Like the famous line from Forest Gump, Canada Lee’s life was “like a box of chocolates.†He never knew what flavor he would get. He was a musician, a jockey, a restaurateur, an actor, and a civil rights activist. He made headlines, and history, as an actor. He was the first African-American to play a white character on Broadway. He was the first African-American producer on Broadway as well as the first African-American actor to perform in white face. He demanded and forced directors, like Alfred Hitchcock, to remove stereotypical dialogue; no “yessuh’s†for him. He was a prominent activist who spoke out against racism every chance he got. That all changed when he became a victim of the “Hollywood Blacklist.†Called a “red†and labeled a communist during the height of McCarthyism, Canada Lee was forgotten. But before all of that, he was one heck of a boxer. A boxer Ring magazine called the “Sugar Ray of his day.†http://www.fightbeat.com/article_detail.php?AT=536
I have seen "Body and Soul" (my favorite boxing film) probably 20 times, and I loved Lee's portrayal of "Ben Chapman" in that film. I know he was Garfield's first choice for the part as Garfield made the film itself, and it was nominated for the Oscar as was Garfield. That film is an absolute must see for any boxing fan, and the fight scenes were filmed by James Wong Howe who won the Oscar for best cinematography that film. He filmed the fight scenes with a hand held camera in the ring attached to his chest on roller skates, and the results are visually stunning and still hold up well even by today's standards. Great film and great performance by Lee.
i've only seen the recent version with ray mancini in it. not sure if it follows the same premise, but it was okay i guess.
