29. On His Knees Again

After hanging up the gloves in 1955, Beau tried living in Augusta, but it just wasn’t close enough to the world of boxing. Ultimately, he headed back to Miami Beach, a boxing haven, where he would shine shoes at the Fontainebleau Hotel. In what little spare time he had, Beau enjoyed working with young boxers and hanging around the numerous local boxing gyms.

Fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Miami Beach is located on the barrier islands across Biscayne Bay from Miami. With its pristine white sand and beautiful waterfront vistas, the stretch of oceanfront luxury became the playground for the rich and famous during the mid 1900s. Miami Beach was a bustling center of entertainment with glamorous nightlife, swanky hotels, jazz clubs, restaurants, and celebrities. Tourism was booming. The stretch of Collins Avenue between 41st Street and 62nd Street was named Millionaires Row in acknowledgment of the opulent homes of the rich and famous and grand hotels, such as the Hotel Deauville, Eden Roc Miami, Carillon Hotel and Beach Resort, Algiers Hotel, Nautilus Hotel, and of course, the Fontainebleau Hotel.

The nightlife and entertainment were incredible. There was something to do every evening. There were spectacular cabaret shows and lavish nightclubs ranging from Copa City to the Latin Quarter, and the Birdland Jazz Club. Beautiful ladies in chorus lines served as the backdrop for the nightly dinner shows. The Beatles’ first American performance was on the Ed Sullivan Show, broadcast live from the Deauville Hotel on February 16, 1964. Jackie Gleason brought his Jackie Gleason Show and American Scene Magazine television show to Miami Beach in 1964. A variety talk show, it was broadcast from the Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium at 17th and Washington Avenue.1 In the 1960s, the Municipal Auditorium also hosted The Dick Clark Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, and Bob Hope not only performed at the auditorium, but they also frequented many events held at the venue.

There was no telling which celebrities and entertainers you might see on any given day. Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack—Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Sammy Davis, Jr.—were often seen strolling the streets and enjoying the nightlife in Miami Beach, especially at the La­Ronde Super Club where Sinatra was a frequent performer. Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) had a condo at The Flamingo, and in 1954 was often seen on the beach with her husband Joe DiMaggio, “The Yankee Clipper” (1914–1999). Milton Berle (1908–2002) was a regular performer at the Redbury Hotel. Judy Garland (1922–1969), Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), and Tony Bennett entertained guests at the Napoleon Ballroom. Lena Horne (1917–2010) and Lucille Ball (1911–1989) frequented the Eden Roc. Dolores Hawkins (1929–1987) performed in the Cavalcade of Broadway. Singers such as Johnny Desmond (1919–1985), Elvis Presley (1935–1977), and Johnny Mathis performed in various venues. Danny Thomas (1914–1991) often performed his comedy act at local nightclubs. The list of celebrities frequenting Miami Beach at the time was simply astonishing.

During the time, Miami Beach was also a gambling haven. Betting on horse races in Miami during 1949 totaled over $50 million. As early as the late 1920s, Al Capone, aka Scarface, began to winter in Miami and had a mansion on Palm Island. Meyer Lansky, the “Mob’s Accountant,” ran casinos. There was also the gambling industry controlled by Frank Costello, an Italian American mafia gangster known as the “prime minister of the underworld.”

In 1950, with the arrival of boxing promoter and manager Chris Dundee and his brother, legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, Miami’s recognition as a boxing center took off. Miami Beach became a boxing mecca, hosting a steady stream of boxing matches. Chris Dundee promoted major bouts in the Miami area, such as the welterweight match between Kid Gavilan and Bobby Dykes, and world title fight between light heavyweights Harold Johnson and Jesse Bowdry. Miami Beach also became a training center for fighters, anchored by the ­world-renowned Fifth Street Gym, managed by the Dundee brothers.

The Miami Beach Auditorium, Bay Front Auditorium, and the Orange Bowl were all scenes of major boxing matches. Such venues attracted some of the best boxers, such as Ezzard Charles, Chico Vejar, Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta, Johnny Gonsalves, Gil Turner, and Jimmy Carter. They all clashed in Miami. Amateur boxing was flourishing, and Golden Gloves tournaments were highly anticipated events in Miami. In 1955, boxing was so prevalent, the sport was added to the City of Miami’s official recreation program.

Regrettably, Miami Beach was also strictly segregated during the 50s. Seasonal workers, mostly black, were required to register with the police department, where they were photographed, fingerprinted, and forced to carry a registration card. Black people were not allowed in many of the hotels and nightclubs unless it was for work there. In March 1955, Lena Horne defiantly took a stand against segregation when she refused to perform an $8,000 a week engagement at Copa City because her reservation was not honored at a Miami Beach hotel.

