(Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed)

Content: An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial consciousness: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of White sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis's patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of Louis by the IRS for the following 15 years. In his last years, he's a casino greeter, a drug user, and the occasional object of scorn for young Turks like Muhammad Ali. Appreciative comment comes from boxing scholars, Louis's son Joe Jr., friends, and icons like Maya Angelou, Dick Gregory, and Bill Cosby.

Countries:

United States of America

Genres:

Documentary

Runtime:

75 minutes

Year:

2008

Directors:

Ouisie Shapiro

Production companies:

HBO Sports

Actors:

Self (archive footage)

Self

Self

Self (archive footage)

Narrator

Crews:

Writer

Editor

Director