Fight pictures : a history of boxing and early cinema

The first filmed prizefight, Veriscope's __Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight__ (1897) became one of cinema's first major attractions, ushering in an era in which hugely successful boxing films helped transform a stigmatized sport into legitimate entertainment. Exploring a significant and fascinating period in the development of modern sports and media, __Fight Pictures__ is the first work to chronicle the mostly forgotten story of how legitimate bouts, fake fights, comic sparring matches, and more came to silent-era screens and became part of American popular culture. Preliminaries: History, Prizefighting, Early Cinema -- The Sporting And Theatrical Syndicate: Boxing Pictures And The Origins Of Cinema, 1891-1896 -- The Corbett-fitzsimmons Fight: Women At The Veriscope, 1897 -- Under The Lights: Filming Ringside In The Jim Jeffries Era, 1899-1904 -- Fake Fight Films: S. Lubin Of Philadelphia, 1897-1908 -- Fight Pictures In The Nickelodeon Era: Miles Bros. Of New York & San Francisco, 1905-1912 -- Jack Johnson Films: Black Exhibition And White Suppression, 1908-1910 -- Jack Johnson's Decline: The Prizefight Film Ban, 1911-1915 -- Bootlegging: The Clandestine Traffic In Fight Pictures, 1916-1940. Dan Streible. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 305-367) And Index. Includes Filmography: P. 291-303. Content: Preliminaries: history, prizefighting, early cinema -- The sporting and theatrical syndicate: boxing pictures and the origins of cinema, 1891-1896 -- The Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight: women at the veriscope, 1897 -- Under the lights: filming ringside in the Jim Jeffries Era, 1899-1904 -- Fake fight films: S. Lubin of Philadelphia, 1897-1908 -- Fight pictures in the Nickelodeon Era: Miles Bros. of New York & San Francisco, 1905-1912 -- Jack Johnson films: black exhibition and white suppression, 1908-1910 -- Jack Johnson's decline: the prizefight film ban, 1911-1915 -- Bootlegging: the Clandestine traffic in fight pictures, 1916-1940. The first filmed prizefight, Veriscope's Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight (1897) became one of cinema's first major attractions, ushering in an era in which hugely successful boxing films helped transform a stigmatized sport into legitimate entertainment. Exploring a significant and fascinating period in the development of modern sports and media, Fight Pictures is the first work to chronicle the mostly forgotten story of how legitimate bouts, fake fights, comic sparring matches, and more came to silent-era screens and became part of American popular culture. In 1897 a filmed prize-fight became one of cinema's first major attractions, and such films continued to enjoy great popularity for many years to come. This work chronicles the story of how legitimate bouts, fake fights, comic sparring matches, and other forms of boxing came to dominate the screens of the silent-era Chronicles the story of how legitimate bouts, fake fights, and comic sparring matches came to silent-era screens and became part of American popular culture.