Sonny Liston in HARLOW(1965)

[Brutu]

Possibly the only"new" footage we may see of Sonny Liston from years ago here,
may be his part he did in a movie released in 1965 entitled HARLOW.
In it he played a boxer who refuses 1500 dollars to take a dive
(actually in the original script he was supposed to take a dive,
but once Sonny was in Hollywood and on the set ( April .6.1965) he refused to act unless they changed
the script so that he doesnt take a dive)

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0g ... 1185948&dq

(scroll up to see a rare photograph of Sonny Liston on the set of Harlow
with actress Carol Lynley)

[Brutu]

I think those fight scenes in the movie were either filmed or was supposed to be set at the old
Hollywood Legion Stadium.
Liston's opponent was played by future Hollywood stuntman Nick Dimitri,
who would later appear as a bare knuckled fighter"Street" in the Charles Bronson movie HARD TIMES(1975).

here is another publicity photo of Liston on the set of HARLOW.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news- ... o/50543769

[Brutu]

Here is the original theatrical trailer to HARLOW(released May-14-1965)
in "Electronovision"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opa-KrMv_z8

During 1965 there were two bio-pics done of Jean Harlow
A bigger budgeted one starring Carroll Baker
(which I saw on TCM about 15 years ago,and sat through it to see Sonny Liston,
which of course wasnt the one of the two that he was in,and those are 2 hours Ill never get back)
The other one with Carol Lynley is interesting as it was the next to last film
to be released in "Electronovision"(basically closed-circuit television and a precursor to digital cinema)
Here is some info on the process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronovision



And here is a clip of Sir Richard Burton explaing the process of Electronovison
which his version of HAMLET had been filmed in earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLQDW4ZqckQ

Whats also interesting is that the only 2 known surviving copies of the Electronovision version of
HAMLET starring Richard Burton,one he had donated to the British Film Insitute Archives and the other was found in his garage after he died,which is the copy that is on dvd.
The film was to only play a week in thetres,and it was in his contract that all prints were to be destroyed
except the two he had,
I think due to the fact he was concerned about his performance in it and how it
would turn out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Burton's_Hamlet

[Brutu]

From the time between when the scheduled rematch was to take place in Boston Novemeber 1965
and the bout that finally happened at Lewiston Maine May 1965,
that was said to be from some sources around the time that Liston got hooked on narcotics,like heroin.
Did Liston get hooked on it in just the 2 days he spent in Hollywood California April 5 & 6th?
Those people in Hollywood can be a bad influence.

here is a newspaper article about the press conferance he had in Hollywood.

http://www.news.google.com/newspapers?i ... 3906340&dq

[Brutu]

This month being Sonny Liston appreciation month.
I dont want to sound like im a cheap-skate,
but im still waiting for someone to buy that 5 dollar dvd then download the Harlow movie/electono-vison on youtube.
Ive been curious to see Sonny Liston's acting in it and to see if he looks like he may have been on the dope in it for years.
Hollywood has messed many a person up.

[Caractacus]

whose idea was it for Sonny Liston to go to Hollywood (if just for a few days)just a meer month before such a major fight ?

[Caractacus]

Sonny Liston's (very brief)scene in the film begins at about 1:02:30 into this clip.

[Caractacus]

Possibly the only"new" footage we may see of Sonny Liston from years ago here,
may be his part he did in a movie released in 1965 entitled HARLOW.
In it he played a boxer who refuses 1500 dollars to take a dive
(actually in the original script he was supposed to take a dive,
but once Sonny was in Hollywood and on the set ( April .6.1965) he refused to act unless they changed
the script so that he doesnt take a dive)

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0g5UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eTkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2968,1185948&dq

(scroll up to see a rare photograph of Sonny Liston on the set of Harlow
with actress Carol Lynley)

The re-match was only a month away too.
Look at Liston's facial expression. That is what Jim Morrison who say is "Stoned Immaculent".