Its done by PBS about Louis and Schmelling Dont know if anybody has seen it I enjoyed it very much From what the movie pointed out was how each fighter was a pawn of the political agenda in their country and discarded Schmelling was no Nazi actually pre Nazi he was a celebrity and was in many roaring 20's like night clubs. During Nazi Germany he adapted to survive but never joined the party. Friends of his were killed during the takeover. Also prior to Louis I he was not given a chance the fight wasnt advertised. After the fight he was hailed. Then when he lost he was not hero he was put in the army and disappeared. Louis had to act a certain way to move up the ranks and had to pull strings to fight in the garden. After losing to Schmelling the 1st time he was considered a fraud. After beating him he was a hero. Then when he was in the army he was put in a segregated unit and owed back taxes on money donated to the US military Also the movie was a great display of how boxing worked back then We say fans now a days are awful, Schmelling was called the low blow champ for winning by DQ and wasnt even respected in his home Germany Undefeated Louis after losing one fight was called a myth a legend that never was. There was even a picture of him as a statue crumbling being said to have been made of clay. Also we say Germany is horrible for boxing Well back then MSG controlled all of the top fighters and they were reluctant to let Louis into their circle Also Schmelling was a German champ and European champ yet when he arrived in America had no respect or anything and was treated like an early pro. In the Sharkey rematch Schmelling lost a decision that can be described as home cooking and unfair Interesting showing of boxing back then
Cant find it Its done by PBS Called The Fight in case you wanna rent or buy I learned so much about Schmelling
If you enjoyed that, and are literate, I highly recommend "The Greatest Fight of Our Generation: Louis vs. Schmeling" by Lewis Erenberg. As the above poster said, "Beyond Glory: Max Schmeling vs. Joe Louis and a World on the Brink" by Margolick is also a good one. I read Erenberg's book first, which may influence my opinion, but I find it much more informative and flowing per page than Margolick's book. Tremendous subject...
They should have shown how Schmelling supported Louis family after Louis died and a pall bearer during his burial. Schmelling also hid Jews in his home so they can avoid the concentration camp. He died a rich man after he became the head partner of Coca Cola Germany after the war and lived a long life at 99 years of age.
All true. The pall bearer aspect says a lot. Epic tales of epic fighters. Did it explain how after he made pro-American remarks that the upper tier Nazi puppeteers threw him in a parachute unit? And during his first drop, Schmeling landed weird and messed up his back fierce (not sure what exactly, but broken would not be exaggerating). He couldn't walk and was captured by English soldiers and treated like a celebrity. Also, when he returned to his home after things cooled down after the war, his big house had been ransacked and trashed, title belts and everything.
Spike Lee was supposed to make a film about the whole thing a few years back...I wonder whatever happened to that...