Buddy Baer
Encyclopedia
Jacob Henry "Buddy" Baer (June 11, 1915 – July 18, 1986) was an American boxer
. In 2003, Baer was chosen for the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His older brother was heavyweight champion Max Baer.
He knocked out colorful contender Tony Galento
(Galento quit in the 7th round claiming to have broken his left hand). The highlight of his boxing career occurred in his unsuccessful attempts to win the heavyweight boxing championship from Joe Louis
. In their first fight, Baer caught Louis with a big left hook in the first round and knocked the champion out of the ring. Louis, however, climbed back in before the count of ten, and eventually won the fight on a disqualification. Baer claimed that he had been hit, and knocked down, after the bell in the seventh round, and refused to come out for the next round. The referee therefore disqualified him. In their rematch, Louis knocked Baer out in the first. Baer later remarked "The only way I could have beaten Louis that night was with a baseball bat." His record was 52-7 with 46 knockouts.
Buddy Baer was the uncle of Max Baer, Jr.
, best known as "Jethro" on the classic TV program The Beverly Hillbillies
.
during World War II
, as did his brother Max. After the war Buddy appeared in movies and TV, owned a bar in Sacramento with Fred Cullincini and worked as a marshal at the California State Legislature
.
Buddy appeared in several films. In 1949, Baer had a bit role in the Abbott and Costello
romp, Africa Screams
. He also appeared in Flame of Araby, Quo Vadis
, Jack and the Beanstalk
(another Abbott & Costello film), The Big Sky
, Slightly Scarlet, Giant from the Unknown
, and Snow White and the Three Stooges
. 1954 "Jubilee Trail"
His television credits include guest roles in: Adventures of Superman
, Captain Midnight
, Cheyenne, Circus Boy
, Climax!
, Gunsmoke
, Have Gun, Will Travel, Peter Gunn
, Rawhide
, Sky King
, and Toast of the Town.
Buddy and Max were known as the "professional good guys" or "the genial giants". The Sacramento sports reporter Billy Conlin wrote: "When they died, the "sweet science" lost two of the sweetest!" Buddy is buried in East Lawn Sierra Hills Memorial Park, Sacramento.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. In 2003, Baer was chosen for the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His older brother was heavyweight champion Max Baer.
Boxing career
Standing at 6' 6½" (1.99 m), Baer fought from 1934 to 1942 and was one of the best punchers of his time.He knocked out colorful contender Tony Galento
Tony Galento
Domenico Antonio Galento was an American heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "Two Ton" for his reasoning to his manager for being nearly late to one of his fights: "I had two tons of ice to deliver on my way here". Galento was one of the most colorful fighters in the history of the sport...
(Galento quit in the 7th round claiming to have broken his left hand). The highlight of his boxing career occurred in his unsuccessful attempts to win the heavyweight boxing championship from Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
. In their first fight, Baer caught Louis with a big left hook in the first round and knocked the champion out of the ring. Louis, however, climbed back in before the count of ten, and eventually won the fight on a disqualification. Baer claimed that he had been hit, and knocked down, after the bell in the seventh round, and refused to come out for the next round. The referee therefore disqualified him. In their rematch, Louis knocked Baer out in the first. Baer later remarked "The only way I could have beaten Louis that night was with a baseball bat." His record was 52-7 with 46 knockouts.
Buddy Baer was the uncle of Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer Jr is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for playing Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
, best known as "Jethro" on the classic TV program The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
.
After boxing
Buddy retired after the Louis bout and joined the U.S. Armed ForcesUnited States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as did his brother Max. After the war Buddy appeared in movies and TV, owned a bar in Sacramento with Fred Cullincini and worked as a marshal at the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
.
Buddy appeared in several films. In 1949, Baer had a bit role in the Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
romp, Africa Screams
Africa Screams
Africa Screams is a 1949 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton.-Plot:Diana Emerson is in the book department of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of the book Dark Safari, written by the famed explorer Cuddleford...
. He also appeared in Flame of Araby, Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis (1951 film)
Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
, Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk (1952 film)
Jack and the Beanstalk is a 1952 American family comedy film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is a comic revision of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale.-Plot:...
(another Abbott & Costello film), The Big Sky
The Big Sky (film)
The Big Sky is a 1952 Western film directed by Howard Hawks, based on the novel of the same name. The cast includes Kirk Douglas, Arthur Hunnicutt, Dewey Martin and Elizabeth Threatt....
, Slightly Scarlet, Giant from the Unknown
Giant from the Unknown
Giant from the Unknown is a 1958 B movie released by Astor Pictures. The film stars Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, and Buddy Baer. Baer, who played Vargas, the Giant in this film, also played a giant in Jack and the Beanstalk , starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.-Plot:A giant, named Vargas , who was...
, and Snow White and the Three Stooges
Snow White and the Three Stooges
Snow White and the Three Stooges is the second feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Released by 20th Century Fox, this was the trio's take on the classic fairy tale Snow White...
. 1954 "Jubilee Trail"
His television credits include guest roles in: Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
, Captain Midnight
Captain Midnight
Captain Midnight is a U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. Sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, the radio program was the creation of radio scripters Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M...
, Cheyenne, Circus Boy
Circus Boy
Circus Boy is an American action/adventure/drama series that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1958. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960...
, Climax!
Climax! (TV series)
Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Have Gun, Will Travel, Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
, Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
, Sky King
Sky King
Sky King is a 1940s and 1950s American radio and television adventure series. The title character is Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King...
, and Toast of the Town.
Buddy and Max were known as the "professional good guys" or "the genial giants". The Sacramento sports reporter Billy Conlin wrote: "When they died, the "sweet science" lost two of the sweetest!" Buddy is buried in East Lawn Sierra Hills Memorial Park, Sacramento.