Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
Rocky Graziano (autobiography) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 December 1956 (Japan)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

A Girl Can Lift A Fellow To The Skies!

Plot:

Rocky Graziano is building a career in crime, when he's finally caught and arrested. In jail, he is undisciplined...

Plot Keywords:

Army | Boxing | Autobiographical | Deserter | New York City

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Rocky
Pier Angeli	...	Norma
Everett Sloane	...	Irving Cohen
Eileen Heckart	...	Ma Barbella
Sal Mineo	...	Romolo
Harold J. Stone	...	Nick Barbella
Joseph Buloff	...	Benny
Sammy White	...	Whitey Bimstein
Arch Johnson	...	Heldon
Robert P. Lieb	...	District Attorney Hogan (as Robert Lieb)
Theodore Newton	...	Athletic Commissioner Edward Eagan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Caswell Adams	...	Sam (uncredited)
Stanley Adams	...	Romolo's Attorney (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich	...	Ringside Photographer - Zale Fight (uncredited)
Harry Arnie	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Bob Bardette	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Walter Beaver	...	Sidekick (uncredited)
Michael Bookasta	...	Boy at Parade (uncredited)
William Boyett	...	Military Policeman Escort at Fight (uncredited)
Bart Bradley	...	Boy (uncredited)
Ben Cameron	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Frank Campanella	...	Detective (uncredited)
Walter Cartier	...	Polack (uncredited)
Angela Cartwright	...	Audrey at Age 3 (uncredited)
George Cisar	...	Fence (uncredited)
Russ Clark	...	Zale Fight Referee (uncredited)
Tom Coleman	...	Reporter at Sparring Session (uncredited)
Russ Conway	...	Capt. Grifton (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper	...	Capt. Lancheck (uncredited)
Vincent Correccio	...	Tough Kid (uncredited)
Joe Costa	...	Racketeer (uncredited)
Matt Crowley	...	Lou Stillman (uncredited)
Michael Dante	...	Shorty the Greek (uncredited)
Ray Danton	...	Off-screen Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
Robert Duvall	...	MP (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Robert Easton	...	Cpl. Quinbury (uncredited)
John Eldredge	...	Reformatory Warden George Niles (uncredited)
Robert Gardett	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tommy Garland	...	Referee (uncredited)
Jan Gillum	...	Yolanda at Age 12 (uncredited)
Sam Gilman	...	Detective Arresting Rocky (uncredited)
Pete Gonzales	...	Fighter (uncredited)
Charles Green	...	Curtis Hughtower - Fighter (uncredited)
Donna Jo Gribble	...	Yolanda Barbella (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Leavenworth Prison Guard (uncredited)
Bern Hoffman	...	Fat Man at Hijacking Attempt (uncredited)
Dynamite Jackson	...	Referee (uncredited)
Walter Johnson	...	Guard (uncredited)
Dean Jones	...	Private in Rocky's Tent at Army Base (uncredited)
Rodney Jones	...	Fighter (uncredited)
Byron Kane	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jackie Kelk	...	George (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Fight Commissioner's Assistant (uncredited)
Jack Kenny	...	Reformatory Guard (uncredited)
Jess Kirkpatrick	...	Chicago Reporter (uncredited)
Joe La Barba	...	Referee in Brooklyn Arena (uncredited)
Pat Lawless	...	Cop (uncredited)
David Leonard	...	Mr. Mueller (uncredited)
Len Lesser	...	Reporter at Sparring Session (uncredited)
Robert Loggia	...	Frankie Peppo (uncredited)
Jack Lomas	...	Reformatory Guard (uncredited)
Cy Malis	...	Referee (uncredited)
Joseph Marr	...	Customer (uncredited)
Gregg Martell	...	Guard (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	Guard (uncredited)
Steve McQueen	...	Fidel (uncredited)
Tyler McVey	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tony Michaels	...	Assistant Commissioner (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Counterman at Gym (uncredited)
Philip Morini	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Robin Morse	...	Reporter at Boxing Commission Hearing (uncredited)
Ben Moselle	...	Referee in Army Arena (uncredited)
Jimmy Murphy	...	Young Fighter at Gym (uncredited)
Frank Nechero	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Ralph Neff	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Billy Nelson	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
James O'Rear	...	Judge (uncredited)
Jack Orrison	...	Detective (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Man in Bar (uncredited)
Judson Pratt	...	Johnny Hyland (uncredited)
Terry Rangno	...	Rocky at Age 8 (uncredited)
Sid Raymond	...	Subway Guard (uncredited)
Ralph Reed	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Geezer - Work Detail Guard (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	One of Rocky's Friends (uncredited)
John Rosser	...	Detective (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Subway Guard (uncredited)
Benny Rubin	...	Fight Promoter (uncredited)
Eddie Ryder	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Willard Sage	...	Captain Earl Woodhope (uncredited)
Andy Savilla	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Sam Scar	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Leavenworth Prison Guard (uncredited)
Don Shelton	...	Captain at Court Martial (uncredited)
Court Shepard	...	Tony Zale (uncredited)
Al Silvani	...	Rocky's Second (uncredited)
Buster Slaven	...	Sidekick (uncredited)
Ray Stricklyn	...	Bryson (uncredited)
Sam Taub	...	Himself (uncredited)
Wayne Taylor	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
James Todd	...	Colonel at Court Martial (uncredited)
Renata Vanni	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ray Walker	...	Zale Ring Announcer (uncredited)
Paul Weber	...	Chicago Reporter (uncredited)
Tommy White	...	Boy (uncredited)
Billy Wilson	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
Harry Wismer	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Wise

