Champion (1949 film)
| Champion | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Mark Robson |
| Produced by | Stanley Kramer |
| Screenplay by | Carl Foreman |
| Based on | the story "Champion" by Ring Lardner |
| Starring |
Kirk Douglas Marilyn Maxwell Arthur Kennedy |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography | Franz Planer |
| Edited by | Harry W. Gerstad |
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Production
company |
Screen Plays
Stanley Kramer Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $570,000 or $500,000 or $595,000 |
| Box office | $2.5 million |
Champion is a 1949 American film noir drama sport film based on a short story by Ring Lardner. Filmed in it recounts the struggles of boxer "Midge" Kelly fighting his own demons while working to achieve success in the boxing ring. The drama was directed by Mark Robson, with cinematography by Franz Planer. The drama features Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Maxwell, and Arthur Kennedy.
The film won an Academy Award for Editing and gained five other nominations as well, including a Best Actor for Douglas.
Several clips from the film were used in Douglas' 1999 film Diamonds to illustrate his character's career as a boxer.
The drama charts the story of Midge Kelly (Kirk Douglas), a boxer who pushes himself to the top of his game by knocking out opponents and back-stabbing friends. He has no qualms about deceiving the various females he encounters and he eventually double-crosses Tommy Haley (Paul Stewart), the manager who found him and helped pave his road to fame.
Michael "Midge" Kelly and his brother Connie Kelly (Arthur Kennedy) are crossing America by thumb and freight cars from Chicago to California, where they have bought a share in a restaurant. Along the way, they hitch a lift from a car carrying a top boxer, Johnny Dunne, and his girlfriend Grace Diamond (Marilyn Maxwell). They are driven to Kansas City where Dunne is fighting another contender that night.
Midge needs money and is offered a fight on the under-card for $35. After taking a beating, the promoter only pays him $10, claiming the remainder as "management fees". The fight brings him to the attention of fight trainer Tommy Haley, who tells him to come to his gym in Los Angeles if he ever needs a break. Kelly is not interested.
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Wikipedia