Legendary Champions (1968)

Documentary focusing on heavyweight boxing champions from 1882 to 1929.

Director:

Harry Chapin

Writer:

Harry Chapin

Stars:

Norman Rose, Georges Carpentier, Jack Dempsey

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Credited cast:
Norman Rose	...	Narrator
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Carpentier	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jack Dempsey	...	Himself (archive footage)
Wyatt Earp	...	Himself - Referee of Bob Fitzsimmon-Tom Sharkey Bout (archive footage)
James J. Jeffries	...	Himself (archive footage)
Theodore Roosevelt	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jack Sharkey	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jess Willard	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Documentary focusing on heavyweight boxing champions from 1882 to 1929.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | sports history | boxer | independent film

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Sport

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 October 1968 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Turn of the Century Fights

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight (1897)

User Reviews

Good old boxing footage

My interest in this video was to watch the old boxers in action. There are lots of extra scenes that show the boxers outside the ring. There are some films included that have never been shown elsewhere or that are the only ones of their kind in existence. A couple of the early boxers, John L. Sullivan for example, are shown here in the only film ever taken of them. The film of the Dempsey-Willard fight is very violent. The history of Jack Johnson out of the ring is quite interesting. The narrator incorrectly states that Jack Johnson is seen picking a defeated boxer's teeth out of one of his gloves. That's at the end of pretty bloody fight. The attire worn by some of the early boxers is much more revealing than what modern-day boxers use, and to the other extreme, tights were even worn by some boxers.