Friday Night Fighter

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A01=Troy Rondinone
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
Author_Troy Rondinone
automatic-update
Benny "Kid" Paret
blood sport
Carmen Basilio
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=APT
Category=ATJ
Category=JBCC
Category=JFC
Category=SRB
Category=WSTB
Chico Vejar
COP=United States
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
Emile Griffith
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
eq_sports-fitness
Florentino Fernández
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports Friday Night Fights
Kid Gavilan
Language_English
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Mexico
PA=Available
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
softlaunch
Tijuana
tony DeMarco

Product details

  • ISBN 9780252037375
  • Weight: 594g
  • Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
  • Publication Date: 23 Apr 2013
  • Publisher: University of Illinois Press
  • Publication City/Country: US
  • Product Form: Hardback
  • Language: English
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Friday Night Fighter relives a lost moment in American postwar history, when boxing ruled as one of the nation's most widely televised sports. During the 1950s and 1960s, viewers tuned in weekly, sometimes even daily, to watch widely recognized fighters engage in primordial battle; the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports Friday Night Fights was the most popular fight show. Troy Rondinone follows the dual narratives of the Friday Night Fights show and the individual story of Gaspar "Indio" Ortega, a boxer who appeared on prime-time network television more than almost any other boxer in history. From humble beginnings growing up poor in Tijuana, Mexico, Ortega personified the phenomenon of postwar boxing at its greatest, appearing before audiences of millions to battle the biggest names of the time, such as Carmen Basilio, Tony DeMarco, Chico Vejar, Benny "Kid" Paret, Emile Griffith, Kid Gavilan, Florentino Fernández, and Luis Manuel Rodriguez.

Rondinone explores the factors contributing to the success of televised boxing, including the rise of television entertainment, the role of a "reality" blood sport, Cold War masculinity, changing attitudes toward race in America, and the influence of organized crime. At times evoking the drama and spectacle of the Friday Night Fights themselves, this volume is a lively examination of a time in history when Americans crowded around their sets to watch the main event.

Troy Rondinone is an associate professor of history at Southern Connecticut State University and the author of The Great Industrial War: Framing Class Conflict in the Media, 1865-1950.