I recently discovered that the late heavyweight boxing champion, Rocky Marciano, once hosted his own television show. Many people contend that Marciano was the greatest heavyweight of them all, greater than even Mohammed Ali. He never lost a bout in his career. His record was 49-0. Of his 49 wins, 43 were knockouts.
Marciano was heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952 until his retirement in April of 1956. After his retirement, he started to appear on television. He hosted a ten minute weekly weekend program called The Main Event. The show originated on the long-defunct Du Mont television network and was eventually syndicated and shown on CBS.
Click on the link below to watch a video of Marciano interviewing “The Great One,” Jackie Gleason, in 1960. It’s a gem. I really enjoyed watching it and I hope you do too.
MORE TRIVA ABOUT ROCKY MARCIANO ON TELEVISION
Rocky Marciano made an appearance in an episode of Combat! entitled “Masquerade” which originally aired on October 1, 1963. He played a soldier who greets a Red Cross truck. His role was uncredited. In 1963, Marciano also appeared on some episodes of The Keefe Brasselle Show, a short-lived musical/variety show. According to The Complete Directory of Prime Time Network TV Shows, its main claim to fame was that a young up-and-coming singer named Barbra Streisand belted out Soon It’s Gonna Rain on its premiere episode.
A FINAL NOTE
Sadly, Rocky Marciano was killed in a plane crash in Iowa on August 31, 1969. His death occurred on the eve of his 46th birthday.
- Joanne
- Joanne
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