Can anyone give me some details on the biographical film of Barney Ross's life ie who starred in it,was it a good film,is it availiable etc? It's some story to tell. Son of a Hebrew scholar who turns his back on his faith after his Fathers murder. Becomes a street tearaway working for Al Capone and hanging with a young Jack Ruby before gravitating to boxing were he becomes one of the best to ever lace them up. Serves in the Second World War in the Pacific theatre were he shows unbelievable courage against the Japanese in the hell hole that was Guadacanal. Becomes addicted for years to painkillers used to treat his war wounds,which he eventually overcomes and tours schools as a cautionary tale for children on the perils of drug addiction. This is just a brief synopsis of what is one of the most incredible life stories I've ever seen and it would make an amazing movie I think (especially in the hands of a Clint Eastwood for example). I'm just curious if the actual film did his story justice?
Yes it was Mitchell he starred in a long running cowboy tv series in later years. I haven't seen the film for years ,I seem to remember it was decent.
I saw the film "****** on my back" with Cameron Mitchell, when it first came out..No film can do justice to the life of Barney Ross really...A great and brave boxer and war hero he was...About 1945-1946 or so I was at some function in NYC...Standing at the bar all alone was Barney Ross, then about 36 or 37 years old...All gray was his hair, making him look many years older...I did'nt have the nerve to walk over and shake his hand, because I ADMIRED him so so much,immediately after the war..I'll always regret my timidity at that time...Read his biography and you will realize, what a great man Barney Ross was....
Great stuff Burt. I'm not surprised you were too timid to go and shake his hand because the bravery he displayed in earning the Silver Star alone is enough to overawe most people without adding his amazing boxing feats as well.He was heroic beyond belief in an era when there were a lot of very,very brave people. A life like Ross had I'm not surprised he'd aged before his years and the toll it all took on him sadly probably led to his relatively young death.
Youngt Griffo, I think this would interest you...My father would tell me that when he was a cabdriver some interesing tales...He would tell me in the early 1920's ,he frequently would see an old fat man,sitting on the coldest nights,on a stone stoop on 42nd street, NYC...Almost nightly...It was the oldtime Australian defensive Wizard,Young Griffo...It was common knowledge then ,the old great fighter was alcoholic and homeless...Sad ending to the original "will of the wisp".Even in his heyday, Young Griffo liked his suds.....
Burt the likes of yourself and John Garfield have improved this already ace site even further.Your knowledge,anecdotes and first hand accounts are priceless and give less experienced posters like myself a fascinating link to the past that no other boxing forum can. I read that is exactly how Young Griffo spent his last years,sitting on a stone stoop with an old scrapbook as his only thing to show from his amazing career.Apparenly he never asked for a handout but he also never knocked one back when it was offered either. Griffo would've died a paupers grave if not for the likes of Gene Tunney,Jack Dempsey and several others who apparently paid for his funeral expenses.Nice to see that even back then boxing looked after its own.
