Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsy Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the

International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (IJSHOF) () is the international hall of fame for Jewish athletes and special contributors to the world of sport. The purpose of the IJSHOF is to honor Jewish individuals, worldwide, who have accompli ...

in 1984, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1985, and the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...

in 1993. He was sometimes billed as Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom for film appearances.

Early life and boxing career

Born in Leonard Bridge, Connecticut, Rosenbloom was nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie" by a journalist due to his open-gloved style of boxing. As a professional boxer, Rosenbloom relied on hitting and moving to score points. He was very difficult to hit cleanly with a power punch and his fights often went the full number of required rounds. In his boxing career, he received thousands of punches to the head, which eventually led to the deterioration of his motor functions. Legendary trainer

Cus D'Amato Constantine "''Cus''" D'Amato (January 17, 1908 – November 4, 1985) was an American boxing manager, boxing Promoter (entertainment), promoter and boxing Boxing training, trainer who handled the careers of Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and José ...

later recalled that watching Rosenbloom's ring performances inspired him for a quest to create a perfect fighter, and to develop a unique boxing technique, later known as the peek-a-boo style:

Rosenbloom was probably the cleverest fighter I've ever seen, defensively. You just couldn't hit the man. He developed a sort of a radar, a sense of anticipation of blows, and ability to react to that, and act on it.

Light Heavyweight Champion

On June 25, 1930, Rosenbloom won the

NYSAC The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...

and vacant ''Ring Magazine'' light heavyweight titles when he faced off against

Jimmy Slattery James Edward Slattery (August 25, 1904 in Buffalo, New York – August 30, 1960) was an American professional boxer in the light heavyweight (175 lb) division. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, Buffalo Vetera ...

at Bison Stadium for the undisputed title. Slattery, being the reigning NYSAC champion and Rosenbloom being listed by some sources as the incumbent

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

light heavyweight champion. Since the fight was between the number one and number two fighters in the division, the vacant ''The Ring'' light heavyweight title was also on the line. He reigned as the NYSAC and ''Ring magazine'' champion until he was defeated by

Bob Olin Robert Lous Olin (July 4, 1908 – December 16, 1956) was an American Boxing, boxer who became the World Light Heavyweight champion on November 16, 1934, against Maxie Rosenbloom at Madison Square Garden. He was trained by Ray Arcel and managed ...

on November 16, 1934. Throughout his reign, he made 7 defenses of his titles and held the undisputed crown two separate times as he had been stripped by the

National Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded i ...

, a title which he was awarded outside the ring in September 1930 during the NBA's yearly meeting. On June 6, 1931, Rosenbloom was stripped for failing to defend the title in a timely manner. After being stripped in 1931, he went on to continue defending his NYSAC and ''Ring'' titles, eventually defeating

Bob Godwin Bob Godwin (May 5, 1911 in Moultrie, GA – August 1, 1980) was an American boxer who became the 1933 World Light Heavyweight Champion. He was managed by his father, Arthur. Pro career Mike McTigue fell to Godwin in Miami on April 7, 1930 ...

via fourth-round technical knockout in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

on March 24, 1933. His second reign as the undisputed champion was just as short lived. He was subsequently stripped by the National Boxing Association on September 17, 1934, during their annual meeting. "The delegates ruled that Maxie Rosenbloom, generally recognized as champion of the class, had violated every law of boxing by his slapping and flicking tactics in the ring."

Films, radio, and television

In 1937, two years before he announced his permanent retirement from boxing, Rosenbloom accepted a role in a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

film. He became a character actor, usually portraying comical or sympathetic "big guys" in movies such as ''

Each Dawn I Die ''Each Dawn I Die'' is a 1939 gangster film directed by William Keighley and starring James Cagney and George Raft. The plot involves an investigative reporter who is unjustly thrown in jail and befriends a famous gangster. The film was based on ...

'' starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

and

George Raft George Raft (né Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembe ...

. He continued acting in films as well as on radio and television, where he again portrayed big, clumsy, often punch-drunk-but-lovable characters. In 1950 producer-director

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in the ...

hired Rosenbloom to team with another veteran champ, Max Baer, for a brief series of

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

-comedy short subjects. The Baer & Rosenbloom shorts were released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

through 1952, and reissued to theaters in 1959–60. In 1955 Rosenbloom was featured in '' Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops''. Maxie Rosenbloom appeared as himself in a number of radio episodes of ''

The Fred Allen Show ''The Fred Allen Show'' was a long-running American old-time radio, radio comedy program starring comedian Fred Allen and his wife Portland Hoffa. Over the course of the program's 17-year run, it was sponsored by Linit Bath Soaps, Hellmann's and ...

'', including in a skit with

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

. He was also cast in an important part in television's first 90-minute drama, ''

Requiem for a Heavyweight "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show ''Playhouse 90'' on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted into the 1962 feature film of the same name starring Anthony Quinn, ...

