Long Lost Jack Dempsey Boxing Film is Found at pinball-hall-of-fame/" target="_blank">Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
At The Pinball Hall of Fame at 1610 East Tropicana Avenue, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the back of the center pinball aisle of pinball machines, there is a wood cabinet containing a mystery in the back of a row of pinball machines-which has nothing to do with pinball. Perhaps as part of an estate lot, perhaps by mistake, perhaps a donation, perhaps an oddball jones item-which nobody knows where and when it came from. Priceless long lost boxing history has miraculously survived time, and has magically now been rediscovered by this reporter after 94 years in obscurity.
In a duplicate replica 1972 wood cabinet specially recreated to replace the 1921 original, an iron mechanism with metal binoculars in a cabinet, and a stereopticon of moving cards inside the cabinet, plays Jack Dempsey’s knockout of Georges Carpentier to retain the World heavyweight title on July 2, 1921, in Jersey City, New Jersey, in a series of black and white photos which move. Referee Harry Ertle can clearly be seen counting Carpentier out as Dempsey watches.
The black and white moving stereo opticon card process observed was invented in 1911. A few of these antique devices can still be found restored in the Disney Parks. This particular restored device with the original cards moves inside on its own after a quarter is dropped, versus the hand crank the original cabinet had externally. The modification was probably devised to protect wear and tear on the new cabinet housing the antique moving card stereo opticon mechanism.
Carpenter fell through the ropes in the first round. After getting off the floor in the fourth round, Carpenter was knocked out later in the fourth round. The moving stereopticon cards feature the final minute of the fourth round. The Pinball Hall of Fame, seeing a part of history, acquired this unique item as some point. The wooden case holding the binocular viewer and inner mechanism was probably recreated to save the devise due to its age by a boxing fan before it arrived in pinball paradise.
The item would be missed by most, but this sportswriter-a top notch
pinball player of many decades-spotted it near the pinball repair station.
For fight fans buffs, Carpentier was the third world heavyweight title defense for ‘The Manassa Mauler’. Dempsey had won the world title by knocking out Jess Willard in July 1919. In 1927, Dempsey failed to regain his heavyweight title from Gene Tunney in the rematch known as ‘The Battle of The Long Count’.
After retirement in 1927, Dempsey became a boxing promoter, and later a Manhattan restauranteur. The current restaurant in Manhattan called Jack Dempsey’s is not related to the real Jack Dempsey. Lieutenant Commander Jack Dempsey was Director of Physical Education of the Coast Guard Reserve during World War II from 1942 to 1945. Dempsey also returned to the ring and fought exhibitions during World War II.
Dempsey went 54-6-9 with 44 knockouts in his career, and passed away in May 1983 at age 83 as the famed gentleman of boxing and great spokesperson of the sport.
Historians are also aware Dempsey wrote two books: How To Fight Tough (with professional wrestler Bernard Cosneck) during World War II; the Coast Guard hand to hand combat handbook; and Championship Fighting, Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense, in 1950.
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