The Champ (1979)

Billy Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Frances Marion (story), Walter Newman

Stars:

Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Ricky Schroder

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Voight	...	Billy
Faye Dunaway	...	Annie
Ricky Schroder	...	T.J.
Jack Warden	...	Jackie
Arthur Hill	...	Mike
Strother Martin	...	Riley
Joan Blondell	...	Dolly Kenyon
Mary Jo Catlett	...	Josie
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Georgie (as Elisha Cook)
Stefan Gierasch	...	Charlie Goodman
Allan Miller	...	Whitey
Joe Tornatore	...	Hesh
Shirlee Kong	...	Donna Mae
Jeff Blum	...	Jeffie
Dana Elcar	...	Hoffmaster

Storyline

Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway and Ricky Schroder star in this poignant story about a one-time boxing champ who is forced to return to the ring in order to maintain custody of his eight-year-old son. Voight plays Billy Flynn, an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of Flynn's young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | boxer | horse trainer | champion | boxing | 

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Taglines:

The More You Love, The Harder You Fight.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both of the stars of John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy (1969) both starred in films about divorce, separation, and step-families afterwards. Jon Voight starred in this movie and in Table for Five (1983), while Dustin Hoffman starred in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

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Goofs

At the gym in the beginning of the film, Tex Cobb is being battered in a sparring match and his seconds call him Tommy. At the end of the film, Cobb is featured as Roland Bowers, Heavyweight Contender.

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Quotes

Annie: The designers of the 30s rediscovered the beauty of the shape of a woman. They returned to languor, sexuality. They gave women a sense of their bodies - and draped them in satin, silk, fur, and filagree, clinging velvet, quantities of costume jewelry, sequined veils, and - feathers.

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Connections

Featured in Sports on the Silver Screen (1997)

User Reviews

an emotional masterpiece

Unlike many of the critics who saw this movie and hated it, obviously these so called "film critics" must be jaded wanna be filmmakers who never made it, and have not truly found the meaning of film-making to date. Sorry for them. This motion picture is what makes cinema so great. It is the extremely emotional content and story, not the mere technicalities or flaws that makes this movie great. I saw this film 25 years ago and I remember a theaters completely in tears. I saw this movie again just recently on HBO and as hard as you tried, it was impossible to hold back tears, specially at the end. I don't know who these movie critics are nor where they come from, but they certainly have much to learn from this film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Champ

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,972,684, 8 April 1979

Gross USA:

$30,441,738

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,441,738

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hialeah Park Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1