''. Written by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

and starring

Jack Palance Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his wikt:stock-in-trade, stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the leading actor, lead role, h ...

and

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...

, that teleplay presents the story of a boxer at the end of his career. Rosenbloom portrays a character whose life revolves around his retelling old boxing stories night after night to other ex-boxers who gather in a down-and-out bar. That life looms as the same fate for "Mountain" McClintock (Palance's character) if he cannot adjust to a new way of life outside the ring.

Slapsy Maxie's The Wilshire Bowl was a nightclub in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. Located on Wilshire Boulevard, it operated from 1935 until 1950, later under the name Slapsy Maxie's when Maxie Rosenbloom managed it. Local architect Max Maltz ...

, Rosenbloom's nightclub, is prominently featured in a 2013 crime film, '' Gangster Squad'', which is set in 1949. The original club operated in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. The club moved to 7165 Beverly Blvd in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. From 1943 to 1947 it was located at 5665 Wilshire Blvd.

Death

Rosenbloom, at age 69, died of

Paget's disease of bone Paget's disease of bone (commonly known as Paget's disease or, historically, osteitis deformans) is a condition involving Bone remodeling, cellular remodeling and deformity of one or more bones. The affected bones show signs of dysregulated bone ...

on March 6, 1976, at the Braewood Convalescent Hospital in

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 26,943, up from 25,619 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Western San Gabriel Valley. It is in area and lies betwe ...

. His gravesite is at the

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 10621 Victory Boulevard, straddling the border between the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Fo ...

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

Accolades

* ''

The Ring The Ring may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise Literature * ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping * ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran * ''The R ...

'' Boxing Hall of Fame (1972) *

(1984) * World Boxing Hall of Fame (1985) *

(1993)

Selected filmography

* '' Mr. Broadway'' (1933) – 'Slapsy' Maxie * '' King for a Night'' (1933) – Maxie * '' Muss 'em Up'' (1936) – Snake * ''

Kelly the Second ''Kelly the Second'' is a 1936 American romantic comedy film directed by Gus Meins and starring Patsy Kelly, Guinn Williams, and Charley Chase. This Hal Roach studio film was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The title is a pun, "Second" refer ...

'' (1936) – Butch Flynn * ''

Two Wise Maids ''Two Wise Maids'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Phil Rosen, written by Samuel Ornitz, and starring Alison Skipworth, Polly Moran, Irene Manning, Donald Cook, Jackie Searl, and Lila Lee. It was released on February 15, 1937, by Repub ...

'' (1937) – Max Handler, Champ * '' Marry the Girl'' (1937) – Boxer (uncredited) * '' Big City'' (1937) – Himself * '' Nothing Sacred'' (1937) – Max Levinsky * '' The Kid Comes Back'' (1938) – Stan Wilson * '' Mr. Moto's Gamble'' (1938) – Horace Wellington * ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American-Italian epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1928 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The fil ...

'' (1938) – Tombstone * '' The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse'' (1938) – Butch * '' The Crowd Roars'' (1938) – Himself (uncredited) * ''

Submarine Patrol ''Submarine Patrol'' is a 1938 film directed by John Ford. The screenplay was by Rian James, Darrell Ware, and Jack Yellen. The film starred Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly and Preston Foster. The supporting cast features George Bancroft, Eli ...

'' (1938) – Marine Sentry Sgt. Joe Duffy * '' His Exciting Night'' (1938) – 'Doc' McCoy * ''Slapsie Maxie's'' (1939, short) – Himself * ''

Women in the Wind ''Women in the Wind'' is a 1939 film directed by John Farrow and starring Kay Francis, William Gargan and Victor Jory. The plot concerns women pilots competing in the so-called " Powder Puff Derby", an annual transcontinental air race solely ...

'' (1939) – Stuffy McInnes * '' The Kid from Kokomo'' (1939) – Curley Bender * '' Naughty but Nice'' (1939) – Killer * ''

'' (1939) – Fargo Red * '' 20,000 Men a Year'' (1939) – Walt Dorgan * ''

Private Detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigat ...

'' (1939) – Brody * '' Grandpa Goes to Town'' (1940) – Al * '' Passport to Alcatraz'' (1940) – Hank Kircher * ''

Public Deb No. 1 ''Public Deb No. 1'' (or ''Elsa Maxwell's Public Deb No. 1'') is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Gregory Ratoff and starring George Murphy, Brenda Joyce and Ralph Bellamy. Plot A socialite is introduced to communism by her butler. Partia ...

