Max Baer & Tony Galento Prefight Newsreel 1940

Max Baer & Tony Galento Prefight Newsreel 1940

“The Tender Hearted Tiger” (Excerpt)

Documentary 1964

The Film

The 1964 documentary “The Tender Hearted Tiger” profiled the life of Heavyweight Champion 1934-35 Max Baer.  Fight footage, still photographs and interviews with family and friends are shown.  This excerpt of the film is a rare prefight promotional newsreel of Max Baer trash talking with Tony Galento before their fight in 1940.

Two Sluggers at The Office

Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis Newsreels and in Training

They Were Champions (Excerpt) 1954

16mm Sound

The Film

They Were Champions, produced in 1954, follows the linear heavyweight champions from Sullivan to Marciano.   There’s little film of the actual title fights, but plenty of newsreel and rare training footage.  I’ve chosen these two segments, as Dempsey (in training for Willard) and Louis were the most ferocious punchers up to that point.  The power of these two champions is still something to behold.

The Restoration

The 16mm film I acquired is in fair to good shape.  Some of the Dempsey action ran too fast to follow the action, so I slowed that footage to a more natural speed.  A portion of this is silent.  The Louis segment runs with sound, just as it appears in the documentary.