The Champ (1931/I)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Writers:

Frances Marion (story)
Leonard Praskins (dialogue continuity)

Release Date:

21 November 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Sport

Tagline:

Don't fail to get a ringside seat!

Plot:

Dink Purcell loves his alcoholic father, ex-heavyweight champion Andy "Champ" Purcell, despite his frequent binges...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Gambling | Alcoholic | Jail | Boxing

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Wallace Beery	...	Champ
Jackie Cooper	...	Dink
Irene Rich	...	Linda
Roscoe Ates	...	Sponge (as Rosco Ates)
Edward Brophy	...	Tim
Hale Hamilton	...	Tony
Jesse Scott	...	Jonah
Marcia Mae Jones	...	Mary Lou

Runtime:

86 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4248-R: 13 April 1938 for re-release) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Agua Caliente Racetrack, Baja California Norte, Mexico

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Wallace Beery actually got one less vote than Fredric March in the 1931/1932 Academy Awards voting for best actor, but the rules at the time considered anyone with one or two votes less than the leader as being in a tie. So both got Academy Awards.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the fight, The Champ sustains a cut above his left eye, but when he goes back to his corner it is gone. The cut comes back when the fighting resumes and stays for the duration of the film.

Quotes:

[Dink compares the swanky home to his own]
Dink Purcell: The Champ and I ain't fixed up swell as this, but our joint's more lively.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Don't Tell Her What Happened to Me

One you just haveta watch, I guess

What else can be said about this film? It's now getting close to 80 years old, and yet it's still watchable. That's something I guess. It is showing it age, though.

While the storyline is incredibly simple, and overall tone is way beyond corny, one thing does stand out, Jackie Cooper's performance. Such a lot of talent in such a little boy. He really did steal the entire show.

Beery (and the whole rest of the cast as well, really) pretty much just play hokey, one-dimensional, "cardboard cutout" characters with no real development or growth. They do the numbers, do what's required, and follow the token script as far as it'll go (which isn't very far at all). And then the credits roll up.

But, hey, as I mentioned, it IS getting close to 80! Anyway, worth watching if your expectations aren't too high...