The Champ

The Champ (1931)

Genres - Drama, Sports & Recreation  |   Sub-Genres - Melodrama, Sports Drama  |   Release Date - Nov 9, 1931 (USA - Unknown)  |   Run Time - 85 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Review by Michael Betzold

A 1931 tear-jerker famous for Wallace Beery's portrayal of a has-been boxer, The Champ was one of the earliest boxing melodramas, and many of its classic scenes became staples of later imitators. Beery plays a fighter who wants to make a comeback, but only his devoted son (played by the famous child star Jackie Cooper) believes in him. For his all-out performance, Beery won an Oscar, as did writer Frances Marion for her original story. Famed director King Vidor was making a successful transition from a long career in silent films to talkies; he was also Oscar-nominated. Beery and Cooper became a team, appearing together in two subsequent films. Cooper had starred in the original Our Gang series of the 1920s that inspired The Little Rascals. Writer Marion reworked the script in the 1950s for a remake called The Clown, which starred Red Skelton. A remake more closely following the original came in 1979, starring Jon Voight and Rick Schroder.