Shining Shoes at the Fontainebleau Hotel

Going back to Miami Beach was a natural move for Beau. Jack had shined shoes on a seasonal basis at the Fontainebleau Hotel in the heart of Millionaire’s Row for the last several years, so it made sense for him to obtain a permanent job at the fabled hotel. The Miami icon ushered in an era of glitzy and luxurious hotels on Miami Beach. Opening on December 1954, the Fontainebleau featured 565 rooms, 265 cabanas, a marina for 50 yachts, and a staff of 847. Located on the 14-acre estate of the former Firestone Mansion owned by Harvey Firestone at Collins Avenue and 44th Street, its grounds were adorned with gardens fashioned after Fontainebleau and Versailles, France.

A 17,000 square foot lobby highlighting a glamorous spiraling marble staircase, known as the “staircase to nowhere,” greeted guests upon their arrival. At the top of the staircase was a small coat closet. The hotel, built at the cost of $14,000,000, was branded as a “decadent paradise of ‘flashy diamonds, illicit sex, and overflowing ice cream sodas.’”2 It was not uncommon to see ­half-naked women walking through the halls or to spot celebrities in the posh lobby. Levi Forte, a bellman at the Fontainebleau, said, “The floor was like a mirror, so shiny you could see yourself.”3

Fontainebleau Hotel, c. 1955 (Library of Congress).

The glitzy hotel hosted marvelous entertainment and nightlife in the Bleau Bar and LaRonde Supper Club. Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Jackie Gleason, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Hope, and Frank Sinatra were regular performers. Frank Sinatra’s s last ­Timex-sponsored variety television show was broadcast from the Fontainebleau on March 26, 1960. Titled Welcome Home Elvis, it was Elvis’ first television appearance since his discharge from the military. The show ­co-featured Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Nancy Sinatra. The opulent hotel and its grounds have also been the backdrop for numerous movies, such as Goldfinger, Scarface, The Bellboy, and The Bodyguard. A magnet for boxers, the Fontainebleau hosted Roberto Duran’s defense of his lightweight title on Jan 29, 1977, when he defeated Vilomar Fernandez.

Beau’s shoeshine stand was in the hotel barbershop on the lower level of the Fontainebleau. During the day, Beau shined shoes, starting as early as 7 o’clock in the morning. Instead of going home after closing down his shoe shine stand at 5:30 p.m., Beau would walk over to the men’s bathroom where he worked as a restroom attendant, handing out towels, often working until midnight. On a good week, he would make $55.

At one point there was a sign outside the hotel barber shop that read, “Come and have your shoes shined by the former lightweight champion of the world.” Beau, however, maintained an unpretentious presence. He wore a simple white jacket to work. Unlike others, he did not inscribe his name over his jacket pocket. “I would not put my name there,” said Jack, “because that would be too much like begging.”4 Beau didn’t mind shining shoes again. In fact, he embraced it. “I like this job because I know what a shoe needs,” he said. “I know what the people want with a shoe. I do a good job.”5

“I accept fate. I began as a shoeshine boy and I’m resigned to end as one,” Beau unpretentiously articulated. “All the good things that happened to me in between have been a blessing.”6 Jack was content with shining shoes and serving guests. He was a simple, homely man that didn’t appear to care about the money, only his friends. “Good week I make $50. Bad week $35…. The smallest tip? Fellow give me just seven cents once. Didn’t bother me. The way I looked at it, if I already had 93 cents, that extra seven cents would make me one big dollar.”7

Esteemed Visitors Show Respect

Beau was one of the ­best-known athletes during the forties. Throughout his time boxing in New York, Beau met various celebrities, many of whom became lifelong friends. For instance, Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart often visited Beau in his dressing room after his battles in Madison Square Garden. Other celebrities dropped in at soirees hosted by the Syndicate before Beau’s fights. Jack was also well revered by the boxing community, from the boxers he fought to managers and trainers. What is remarkable is the everlasting respect they had for Beau. When in Miami, they made a point to drop in on Beau for a visit.

During his ­twenty-five years of shining shoes at the Fontainebleau, renowned visitors such as Rocky Marciano, Irving J. Bottner, Cus D’Amato, Irving Rudd, Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Cannon, came by to express their love and respect for Beau. Recalling the bygone days, Beau said, “Lots of movie stars used to see me fight. They were my friends and helped me out a lot. It was so beautiful to know that people cared for you.”8 As Jack elucidated, “Boxing’s been good to me. It was real good to me. It made me a lot of friends, that’s the thing.”9

The heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano (1923–1969) took a brief vacation at the Fontainebleau in late 1955. He had just fought the last fight of his stellar career on September 21 and would vacate the title and announce his retirement on April 27, 1956. Astonishingly, Marciano never lost a fight in his ­forty-nine-bout career and reigned as heavyweight champion from 1952–1956. While the champ was upstairs in his luxurious oceanfront suite, the former lightweight champ was downstairs shining shoes.

