The large, angry owner of the jug confronted Baer, who knocked him flat.īaer moved to East Oakland where he got a job at the Lorimer Diesel Engine factory and trained at a gym not far from where 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward honed his skills. His father, who worked as a butcher, moved the family to Colorado for a time before buying a ranch in Livermore.īaer avoided fights as a boy but realized the strength of his right arm one night when he and his friends took a jug of wine from a car outside a Stockton roadhouse. It by no means tells the whole complicated story of Max Baer," DeLisa said.
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"That movie deals with a four-month period in his life.
Braddock Story" is based upon his research for the film, notes that Baer helped Campbell's widow while he was champion by donating his earnings from an exhibition match in San Francisco four months before the Braddock fight.ĭeLisa, in an interview with The Chronicle, defended the movie's approach, saying it was an accurate portrayal of Baer at that time, when the boxer was cultivating a scandalous image while he dated movie stars. Michael DeLisa, whose book "Cinderella Man: The James J. "Men and women gravitated to him, not simply because he was good-looking but he exuded warmth." Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History," which notes that Baer had the "physique of a Greek god and the mentality of a circus clown." Part of Baer's appeal was his stature and demeanor, Jeremy Schaap writes in "Cinderella Man: James J. Jews especially hailed Baer for wearing the Star of David on his trunks, even though he did not practice the faith. Baer, whose father was Jewish, became a national hero in 1933 when he soundly thrashed German boxer Max Schmeling before 60,000 spectators at Yankee Stadium a few months after Hitler rose to power. But he was not the rude, cold-hearted ogre in the movie."īaer's family finds some comfort in two books - each with Braddock's nickname "Cinderella Man" in the title - published this year that gave more nuanced portrayals of Baer.īoth note that Baer was controversial but wildly popular in his day. It's OK to say my dad was a party animal of his era. He was a bizarre guy, a wonderful guy with kind heart, a great sense of humor and a weakness for the ladies.
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"All these people under age 50 are going to think my dad, Max Baer, is a total pig," said Max Baer Jr., 67, who played Jethro Bodine in the "Beverly Hillbillies" TV series. Baer had a Livermore park and a Sacramento charity named in his honor. He was, they said, a playful rogue who schmoozed with Hollywood stars and, though he might have been a little odd, was a good man. There is no question Baer was a bit of a scoundrel, but his family and historians said he was more complex than film director Ron Howard portrayed him. "I almost wanted to cry when I saw that movie," said Dorothy Tarte of Livermore. The recent film "Cinderella Man" reopened the controversy by portraying Baer as a loathsome, womanizing thug who boasted about killing Campbell and deserved the defeat handed to him by the film's hero, James Braddock, played by Russell Crowe. He didn't, but Campbell's death cemented the reputation of the "Livermore Larruper" as a crazy showboat whose powerful right hand could kill a man.Įven now, that fight and the reputation of a fighter who became world champion before dying in 1959 remain controversial. But Campbell's death - just 10 days after another young boxer died in the ring - also came as boxing in California fell under increasing scrutiny.Īll of that aside, a San Francisco Examiner editorial called it a "five- round execution," and it nearly ended the boxing career of Baer, who was cleared by a grand jury and vowed to quit boxing and return to butchering hogs at his parents' ranch in Livermore. Millions of Americans would sit by their radio to catch the major fights. The fatal bout came at a time when boxing was second only to baseball as the nation's most popular sport.
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