Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed

Feb 23, 2008

1h 15m

★ 7.0

Overview

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.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

HBO Sports

Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Joe Louis

Self

Joe Louis Barrow Jr.

Self

Dick Gregory

Self (archive footage)

Jack Johnson

Narrator

Liev Schreiber

Self

Randy Roberts

Self

Gerald Early

Self

Maya Angelou

Self

Bill Cosby

Self

Jimmy Carter

Self

Paul Schulder

Self

Lester Rodney

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