Having sincere admiration for Jack, Rocky undertook to seek him out during his stay. Beau jumped at the opportunity when Marciano invited him to be his dinner guest and appreciated the fellowship and conversation. “We had a big time,” said Beau animatedly, “talking about fights and fighters. He told me how Moore had blacked him out, and how he could have lost that fight and his title. What a big strong man that Rocky is, and what a wonderful man he is with it, too.”10 Tragically, Rocky died on the eve of his 46th birthday, when the private plane in which he was flying crashed after encountering bad weather on the way to Des Moines, Iowa.

During the summer of 1959, Irving J. Bottner (1916–2006) paid Beau a visit to surprise him with a special present. The president and owner of Esquire Shoe Polish, a subsidiary of Revlon, Bottner was a progressive businessman who once was a bootblack himself. His Esquire brand was one of the most popular shoe polishes of the day. Bottner, an enormous fan of Beau Jack, knew of Beau’s ­shoe-shining notoriety. While in Miami, Bottner presented Beau with a specially designed shoeshine box and a lifetime supply of shoeshine products. He also offered Jack a contract to conduct public relations for the Esquire Shoe Polish and exhibit the sweet art of shoe shining at sales meetings.

Hall of Fame boxing manager and trainer “Cus” D’Amato was another distinctive visitor that dropped in on Beau at the Fontainebleau. Constantine “Cus” D’Amato (1908–1985) excelled in psychologically motivating his fighters. One of his ­well-known quotes was, “A professional fighter has got to learn to hit and not get hit, and at the same time be exciting. That’s what professional boxing is about.”11 D’Amato handled the careers of three Hall of Fame boxers, heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Floyd Patterson, and light heavyweight champion Jose Torres. As “Cus” stood in front of him, Beau knelt down to shine his shoes, but D’Amato would have none of that. Instead, “Cus” insisted on shining Beau’s shoes, which he did.

Another of Beau’s renowned visitors was press agent Irving Rudd (1917–2000). The ­quick-witted press agent and Boxing Hall of Famer enjoyed calling on Beau in the Fontainebleau barber shop. During Rudd’s life, he served as press agent for legendary promoters such as Mike Jacobs, Don King, and Bob Arum. He also worked with Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Mancini, and Thomas Hearns, as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers. When Beau caught a glimpse of Rudd, he asked if he could shine his shoes. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times described the interaction. “Why, Mr. Rudd! Can I shine your ­shoes-for-nothing?” Rudd looks at him. “No, Sidney, you can’t shine my shoes,” Irving says. “Why not?” Beau Jack says. “Because,” says Irving Rudd, “you were the lightweight champion of the world.”12 Out of admiration, Irving would not let the former champion shine his shoes.

Beau shining shoes at the Fontainebleau Hotel, c. 1968 (United Press International).

Famous comedian and actor Jackie Gleason (1916–1987), known for his role in The Honeymooners, lived in Miami and frequently visited with Jack. They enjoyed reminiscing about his fights and boxing. Beau proudly sported a button Gleason gave him that said, “How Sweet It Is.”

Beau Jack had an extraordinary relationship with Frank Sinatra (1915–1998). The legendary Sinatra rose to fame during the early ’40s, becoming one of the most famous singers of the 20th century. He sold over 150 million records and was an ­eleven-time Grammy winner. Sinatra had hit songs that are still popular today, such as “My Way,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “New York, New York.” Appearing in numerous films, he was also an ­award-winning actor. He received an Academy Award for his role in From Here to Eternity (1953) and critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Sinatra even gave Beau a cameo appearance in his film Tony Rome (1967).

Introduced to boxing by his father, Sinatra was a rabid fight fan and supporter of charities. He knew boxing and enjoyed mingling with boxers such as Rocky Graziano, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Jake LaMotta. Sinatra was generous and compassionate in his giving. During his life, he raised over a billion dollars for charities, including $1.2 million for orphaned and handicapped children. He also silently paid Joe Louis’ bill when he was in the hospital. Likewise, when Sugar Ray Robinson fell on hard times, Sinatra had a monthly check sent from his ­Anheuser-Busch interests to Robinson.

