The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-09-02
By PRoEHL HALLER JAKLoN

ny PROEHE HAEEER JAkEON
w UGILISM, rough-neck among the arts, has
~ played the role of she wolf to the present
day Remus and Romulus of the arts-the
movies and the radio prize fight on st.
Patricks day, 1897, nursed back to health the
struggling motion-picture infant that was to
become giant among the industries of the world.
And prize fight on July 2, 1921, gave new life
and vigor to that scientific youngster wireless"
and almost overnight put radio broadcasting on
an organized basis
The court of public opinion long ago tore the
screen from it's low-brow foster mother by pro-
hibitng the transportation of fight pictures in
interstate commerce But the child already
strong and no longer required parental aid. How
long a careful society will permit the broad
casting of prize fights is another matter
Thirty years ago the movies were wide open.
Nearly anything that would draw spectators
could be exhibited. AT that time the art was
barely seven years old, but the novelty of living
pictures" per Sc was beginning to wane. All the
pictures were Short incoherent things. Little or
no attempt had been made to tell a story, and the
public, tired of seeing hootch dancers squirm
through a couple of hundred feet of jerky film
or the midnight of the fire fighters was ready
to forget the screen.
In the autumn of 1895, the freckled Bob Fitz-
simmons challenged James j. Corbett to ado bat
tie for the worlds heavyweight championship.
Enoch j. Rector and Samuel J. Tilden, pioneer
film producers, had made arrangements with Cor
bett, the champion for the film rights. At first
it planned to stage the bout in Texas but
the promoters got into difficulties with the law
and the affair called off. Disguised, Corbett
handed his belt over to Peter Maher
Rector, with $4,000 of motion picture rights at
stake, began to get active and before long a bout
was arranged between Fitzsimmons and Maher to
take place in Mexico across the Texas line The
date was set for February 81, 1896. Four ponder
GUS cameras electrically operated, were at the
ringside. But breath of wind arose in the south
with fresh smell of moisture The country was
parched, rainless for IS burning months Now
rain came. The skies dark and a slow driz-
zle set in. Photography was impossible but a
trainoad of fight fans demanded action The
fighters went into the ring while the cameras
stood helplessIy by. Fitzsimmons spared with
1Iaher for two flashing moments, then knocked
him through the ropes and out
This pictorial iasco emphasized the limitations
of the early motion picture equipment Rector.
who had been using Edison cameras sought an
instrument which could be operated by hand
Before long fight fans began to clamor for
Corbett to resume and defend the worlds cham
pionship title which had been Knocked out Of
the ring by Fitzsimmons in the Mexican fizzIe
Promoters began to look around for place
in which to hold the fracas, but public opinion
and politics barred them everywhere In desper-
ate last resort they went to Nevada and camped
lobbying for bill through the legislature
BY the terms of his agreement Rector was to
pay Corbett and his manager William A. Brady
today known as theatrical magnate, -25 per cent
of the proceeds of the pictures. With Fitzsim
mons and his manager, Rector had made an
agreement to hand them $4,000 when the fight
sers entered the ring Hearing of the Corbett per-
centage deal Fitzsimmons screamed that he had
been tricked. The whole deal was off
Fitzsmmons kSent away to Carson City, New.
with Rector and the promoters In pursuit Peace
was made on basis which gave Fitzsimmons
also % per cent cut Of the picture profits
Corbett and Fitzsimmons went into the ring at
Carson City on March H. 1897. Rector was at the
ringside with three cameras and $4,000 feet Of
film the largest single lot of negative that had
ever gone out on location
The fight went its vicious and bloody length
with Mrs. Fitzsimmons cheering her husband to
victory When the fight was over, Rector had ex-
posed 1000 feet Of film a worlds record
Rector and his partner, Tilden. were not yet
sure of an avenue to the market for their picture
but they finally decided to present it in New York
and market it territorialIy themselves 40 pro-
jector was installed in the New York Academy
.of Music in Fourteenth street, where the picture
ran through the summer This was the nrsf film