The Harder They Fall (1956)

Down-on-his-luck ex-sportswriter Eddie Willis is hired by shady fight promoter Nick Benko to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable phenom from Argentina.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screen play), Budd Schulberg (based on a novel by)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Eddie Willis
Rod Steiger	...	Nick Benko
Jan Sterling	...	Beth Willis
Mike Lane	...	Toro Moreno
Max Baer	...	Buddy Brannen
Jersey Joe Walcott	...	George
Edward Andrews	...	Jim Weyerhause
Harold J. Stone	...	Art Leavitt
Carlos Montalbán	...	Luís Agrandi (as Carlos Montalban)
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Leo
Felice Orlandi	...	Vince Fawcett
Herbie Faye	...	Max
Rusty Lane	...	Danny McKeogh
Jack Albertson	...	Pop

Storyline

After 17 years as a recognized and respected sports journalist in New York City, Eddie Willis finds himself out of a job when his newspaper folds. He's approached by a major fight promoter, Nick Benko, to act as a public relations man for his new heavyweight fighter Toro Moreno. Eddie knows the how the fight game works and after watching Toro in the ring, realizes Toro is nothing but a stiff who has no hope of succeeding. Benko offers him a sizable salary and an unlimited expense account and given his financial situation, he agrees. Benko's strategy to make money is one that has been used time again. Starting in California and moving east, they arrange a series of fights for Toro with stiffs and has-beens. All of the fights are rigged to build up his record and get him a fight with the heavyweight champion, Buddy Brannen, where they will make a sizable profit at the gate. Along the way, one boxer gets killed in the ring and Eddie begins to have serious doubts about what he is doing.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | fixed fight | new york city | champion | manager | 

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Taglines:

No Punches Pulled! If you thought "On The Waterfront" hit hard... wait till you see this one!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Sport | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 July 1956 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

La caída de un ídolo

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows - 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Hollywood urban legend, Bogart was so sick during filming that his voice had to be re-dubbed by an impersonator. In truth, though, the voice heard in the film is indeed Humphrey Bogart's own voice.

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Goofs

In the opening when Eddie hires a cab, initially it's a '55 Plymouth, in the next scene as they're driving off it's a '54 Ford.

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Quotes

Toro Moreno: I know they are thieves. But you are a smart man, Eddie. They cannot fool you. How much money did you get for me? How much money, Eddie?

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.206 (2006)

User Reviews

A Satisfying Conclusion to Humphrey Bogart's Career

The seamy side of the boxing world is the subject of this interesting film. A third-rate amateur boxer (Mike Lane) is brought from South America to New York and exploited by a corrupt promoter (Rod Steiger).

Steiger hires out-of-work columnist Bogart as a press agent for a big publicity build-up, fixing fights across the country and making a profit for Steiger and his "boxing club." The name of the game is money, and Bogart struggles with his conscience, ethics and the disapproval of his wife (Jan Sterling) as he promotes the young fighter, who is duped into thinking he is invincible.

Eventually, the fighter faces the match that can't be fixed in New York with (real-life) boxing champ Max Baer. Lane is told about the previous fixed fights and knows he'll be decimated, but decides to fight Baer anyway to save face. Out of guilt and in sympathy, Bogart gives Lane his share of the purse (after he finds out that Lane has been fleeced out of his winnings), then puts him on a plane back to South America.

Sadly, Bogart was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus during filming; reportedly, some of his lines had to be dubbed by others in post-production.

Despite his illness, he gave an impressive performance, together with some wonderful character actors such as Edward Andrews, Nehemiah Persoff and Herbie Faye.

Rod Steiger's versatility is well demonstrated here, as his role as the corrupt promoter sharply contrasts the gentle soul he portrayed in the TV version of "Marty" two years earlier.

The fight scenes with Max Baer are also very well done, and the on-location shots of 1955 Manhattan and downtown Chicago add stark realism.

The Harder They Fall is a film definitely worth viewing.