Sinatra not only witnessed many of Jack’s fights in New York, he often paid him a visit in his dressing room after his bouts. Sinatra and Beau developed an eternal bond of friendship and mutual respect. When Sinatra was in Miami, he regularly dropped by the Fontainebleau to give Beau a hug and procure a shoe shine. Admiringly, he would say, “This is my Beau Jack.”

When Beau started out shining shoes at the Fontainebleau, his shoe stand was right outside the hotel. While Frank Sinatra and Tony Consiglio, a lifelong friend of Sinatra, were staying at the Fontainebleau, Consiglio saw Jack shining shoes. Consiglio went upstairs and told Frank that Beau was shining shoes outside. When Sinatra found out Beau’s stand was outside, he immediately called Ben Novack, the hotel’s manager, and instructed him to find a respectable job for Jack in the hotel. Beau was offered a position inside the hotel that very day.13

Beau treasured Sinatra and would do anything for him. In a 1988 interview with Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated magazine, Beau spoke of his relationship with Sinatra. “If that man needed me any hour, any day, I’d go to him,” proclaimed Beau. “Not walkin.’ Runnin.’ After I’m gone, I’m gonna remember him. When he came to Miami he would try to give me his shoes when I shined ’em, but they were so small I couldn’t get two toes in. He was always worried that I didn’t have money.”14 Frank Sinatra was an essential link to Jack’s boxing days and a genuine friend that respected and cared for Beau, as Beau did for him.

When asked if Sinatra was a good tipper, Beau replied “Oh, I can’t tell you that. Mr. Sinatra always made me promise not to tell anyone what he gives.”15 Like many others, Sinatra resisted Beau’s efforts to shine his shoes. Frank told Beau that he should be polishing his shoes for all of the exciting thrills Beau had provided him during his spectacular boxing career. It is said that Frank would give Beau several hundred dollars and even $1,000 when he visited with him. Who knows, but when Beau referred to a famous benefactor, Frank Sinatra comes to mind.

Sports columnist and future Boxing Hall of Famer Jimmy Cannon (1909–1973) was a friend of both Frank Sinatra and Beau Jack. Cannon was a widely popular sportswriter and columnist for the New York Post, New York ­Journal-American, and King Features Syndicate. His boxing coverage was renowned, and he knew the impact of the black boxer. Speaking about the legendary Joe Louis, Cannon wrote, “He’s a credit to his race—the human race.”16 Cannon was famous for starting his sports column with, “Nobody asked me, but…” Ernest Hemingway praised Cannon. “He’s an excellent sportswriter and he’s also a very good writer aside from sports,” Hemingway said. “I don’t know anybody who takes his job more seriously or with more confidence. He’s able to convey the quality of the athlete and the feeling, the excitement, of the event.”17

Cannon followed Jack’s boxing career and called on Beau when he was in Miami. In an article Cannon wrote in the New York ­Journal-American following a visit with Beau, Cannon stated, “Some of his customers still call him the Champ, but many address him as boy. They couldn’t have seen him fight because there was never more of a man.”18 It took a courageous man to continue fighting against Tony Janiro with a broken kneecap.

In 1979, Beau ended his time at the Fontainebleau Hotel and moved down the street to start working at another famed luxury hotel, the Doral Beach Hotel. Opened in 1963, the luxurious swanky ­seventeen-story hotel was located on the corner of 48th Street and Collins Avenue. It had 430 rooms, plenty of convention space, a marina, and a double deck cabana area. Its exterior was ­pre-cast white quartz stone. Its floors were marble. A spectacular view of Miami Beach and Miami greeted guests to the Starlight Roof Garden, where they could enjoy entertainment such as Freddie Martin and his orchestra and Count Basie. “The theme is unadulterated pleasure,” wrote Bill Plaschke of the Fort Lauderdale News, “lavish leisure, the best of the good life.”19

Today, the Hotel is the Miami Beach Resort and Spa. Paired with the Doral Country Club, the Hotel was built for $10,000,000. The Country Club began hosting the ­now-defunct Doral Open Invitational, a major PGA golf tournament in 1962. In 2012, Donald Trump bought the country club and renamed it the Trump National Doral Country Club.

Beau’s shoe shine stand was located in the barber shop, past the boutique stores, on the basement floor of the Doral. He worked fourteen hours a day, five days a week. After shining shoes for eight hours, Jack would go upstairs and work the evening washing dishes in the kitchen until midnight. Although Beau missed boxing, he was content.

I’ve heard a lot of people say, “A boxing champ shinin’ shoes?” They can’t seem to take it. I just say I’m here and if you got any shoes, I’ll shine ’em. The days of being a star are over. The money’s gone. I’m just glad I’m healthy and able to work. I’m proud that I’m not afraid to work.20

Beau was delighted, encountering people from all over the world and making new friends every day. “I’m happy about everything,” stated Jack. “I have my friends and you can’t beat that. When you have friends, you have everything.”21 Beau was content. I ain’t complaining,” Jack said smiling. “I’ve shined the shoes of President Kennedy, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr.”