Writing credits
Ernest Lehman		(screenplay)
Rocky Graziano		autobiography and
Rowland Barber		with

Produced by
James E. Newcom	....	associate producer
Charles Schnee	....	producer

Original Music by
Bronislau Kaper		(music by)

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Albert Akst

Art Direction by
Malcolm Brown
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
F. Keogh Gleason		(as Keogh Gleason)
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
William Tuttle	....	make-up created by

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Saunders	....	assistant director
Hank Moonjean	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wesley C. Miller	....	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Charles Wallace	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Stunts
Lucky Kargo	....	stunts (uncredited)

Other crew
John Indrisano	....	technical advisor (as Johnny Indrisano)
Helena Sorrell	....	acting coach: Pier Angeli (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinema International Corporation (C.I.C.) (1956) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Towa (1963) (Japan) (theatrical) (revival)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (Japan) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1973) (Finland) (TV) (1998) (TV2)

Runtime:

113 min (copyright time)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (Perspecta Sound)

Certification:

Spain:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #18008) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Sweden:15 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1994)

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

First movie for Angela Cartwright.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Norma asks Benny for directions how to get home after meeting Rocky in the early 1940s, he tells her to take a Subway route that did not exist until 1954.

Quotes:

Irving Cohen: I never should have left the lingerie business. I was the happiest man in women's underwear.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Get Smart: Someone Down Here Hates Me (#2.17)" (1967)

Soundtrack:

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Excellent bio-pic with great acting

This is the movie that made Paul Newman a star. And with good reason. Although James Dean was signed to play the great Rocky Graziano, his death in a car crash made the role available for Paul Newman to step into. Newman who up to this point had made only a handful of forgettable pictures,turns in a marvelous portrayal of a man who is so filled with rage that everything he touches turns into trouble.

Newman's performance is layered with anger, humor, and fear. Rocky Graziano was by means the brightest guy in the world, and Newman to his credit does not try to make this an endearing quality of Rocky's.

The story does a nice job of not glossing over Rocky's troublesome youth. It shows a lot of the trouble and bad decision's that he made that led to being thrown out of schools, reformatories, and later into prison. This is not a sanitized bio-style film that you would have seen in the thirties or forties.

The rest of the acting is also first rate. Especially from Eileen Heckart and Everett Sloane as his mother and trainer, respectively. Lots of actors making their film debuts in this movie also. Look for Robert Loggia, Steve McQueen, George C. Scott and Dean Jones.

Robert Wise has done a wonderful job of bringing NYC to life in this picture. Watching Newman walk down the street with all of the people jeering him at first, and then rooting for him as he starts to gain some fame is the work of a top notch director. Wise would later exploit the scenery of New York to better use a few years later in "West Side Story". He also did an excellent job with the fight sequences.

It's easy to see where Sylvester Stallone got his inspiration for his "Rocky". In fact, you might say that he not only borrowed the development of his character, but that of Adrian, as well.

"Somebody Up There Likes Me" is well worth a look.

9 out of 10