The Ring (1952)

A young American of Mexican decent in East Los Angeles, California uses the boxing ring to make a better life for himself and his family, and learns as much about being a Latino in a white society as he does about boxing.

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

Irving Shulman (screenplay), Irving Shulman (based on his novel)

Stars:

Gerald Mohr, Rita Moreno, Lalo Rios

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gerald Mohr	...	Pete Ganusa
Rita Moreno	...	Lucy Gomez
Lalo Rios	...	Tomas 'Tommy' Cantanios / Tommy Kansas
Robert Arthur	...	Billy Smith
Robert Osterloh	...	Freddy Jack
Martin Garralaga	...	Vidal Cantanios
Art Aragon	...	Art Aragon
Jack Elam	...	Harry Jackson
Peter Brocco	...	Barney Williams
Robert Shayne	...	Jimmy - Aragon's Manager
Julia Montoya	...	Rosa
Lillian Molieri	...	Helen Cantanios
Pepe Hern	...	Rick
Victor Millan	...	Pablo
Tony Martinez	...	Go-Go

Storyline

A young American of Mexican decent in East Los Angeles, California uses the boxing ring to make a better life for himself and his family, and learns as much about being a Latino in a white society as he does about boxing.

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Plot Keywords:

boxer | boxing | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

"I was SLAUGHTERED to please the crowd!"

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Altuna received an "Introducing" credit.

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Goofs

Before the final boxing match; real film footage of Art Aragon is clipped into the fight. His three corner men in the real footage are clearly completely different from the actors playing his corner men in the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Crisis in Morality (1962)

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Soundtracks

A-Cheep, A-Cheep
Music by Herschel Burke Gilbert
Lyrics by Lenny Adelson

User Reviews

The Arena Of Life Is Not Just A Squared Circle

Even the cheap production values of The Ring which admittedly looks like it was shot on chump change give it a look of authenticity. The Ring is a fine film about a young Mexican-American kid who thinks that boxing could be his ticket out of the slums. The lead here is played by young Lalos Rios who went on to a substantial career for the next twenty years.

Better known of course is Rita Moreno who was doing her fourth film and she plays Rios's girl friend. It's a part light years different from Anita in West Side Story.

Lalos Rios plays young Tommy Cantanios whose family is going through a real financial crisis. His father is laid off from work and they owe a lot of money for furniture on credit. Young Tommy asks to help, but his father, Martin Garralaga sluffs off the offer.

In the history of Mexican-Americans, The Ring tells its story in a time almost halfway between the zoot suit rioters of the Forties and the organization of migrant farm laborers by Cesar Chavez in the Sixties. Still a time when the discrimination that brought on the zoot suit riots was very real.

After a couple of encounters with some discrimination young Rios gets a lift by chance from fight manager Gerald Mohr who sees some possibilities in the kid. He takes him under his wing and changes his professionally to Tommy Kansas. He and trainer Robert Osterloh bring him up the ranks slowly.

Of course Rios is impatient and Mohr starts to question whether he really does have the talent to make it really big in the fight game.

The Ring is a very realistic film about the fight game and life in East Los Angeles in the Fifties. Look also for good performances from Jack Elam as a sleazy fight promoter and from Art Aragon who was a popular welterweight boxer from back in the day who later went into acting after his ring days were done.

Rios learns two very valuable lessons, one is best summed up by that eminent American philosopher Clint Eastwood who once remarked a man's got to know his limitations. But even more important Rios learns that The Ring is not the only place he can fight for his beliefs and his people. The arena of life is not just a squared circle.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

26 September 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aurora de Rebeldia

Filming Locations:

701 N. Hill Place, Fort Moore, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1