Moments from the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights movement was in full swing working to gain equal rights. Some people, however, just couldn’t accept change and tried their best to thwart it. On January 14, 1963, following his election as Governor of Alabama, George Wallace declared in his inauguration, “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” On June 11, 1963, when two black students attempted to enroll at the University of Alabama, Governor Wallace stood in a doorway to prevent their entry in what is often referred to as the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.” President John F. Kennedy had to call for one hundred troops from the Alabama National Guard to assist federal officials before Wallace would step down, permitting desegregation of the University.

A little over two months later, on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous “I have a dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial after 250,000 people took part in “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” In a visionary proclamation he spoke, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be ­self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”

Progress, albeit slow at best, was taking place. The following year, on July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, preventing employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion or national origin. It also established the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to assist in preventing workplace discrimination. A year later, on August 6, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibiting the use of literacy tests as a voting requirement.

Then there was the tragedy of April 4, 1968. Dr. King was on a return trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to protest the inferior treatment of black sanitation workers. In his last sermon on April 3, Dr. King remarked:

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop…. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.

The following day, 40-year-old James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr., on the balcony of his ­second-floor motel room.

Race riots broke out across the United States. National Guard units were deployed in Memphis and Washington, D.C., to restore peace. A week later, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, providing equal housing opportunity regardless of race, religion or national origin.


1. The auditorium has since been re­named the “Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason,”

2. Ruth La Ferla, “Flamboyance Gets a ­Face-Lift,” New York Times, October 31, 2008, 1.

3. Ibid.

4. Ronnie Joyce, “Chief Bootblack…” The Pensacola News, August 3, 1967, 13.

5. Jimmy Cannon, “Beau Jack May Be Shine Boy to Tourists but Not Cannon,” Asheville ­Citizen-Times, March 29, 1957, 29.

6. Gary Smith, “Still Fighting Old Wars Former Lightweight Champ Beau Jack Lives Out His Legend,” Sports Illustrated, February 15, 1988, http://www.si.com/vault/1988/02/15/117125/­still-fighting-old-wars-former-lightweight-champ-beau-jack-lives-out-his-legend, accessed December 11, 2017.

7. David Condon, “In the Wake of the News,” Chicago Tribune, March 22, 1969.

8. Fay Searcy, “For Old Warriors, a Worthy Salute,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 18, 1998, 62.

9. Johnny Hendrix, “A Friendly Visit,” Augusta Chronicle, June 24, 1960, 12A.

10. Bill Corum, “Rocky Up, Beau Down at the Fontainebleau,” News Journal, February 14, 1956, 36.

11. Samuel Ha, “Top 30 Greatest Cus D’Amato Quotes,” Mighty Fighter, http://www.mightyfighter.com/­top-30-greatest-cus-damato-quotes/, accessed November 22, 2018.

12. Jim Murray, “He Succeeded by the Seats of Fans’ Pants,” Los Angeles Times, July 10, 1990, 1.

13. Tony Consiglio & Franz Douskey, Sinatra and Me: The Very Good Years (Old Saybrook, CT: Tantor Media, Inc., 2012).

14. Gary Smith, “Still Fighting Old Wars Former Lightweight Champ Beau Jack Lives Out His Legend,” Sports Illustrated, February 15, 1988, http://www.si.com/vault/1988/02/15/117125/­still-fighting-old-wars-former-lightweight-champ-beau-jack-lives-out-his-legend, accessed December 11, 2017.

15. Bill Gallo, “­Hard-Working Beau Jack Never Loafer,” New York Daily News. December 22, 1996, http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/­hard-working-beau-jack-loafer-article-1.749907.

16. Dave Anderson, “Jimmy Cannon, Columnist, Dies; Sportswriter Ranged Far Afield,” New York Times, December 6, 1973, 51.

17. Ibid.

18. Richard Goldstein, “Beau Jack, 78, Lightweight Boxing Champion in the 1940’s,” New York Times, February 12, 2000, 28.

19. Bill Plaschke, “After the Punch Is Gone,” Fort Lauderdale News, June 28, 1982, 27.

20. Tom Archdeacon, “Beau Jack: At Age 61, the Spirit Is Still Strong,” Miami News, May 24, 1982, 25, 28.

21. “Beau Jack: He’s Miami’s Favorite Shoeshine Boy,” Star-Gazette, November 26, 1972, 25.

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