Added: Dec 4, 2008
Author: wyldebuzz
Duration: 5:7
The legendary "King of Men"..... "Classy" Freddie Blassie takes on Mexico's Felipe "Chico" Mendoza, also the referee is the famous "Iron" Mike Mazurki.Bio on Mike Mazurki:With an intimidating face like craggy granite, and his towering 6'5" solid, frame Mike Mazurki (born Mikhail Mazurski) was one of the cinema's first serial thugs and specialized in playing strong-arm men, gangsters and bullies for over 50 years on screen. Nearly always portrayed as a lowbrow muscle, in real life Mazurski was highly intelligent, very well read and a witty conversationalist. He was also an accomplished sportsman with his ventures in American football and wrestling. He first appeared onscreen in uncredited roles in films such as Gentleman Jim (1942) and About Face (1942);, however, his daunting bruiser looks were soon noticed and he became phenomenally busy in the 1940s, appearing in nearly 50 movies during the decade, including his well remembered performance as ex-con "Moose Malloy" in the film noir thriller Murder, My Sweet (1944), and as the gruesome "Splitface" in Dick Tracy (1945).He also played a wrestler called "The Strangler" in Night and the City (1950). In fact, he continued to wrestle during his acting career. His slurred speech was reportedly due to a wrestling injury to his Adam's apple.Mazurki made guest appearances on many well-known television shows, among them Gilligan's Island, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza and Gunsmoke, to name just a few. He played a yacht hand in an episode of Perry Mason titled "The Case of the Missing Button," in which he threatened Mason and Paul Drake with a set of brass knuckles. He was also a regular on a short-lived sitcom, The Chicago Teddy Bears.In 1965, he co-founded and became the first president of the Cauliflower Alley Club, an association of professional wrestlers. A photograph of his cauliflower ear forms the logo of the organization.In 2005, he was awarded the New York State Award by the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, for his founding of the Cauliflower Alley Club.TriviaContrary to his image as a brawny, not very smart tough guy, Mazurki graduated at the top of his class from Manhattan College, class of 1930, with a Bachelor of Arts degree.Wrestler turned actor in tough guy roles.Best remembered as the lumbering, intense yet soft-hearted Moose Malloy in the classic 1945 film-noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel 'Farewell, My Lovely', called 'Murder, My Sweet' in the US (while retaining the novel's title overseas).American actor of Ukrainian origin.Father of actress Michelle Mazurki.In 1936 he played minor league football with the Wessington Passiac (NJ) Red Devils. The Red Devils were a member of the American Football Association.Well known to generations of wrestling fans as "Iron" Mike Mazurki, whom he delighted with several world-class battles in during his long career. Outside the squared circle, Mike was dedicated to serving those in his wrestling brotherhood, and in the 1960s founded the "Cauliflower Alley Club", a non-profit organization that awarded scholarships and financial assistance to retired or injured wrestlers and their families."Iron" Mike Mazurki passed away in 1990 at the age of 83.
Channel: Sports
Tags: "classy blassie" entertainment freddie
Rating: 4.57 (7 ratings) Views: 934' favoriteCount='13 Comments: 2