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:

new york city | boxing | sports writer | argentinian | boxing champion | 

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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:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 May 1956 (Japan)

Also Known As:

La caída de un ídolo

Filming Locations:

FDR Drive and Houston Street, Manhattan, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,350,000, 31 December 1956

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, Humphrey 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 sequence Eddie gets into a taxi in front of Peter Cooper Village near East 14th Street, but the rear view of the cab has it located by a housing project near the Brooklyn Bridge about 2 miles south.

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Quotes

[Willis tells Toro to throw his fight with Buddy Brannen to avoid getting hurt]
Toro Moreno: I don't know, I don't know. What would people think of me?
Eddie Willis: What do you care what a bunch of bloodthirsty, screaming people think of you? Did you ever get a look at their faces? They pay a few lousy bucks hoping to see a man get killed. To hell with them! Think of yourself. Get your money and get out of this rotten business.

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Connections

Referenced in Die Harald Schmidt Show: Show #892 - Humphrey Bogarts Filme & Der große Türklinkentest (2001)

User Reviews

Bogart goes out with a bang

What a wonderful way to end one of the all-time great careers. Bogart's last film, "The Harder They Fall" is a tough, uncompromising, cynical look at the fight world, and Bogart is magnificent as a down and out reporter who sells out to crooked boxing promoters.

One of the things so excellent about the film is that Bogie is surrounded by fantastic performances, particularly that of Rod Steiger as a vicious, greedy promoter, Mike Lane as the big dumb lug Steiger uses to accomplish his goals, and Max Baer as an egomaniacal champion.

"The Harder They Fall" spares us nothing - not the violence in the ring, the treatment of individuals like merchandise, the preying on the downtrodden. And it doesn't spare us Bogart's haggard looks, either. However, his energy is great and his characterization of a writer turned press rep, a man who looks the other way, is a powerful one.

There's a story often told about Bogart in his last days. Friends would come over to visit in the afternoon, and Bogart would climb into a dumbwaiter in order to get down to the first floor. He was that small (80 pounds) and that weak. But there was never anything weak about the mind, the will, or the persona.