Boxing On the Screen--Part One

 

    SPECIAL ENTRY | APRIL 7/2024

BOXING ON THE SCREEN--PART ONE

This is a project I have been working on for a while.

IO am presenting this time part one because there will for sure be more to this.

It has for a long while a pet peeve of mine how older TV and films depicted the sport of boxing. In most cases, it was quite inaccurate. As if they couldn't consult with someone to make an attempt at accuracy. I realize most of them are fictional stories, but they should have at least tried for some accuracy.

In this first special feature, I will discuss episodes from three well-known sitcoms from the past.

"FAME" (1984) S3:E5 "Knockout"

As part of this overall unfunny and underdramatic series about the students of a performing arts school, this episode features one of the main characters, Christopher, who decided to take a "break" from performing and return to the Sweet Science.

There is very little information about this episode but upon being able to watch it again I remember how terrible it was.

It was obvious that neither actor knew quat about how to box, but one line in the script sent up a flag for me.

When Christopher was talking to the other students about their upcoming performance versus his upcoming "performance he said, "What I am doing is not a show. There is a bloody guy on the canvas who isn't going anywhere for quite a while,"

That is rarely true in boxing, especially at the amateur level. Whoever wrote that into the script was making a rather poor attempt of making an underdramatic show more dramatic by adding a ridiculous;ine.

As it turned out, we don't get to even see the ending of the bout, nor much of the middle, or the beginning.  All the audience sees is a grand total of about a minute of two actors pretending to bo and doing a terrible;e job at it.

"LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY " (1977) S3:E2 "Tag Team Wrestling"

 

As per the title this episode was mainly about wrestling but there was a boxing aspect.

The character Carmine was apparently a Golden Gloves champion so that was used some times in the series.

Although, as expected the actor really wasn't a champion of anything,  although I was surprised to see that he did have a bit of boxing skill.

That being said, in addition to the entire boxing sequence being rather silly ('70s sitcom style), there was once major flaw. 

The ring they used was both for a professional wrestling match and a boxing bout. That would never happen since they are two entirely different rings.

Both the surfaces are different as well as the rope tension.

Therefore you can not use the same ring for both.

"THE FACTS OF LIFE" (1982) S4:E9 "Academy II"

This was a rather odd episode in the series as it was one of very few that did not take place at the girls' school.

It turns out that this was the second attempt at a series spin-off called "The Academy", thus the title. This episode was later renamed "The Big Fight".

This one took place at a boy's military academy where Natalie's boyfriend, Alfred, attends. Odd also since Natalie didn't have any known boyfriend up to this point.

The academy was having a boxing tournament and Natalie wanted to attend so she could write an article about it.

As we soon learn though, Alfred has his work cut out for him since his opponent turns out to be a "tough guy" with boxing experience as a  --you guessed it-- a Golden Gloves champion.

A Golden Gloves champion with an obviously poor defense. I' 'm not sure how he made it all the way through the tournament lie that.

During the introduction to the bout the "referee" explained the rules, but of course one thing he said was completely and totally wrong.

He said that a knockdown would result in a standing 8 count. That is of course incorrect and doesn't even sound right. How can there be a stand-8 council after a knockdown? In amateur boxing, a knockdown will result in an RSC. A boxer will not be allowed to continue. A standing 8 is issued by the referee for other reasons where the bout can continue.

The oddest part is that the bout did end by knockdown so that inaccurate line didn't even have anything to do with the story.

Another mistake was that the ring surface was made up of exercise mats. That would never be allowed. The ring surface must be a non-slip, smooth surface which exercise mats are not.

Despite the inaccuracies, that was a "not bad" episode of this series compared to the rest, and I don't know why "The Academy" was never produced into its own series.

NEXT ENTRY: April 13 /2024 

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada  (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario) 

2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association) 

1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission) 

DIVISION:

Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:

77 kg (173 lbs.)  

 STANCE:

Orthodox (left lead)

Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:

ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:

Mon: 0930-1100

Tue 1700-1900

Thu 1700-1900

Sat 1100-1230

COMPETITION STATUS:

ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:

TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:

Cabbagetown Boxing Club

Toronto

COACH:

Johnny Kalbhenn