Phil Bloom (Boxer)

Phil Bloom
Bloom Around 1920
Statistics
Real name	Philip Bloom
Rated at	Lightweight
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Nationality	Jewish American
Born	(1894-10-24)October 24, 1894 London, England
Died	February 8, 1979(1979-02-08) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	202
Wins	96
Wins by KO	19
Losses	78
Draws	27
No contests	1

Phil Bloom (October 24, 1894 – February 8, 1979) was an English born lightweight boxer from Brooklyn who fought an impressive array of elite featherweights, lightweights and welterweights including legendary lightweight champion Benny Leonard, as well as Lew Tendler, Johnny Dundee, Jack Britton, Leach Cross, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Australian Harry Stone, Harlem Tommy Murphey, and Soldier Bartfield.

As a young rising twenty-year-old, Bloom was heralded by newspapers as having the edge in a fight with Benny Leonard in New York on January 4, 1914, and with having drawn with Leonard on October 3, 1914. He would face Leonard in important ten round bouts outside of New York while Leonard was reigning Lightweight champion on September 14, 1917, and October 15, 1919, though never presenting a serious threat. Bloom also had a long career as a movie extra in Los Angeles after his boxing career ended.^[1]

Early Boxing Career

Benny Leonard

Bloom's most notable early success was against future lightweight champion Benny Leonard on January 20, 1914 at the Atlantic Garden Athletic Club in New York. New York newspapers heralded the skills of the rising 20 year old star that day, and most gave him the edge in the bout. Two weeks earlier on January 5, Bloom had been outpointed by future Welterweight World Champion Jack Britton, in a well attended bout at Madison Square Garden.^[1] Bloom would again lose to Leonard on October 3 and November 26, 1914, as well as January 30, 1917.

Of a December 8, 1914 bout with exceptional lightweight Leach Cross, The Day wrote, "Leach Cross...and Phil Bloom of Brooklyn boxed ten rounds to a draw at the Broadway Sporting Club (Brooklyn) last night," though most New York newspapers gave the edge to Cross.^[2] Newspaper decisions had decisively gone against Bloom in a previous ten round bout with Cross at the New Star Casino earlier in the year on March 5, 1914.

Boxing Career as a Fringe Contender

Bloom in his Youth

On April 20, 1916 Bloom lost to Leonard at the Stadium Athletic Club in Brooklyn. New London's The Day noted that though Bloom fared poorly in the last three rounds, he "more than held his own in the first six rounds." ^[3] Bloom and Leonard met most frequently in New York in well attended standard ten round bouts. Bloom was an early victim of a second round knockout in their first bout while Benny Leonard was reigning Lightweight champion in Pittsburgh on September 14, 1917. The Day noted that "Physicians attending the injured boxer...gave out statements that a bone in Bloom's right ankle had been fractured," though other newspapers disputed this claim.^[4]

Johnny Dundee

In his mid-career, Bloom met a number of great future champions. He lost to future World Welterweight Champion, Ted "Kid" Lewis on November 9, 1914 in a ten round newspaper decision at Madison Square Garden. Bloom lost to 1921 Junior Lightweight champion Johnny Dundee on November 22 and December 2, 1915, and April 11, 1916 in standard ten round newspaper decisions in New York. Providence's Evening News wrote of their December 2, 1915 bout, Johnny Dundee had "defeated Phil Bloom of Brooklyn by a hairline decision after ten rounds of terrific boxing at the Pioneer Sporting Club," though most newspapers with the exception of the Brooklyn Eagle gave the bout to Dundee.^[5] Bloom lost to 1923 World Welterweight champion Lew Tendler in six rounds in Tendler's hometown Philadelphia on May 13, 1918.^[1]

After late 1918, Bloom fought few past or future champions, though he continued to face talented opposition including Soldier Bartfield on several occasions, Barney Adair, and prolific boxer Italian Joe Gans. Bloom lost handily to reigning Lightweight champion Benny Leonard in Detroit on October 15, 1919 in his last bout with the legendary reigning champion.^[1]

Movie Career in Los Angeles

After a move to Los Angeles, Bloom had an extensive career as a movie extra appearing in films for over thirty years. Many of his parts were in boxing or gangster films and in movies with rough sketches of life.

In his early movie career, Bloom appeared in an uncredited role as a thug in Paramount Pictures' November 20, 1926 release of God Gave Me Twenty Cents.^[6]

On the set of "The Bowery," from left, boxers Al McCoy, "Fireman" Jim Flynn, Frank Moran, actor Wallace Beery, Phil Bloom, Joe Glick, Abe Hollandersky (bottom)

In 1933, Bloom appeared briefly on screen in 20th Century Pictures' The Bowery. In this rough slice-of-life movie set in the New York Bowery in the East end of Manhattan in the 1890's, several of the characters played thugs or boxers. The film starred actors Wallace Beery and Fay Ray, and Bloom appeared with ex-Middleweight World Champion Al McCoy, as well as boxers "Fireman" Jim Flynn, Phil Bloom, Frank Moran, Joe Glick, British boxer William Thomas, known as "Kid Broad," Jack Herrick and Abe Hollandersky. The boxing extras were well cast. Glick, Flynn, Moran, and Hollandersky had all boxed frequently in New York, and several had lived there.^[7][8]

Bloom appeared again in a Paramount Picture's Shirley Temple film released on June 1, 1934, Little Miss Marker, with Boxing Hall of Fame sportswriter Damon Runyan authoring the story line. Boxer Sailor Billy Vincent also appeared as an extra. Bloom played one of the bookies. The theme of a kindly racehorse bookie played by Adolphe Menjou befriending Shirley Temple's character sprung easily from the mind of Damon Runyan who brushed up against countless bookies as well as a number of mob associates in his career close to boxing.^[9]

Bloom appeared as an uncredited Juryman in the 1935 Hal Roach Studio's short film Southern Exposure, distributed by MGM.^[10]

In 1935, Bloom was cast as an extra in another movie that included gangsters, Universal Picture's She Gets Her Man (1935). The film also cast boxers Jack Perry, and Sailor Billy Vincent in uncredited roles. The lead actress Zasu Pitts, plays Esmerelda, a cook in a diner who foils the plans of gangsters planning a bank robbery.^[11]

In 1938, Bloom appeared as a boxing Handler for the character Johnny Martin in MGM's The Crowd Roars. In this successful movie with Robert Taylor as a boxer who kills an opponent in the ring, a gymnasium scene was shot in the background behind Young that included boxers Larry Williams, Maxie Rosenbloom, Jimmy McLarnin, Abie Bain, Frankie Grandetta, Jack Roper, Tommy Herman, Larry Williams, and Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky.^[12]

In 1956 Bloom appeared uncredited in the wide release of United Artists' successful Around the World in 80 Days. The huge cast included David Niven as Phileas Fogg, John Gielgud, Frank Sinatra, Cantinflas, and Shirley MacLaine.^[13]

Bloom also appeared uncredited in the following films:

• 20th Century Fox's 1945, Where Do We Go from Here? (film)
• Bing Crosby Productions May 1945, United Artists' The Great John L.
• Scarbine's Henchman in MGM's 1951, Bannerline.
• Universal Picture's 1952, Sally and Saint Anne
• Universal Picture's 1953, rough themed Girls in the Night
• Columbia Pictures 1956, Let No Man Write my Epitaph ^[14]

Bloom died on February 8, 1979 in Los Angeles.

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for Phil Bloom from BoxRec
• "IMDb Phil Bloom Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 28 April 2015.