The Champ
Most people are familiar with the 1979 remake starring Jon Voight and Ricky
Schroeder, but the original is the one to rent. It also is the source for
one of Hollywood's most amazing Oscar moments.
Wallace Beery stars as Champ, a former heavyweight boxer who reached the
pinnacle of success only to lose the championship due to his addictions to
gambling and alcohol. The only person who still believes in him is his young
son, Dink (Jackie Cooper). After making the long haul to the Mexican border,
Champ has an opportunity to fight again, but he blows it by drinking the
day away.
At his lowest point, he is approached by his former wife and Dink's mother,
Linda (Irene Rich). She left him after he lost his championship and money,
but she has returned to take Dink away to live with her and her rich husband.
Will Champ keep Dink or let him go live with the rich mother he has never
known? Can Champ clean up his act?
This was the first time Cooper and Beery teamed together on the big screen.
Cooper is fantastic as the young child who loves the fallen Champ. His plight
is touching and performance quite amazing when you consider that child actors
were treated the same as adults at this time in Hollywood. It would not be
out of the ordinary for Cooper to put in a twelve-hour day without schooling
or recess.
It would be very easy to make the film overly sentimental, but Director King
Vidor and Beery balance the film with a less than flattering portrayal of
the Champ. Many of us would rather take the kid away from him, but we also
realize that the Champ is the one person who truly cares for Dink. It is
a fine line, but Beery walks it well.
Beery is able to create a complex, sympathetic, but pitiful character. The
Champ is consumed with guilt over all he has lost, but can't clean up his
act. He loves his child, but continues to expose him to dangerous situations
and heartbreak. It is an Oscar-worthy performance.
Beery started out his career as the assistant elephant trainer in the Ringling
Brothers Circus, but quickly found a career on the New York stage. He moved
to Hollywood and became well known for his comedic abilities. In 1931, he
got the role of a lifetime in The Champ.
Beery was lauded for such a wonderful performance and was nominated for an
Oscar. At the ceremony that year, Frederic March was awarded the Oscar for
Best Actor. March's performance is considered to be the finest ever of Dr.
Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, so no one was surprised that he won. However, that
isn't the end of the story.
One of the accountants in charge of the voting recounted the votes after
the ceremony and discovered that Beery came up one vote short. Under the
Academy's rules at the time, a tie was declared if the winner did not win
by more than two votes, so Beery was awarded a tie. Today, you will find
him listed along side Frederic March for Best Actor of 1931/1932 (the awards
were every two years back then).
You will find the film a little slow and it lacks a soundtrack, but the last
10 - 15 minutes are among the best in Hollywood history.
Grade: A-
Directed by King Vidor
Written by Frances Marion
Cast
Wallace Beery
The Champ
Jackie Cooper
. Dink
Irene Rich
Linda
Roscoe Ates
Sponge
Edward Brophy
.. Tim
Jesse Scott
.. Jonah
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