Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

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

Release Date:

12 December 1956 (Japan)

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 | Policeman | Bare Chested Male Fighting | Cult Director

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Rocky
Pier Angeli	...	Norma
Everett Sloane	...	Irving Cohen
Eileen Heckart	...	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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Caswell Adams	...	Sam (uncredited)
Stanley Adams	...	Romolo's Attorney (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich	...	Ringside Photographer - Zale Fight (uncredited)
Harry Arnie	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Bob Bardette	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Walter Beaver	...	Sidekick (uncredited)
Michael Bookasta	...	Boy at Parade (uncredited)
William Boyett	...	Military Policeman Escort at Fight (uncredited)
Bart Braverman	...	Boy (uncredited)
Ben Cameron	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Frank Campanella	...	Detective (uncredited)
Walter Cartier	...	Polack (uncredited)
Angela Cartwright	...	Audrey at Age 3 (uncredited)
George Cisar	...	Fence (uncredited)
Russ Clark	...	Zale Fight Referee (uncredited)
Tom Coleman	...	Reporter at Sparring Session (uncredited)
Russ Conway	...	Capt. Grifton (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper	...	Capt. Lancheck (uncredited)
Vincent Correccio	...	Tough Kid (uncredited)
Joe Costa	...	Racketeer (uncredited)
Matt Crowley	...	Lou Stillman (uncredited)
Michael Dante	...	Shorty the Greek (uncredited)
Ray Danton	...	Off-screen Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
Robert Duvall	...	MP (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Robert Easton	...	Cpl. Quinbury (uncredited)
John Eldredge	...	Reformatory Warden George Niles (uncredited)
Jinx Falkenburg	...	On-Screen Trailer Narrator (uncredited)
Robert Gardett	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tommy Garland	...	Referee (uncredited)
Jan Gillum	...	Yolanda at Age 12 (uncredited)
Sam Gilman	...	Detective Arresting Rocky (uncredited)
Pete Gonzales	...	Fighter (uncredited)
Charles Green	...	Curtis Hughtower - Fighter (uncredited)
Donna Jo Gribble	...	Yolanda Barbella (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Leavenworth Prison Guard (uncredited)
Bern Hoffman	...	Fat Man at Hijacking Attempt (uncredited)
Dynamite Jackson	...	Referee (uncredited)
Walter Johnson	...	Guard (uncredited)
Dean Jones	...	Private in Rocky's Tent at Army Base (uncredited)
Rodney Jones	...	Fighter (uncredited)
Byron Kane	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jackie Kelk	...	George (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Fight Commissioner's Assistant (uncredited)
Jack Kenney	...	Reformatory Guard (uncredited)
Jess Kirkpatrick	...	Chicago Reporter (uncredited)
Joe La Barba	...	Referee in Brooklyn Arena (uncredited)
Pat Lawless	...	Cop (uncredited)
David Leonard	...	Mr. Mueller (uncredited)
Len Lesser	...	Reporter at Sparring Session (uncredited)
Robert Loggia	...	Frankie Peppo (uncredited)
Jack Lomas	...	Reformatory Guard (uncredited)
Cy Malis	...	Referee (uncredited)
Joseph Marr	...	Customer (uncredited)
Gregg Martell	...	Guard (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	Guard (uncredited)
Steve McQueen	...	Fidel (uncredited)
Tyler McVey	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tony Michaels	...	Assistant Commissioner (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Counterman at Gym (uncredited)
Philip Morini	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Robin Morse	...	Reporter at Boxing Commission Hearing (uncredited)
Ben Moselle	...	Referee in Army Arena (uncredited)
Jimmy Murphy	...	Young Fighter at Gym (uncredited)
Frank Nechero	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Ralph Neff	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Billy Nelson	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
James O'Rear	...	Judge (uncredited)
Jack Orrison	...	Detective (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Man in Bar (uncredited)
Judson Pratt	...	Johnny Hyland (uncredited)
Terry Rangno	...	Rocky at Age 8 (uncredited)
Sid Raymond	...	Subway Guard (uncredited)
Ralph Reed	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Geezer - Work Detail Guard (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	One of Rocky's Friends (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Subway Guard (uncredited)
John Rosser	...	Detective (uncredited)
Benny Rubin	...	Fight Promoter (uncredited)
Eddie Ryder	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Willard Sage	...	Captain Earl Woodhope (uncredited)
Andy Savilla	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Sam Scar	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Leavenworth Prison Guard (uncredited)
Don Shelton	...	Captain at Court Martial (uncredited)
Court Shepard	...	Tony Zale (uncredited)
Al Silvani	...	Rocky's Second (uncredited)
Buster Slaven	...	Sidekick (uncredited)
Ray Stricklyn	...	Bryson (uncredited)
Sam Taub	...	Himself (uncredited)
Wayne Taylor	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
James Todd	...	Colonel at Court Martial (uncredited)
Renata Vanni	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ron Veto	...	Bar patron (uncredited)
Ray Walker	...	Zale Ring Announcer (uncredited)
Paul Weber	...	Chicago Reporter (uncredited)
Tommy White	...	Boy (uncredited)
Billy Wilson	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
Harry Wismer	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Wise

Writing credits
Ernest Lehman		(screenplay)
Rocky Graziano		autobiography and
Rowland Barber		with

Produced by
James E. Newcom	....	associate producer
Charles Schnee	....	producer

Original Music by
Bronislau Kaper

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Albert Akst

Art Direction by
Malcolm Brown
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
F. Keogh Gleason		(as Keogh Gleason)
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
William Tuttle	....	makeup creator

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Saunders	....	assistant director
Hank Moonjean	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wesley C. Miller	....	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Charles Wallace	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Stunts
Lucky Kargo	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Stetson	....	key grip

Music Department
Robert Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
John Indrisano	....	technical advisor (as Johnny Indrisano)
Helena Sorrell	....	acting coach: Pier Angeli (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinema International Corporation (C.I.C.) (1956) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Towa (1963) (Japan) (theatrical) (revival)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (Japan) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1973) (Finland) (TV) (1998) (TV2)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

113 min (copyright time)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (Perspecta Sound)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | Spain:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #18008) | Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

There had been some opposition to the casting of Paul Newman, since at 31 he was already six years older than James Dean would have been, and his first movie The Silver Chalice (1954) had been a critical and commercial disaster.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Rocky is flying to New York from Chicago, the picture of the plane in flight is reversed (see the airline name in backward lettering). It was probably intentional so that the plane would be heading from left to right. That is the way people would imagine the plane heading, since that's the direction on a map.

Quotes:

Rocky Graziano:Don't worry 'bout a thing

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Get Smart: Someone Down Here Hates Me (#2.17)" (1967)

Soundtrack:

Assembly

Enjoyable, fun to watch

How many chances do we get to watch Paul Newman overact? His over-the-top performance as an Italian-American boxing champ from New York City is lots of fun to watch. He turn Graziano into a poor man's Terry Malloy. Nice, albeit brief, performance by Sal Mineo as well, as Rocky's running buddy. Worth a look!