/tt0028628/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_3_act

[Ezzard]

I heard stories that diners would often ask Dempsey to punch them out. A sort of medal to wear... Tell their mates that they got dropped by the great man.

And that Dempsey slowly grew weary of it.

Is Jack still a big name in US? Or is it just among boxing fans?