Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

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

Release Date:

3 July 1956 (USA)

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:

Boxing | Army | Match Fixing | Juvenile Delinquent | Deserter

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Rocky Graziano
Pier Angeli	...	Norma Graziano
Everett Sloane	...	Irving Cohen
Eileen Heckart	...	Mrs. Ida '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

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

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:

Stillman's Gym - 8th Avenue between 54th & 55th Streets, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Film debut of Steve McQueen.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene where the manager comes to the house, passing all the news crews, the door of the house has three small windows in descending order. Once inside the house with Rocky's wife the door in the background has an arched window instead of three small windows.

Quotes:

Rocky Graziano: [after hearing an actor in the movie say "i love you" on screen] You've been tellin' her for two hours ya creep!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenon (1994) (V)

Soundtrack:

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Paul Newman Wins It

Up until now I've only seen Paul Newman in 1990's and later movies - but he's never been the actor that called me into a movie theater or made me change the channel. He always seemed to play the same type of part: easy going, calm, aware, well contained. Or maybe that's the way he made each part seem.

After seeing this movie, now I know why he's considered such a great actor. I only watched boxing when it was part of the Olympics - just don't enjoy the sport itself that much - and only know about Rocky Graziano from the newspapers. But Paul Newman was riveting. He made this character of a complete underdog, who apparently had no hope, no charm, and nothing to live for, into someone I cared about enough to stick with the movie for two hours.

I don't know how true-to-life the story was; Hollywood generally creates composite characters, cleans up reality and changes or outright ignores major events. Certainly the many fights Graziano had were a bit of a blur in the film and I'm sure several critical steps in his advancement towards middleweight championship were neglected. The reason for the violent relationship between Rocky and his father was unexplained. And his mother's mental state (the film alludes to her time in the hospital) is not fully developed.

These gaps do not overshadow in any way Paul Newman's performance. I always thought it was longevity, charitable works, and a long-lasting marriage to another actor (not to mention darn good spaghetti sauce) that gave him the aura he has - now I understand.