A very interesting post-fight career collection of 20 ALSs from Baer, ranging in date from 1944 up to October of 1959, a little more than a month before his death in Hollywood, California, with 19 of the letters ranging from 1954 to 1959. All letters are written to bar owner Meyer Shapiro, owner of Cunningham’s in Denver, Colorado, whom Baer had a decades-long relationship with, and would appear to be Baer’s financial savior towards the end of his life. Seventeen of the letters are accompanied by their original mailing envelopes, most signed in the return address area by Baer. Baer writes about his Hollywood career, including his movies The Harder They Fall and Utah Blaine, and mentions prominent fighters and entertainers including John L. Sullivan, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Perry Como, and Rory Calhoun.
A small sampling of these letters includes:
January 11, 1956: “Did you get my TV show with Perry Como? I hope so, we had a hell of a time … P.S. Watch for the movie in March: The Harder They Fall.” Baer had a cameo in this film, which incidentally was Humphrey Bogart’s last film.
August 25, 1956: “Meyer wait till you see ‘Utah Blaine’ with Rory Calhoun. You can say now for sure I have a hole in my head. I do a beautiful scene where I die. It’s not easy to die, never did it before. But they shoot me between the eyes, went to lunch right after I died, ate pretty good for a dead man. Keep your fingers crossed for me on my new TV show titled ‘Max’s Corner’ for coast to coast. It looks very good. If we need a big pansy behind the soft drink counter, I’ll call you, because your the cutest fag I know.”
March 25, 1957: “Punch Bob Howe in the kisser for me. They might only send out four tires to the other people, but for the 13th Title holder of the world I must have a (Gates spare) in the trunk.”
September 23, 1957: “The title of your story should not be called ‘What’s This’ but like John L. Sullivan who always hot the bar and shouted I can lick any damn man in the house, yours has to be I can drink more than any damn man in the house.”
A letter from June 19,1958 states that John Mullins, a Denver television station manager, lent the struggling Baer $200, and began hassling Baer for repayment. Baer asks Shapiro for his help in the repayment of the loan, promising to do anything he can to pay it back. A TLS from the station, dated the same day, requests the re-payment of the $200, which is now over a year past due to the station, which he presumably forwarded to Shapiro by Baer’s notation on the reverse of the letter.
In another letter, dated July 21, 1958, Baer writes of his upcoming pay days, promising to settle his debt with Shapiro as soon as he can. “I shall take care of it as soon as things get going. Which will be soon … I go to Las Vegas to get things arranged for my first TV show … following Oscar Levant … which will be tough as hell … Then I leave … for Chicago for Eagles convention with Buddy this is a pay day … fly to Seattle Washington for the Gold Cup Races, another pay day … Now if I can make Mary think I am getting $200 she won’t complain about me … She doesn’t know I owe you my life already. What can, or should we do Meyer. Things have been slow for me and are now starting to pick up.”
Click here to download a PDF of all letters in this collection.
Another interesting facet of this collection, is the different variations of Baer’s signature, although all letters are signed “Max” or “Max Baer,” he also adds creative nicknames to some of the signatures, including “Uppercuts to you you Pansy,” “Max ‘The Kid?’ Baer,” “Bartender Max Baer,” “The Doorman and Bouncer at ‘Cunningham’s Clip Joint,’” “Your bouncer when I’m in Denver,” and very appropriately “Your indebted pal.”
In very good overall condition, with scattered soiling and toning to some of the letters. An interesting and eye-opening collection of personal correspondence exhibiting Baer’s highs and lows he encountered after his in-ring career ended. Pre-certified Steve Grad/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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