'' (1940) – Eric * ''The Lady and the Lug'' (1940, Short) – Himself * '' Ringside Maisie'' (1941) – Chotsie * '' The Stork Pays Off'' (1941) – 'Brains' Moran * '' Harvard, Here I Come!'' (1941) – Maxie * ''

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

'' (1941) – The Shadow aka Wilson * ''Slick Chick'' (1941) * '' To the Shores of Tripoli'' (1942) – Okay Jones * '' Smart Alecks'' (1942) – Butch Brocalli * ''

The Boogie Man Will Get You ''The Boogie Man Will Get You'' is a 1942 American comedy horror film directed by Lew Landers and starring Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. It was the final film Karloff made under his contract with Columbia Pictures, and it was filmed in the wake ...

'' (1942) – Maxie – the Powder Puff Salesman * '' The Yanks Are Coming'' (1942) – Butch * ''My Son, the Hero'' (1943) – Kid Slug Rosenthal * '' Here Comes Kelly'' (1943) – Trixie Bell * ''

Swing Fever ''Swing Fever'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by Tim Whelan. Kay Kyser plays an ambitious music composer, also gifted with a hypnotic "evil eye", who gets mixed up with promoting a boxer. The film also features Marilyn Maxwe ...

'' (1943) – 'Rags' * '' Follow the Boys'' (1944) – Himself * ''

Allergic to Love ''Allergic to Love'' is a 1944 American comedy musical romance film directed by Edward C. Lilley and starring Martha O'Driscoll, Noah Beery Jr. and David Bruce. The film's plot centers on a bride (O'Driscoll) who appears to be allergic to her ...

'' (1944) – Max * '' Three of a Kind'' (1944) – Maxie * '' Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' (1944) – Stanley Ketchel * '' Crazy Knights'' (1944) – Maxie * '' Night Club Girl'' (1945) – Percival J. Percival * '' Trouble Chasers'' (1945) – Maxie * '' Penthouse Rhythm'' (1945) – Health Spa Proprietor * ''

Men in Her Diary ''Men in Her Diary'' is a 1945 American comedy film. It stars Peggy Ryan and Jon Hall and was written by Lester Cole and directed by Charles Barton. It followed from the success of ''San Diego, I Love You''. Plot Cast * Jon Hall *Peggy Ryan ...

'' (1945) – Moxie Kildorff * '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1947) – Maxie (uncredited) * ''

Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

'' (1948) – Truck Driver * '' Mr. Universe'' (1951) – Big Ears, the Trainer * '' Skipalong Rosenbloom'' (1951) – Skipalong Rosenbloom * '' Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops'' (1955) – Hinds * ''

'' (1956, TV Series) – Steve * ''

Hollywood or Bust ''Hollywood or Bust'' is a 1956 American musical comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis alongside Pat Crowley and Anita Ekberg. The picture was filmed from April 16 to June 19, 1956, and re ...

'' (1956) – Bookie Benny * ''

I Married a Monster from Outer Space ''I Married a Monster from Outer Space'' is a 1958 American horror science fiction film from Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production compa ...

'' (1958) – Max Grady – Bartender * '' The Beat Generation'' (1959) – The Wrestling Beatnik * ''

The Bellboy ''The Bellboy'' is a 1960 American comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on July 20, 1960, by Paramount Pictures and marked Lewis's directorial debut. Plot In a prologue sequence, fictitious exec ...

'' (1960) – Maxie – Gangster * '' Two Guys Abroad'' (1962) – Nightclub co-owner * ''

Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title ''Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title'' is a 1966 American absurdist slapstick comedy film directed by Harmon Jones and written by Morey Amsterdam, John Davis Hart, William Marks and George Schenck. The film stars Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie, a ...

'' (1966) – Foreign Agent (scenes deleted) * '' The Spy in the Green Hat'' (1967) – 'Crunch' Battaglia * ''

Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers ''Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers'' is a 1967 American film produced by Southeastern Pictures Corporation. Its cast includes some major country-music performers. It was the final feature film of silent film great Lila Lee and former leading man S ...

'' (1967) – Maxie the Mailman * '' My Side of the Mountain'' (1969) – Flint Seller (final film role)

Professional boxing record

All information in this section is derived from

BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profess ...

, unless otherwise stated.

Official record

All

newspaper decision A newspaper decision was a type of decision in professional boxing. It was rendered by a consensus of sportswriters attending a bout after it had ended inconclusively with a " no decision", as many regions had not adopted the National Sporting Club ...

s are officially regarded as "no decision" bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

Unofficial record

Record with the inclusion of

s in the win/loss/draw column.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

champion (175 lbs) * NBA (WBA) light heavyweight champion (175 lbs) (2×)

''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

Regional/International titles

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

champion (200+ lbs)

Undisputed titles

* Undisputed light heavyweight champion (2×)

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

* *
Slapsy Maxie on Vinyl
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenbloom, Maxie 1907 births 1976 deaths Boxers from Connecticut American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Jewish American boxers Jews from Connecticut Boxers from New York City World boxing champions World light-heavyweight boxing champions 20th-century American male actors American male boxers 20th-century American Jews International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees