Jack De Mave

Jack De Mave was born in New Jersey and spent most of his formative years exposed to the two exciting worlds of theater and boxing. The roar of the crowd was music to his ears. Jack's dad was the original "Golden Boy", a leading contender for the heavyweight championship of the world in the late 1920s. he fought 87 professional bouts, losing only 11. After seeing De Mave, Sr., fight, Clifford Odets got the idea for the play "Golden Boy", although the story line was in no way based on real life. Jack's father retired from the ring years before Jack was born, but, as a boy, Jack loved to frequent Stillman's Gym or Dempsey's restaurant, meeting his dad's friends such as Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano, Mickey walker and Jack Dempsey. Jack's godfather was Primo Carnera). As a very young man, jack was considering boxing as a career. But that changed after seeing Paul Muni in "Inherit the Wind" on Broadway. Jack's mother had been casting director for Broadway producer John Golden years before... [Details Intro]