The Prize Fighter (1979)

A mobster tricks an ex-boxer and his manager to take part in a series of (fixed) fights as part of a scheme to get his hands on an old boxing gym.

Director:

Michael Preece

Writers:

Tim Conway (story), Tim Conway (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Conway, Don Knotts, David Wayne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Conway	...	Bags
Don Knotts	...	Shake
David Wayne	...	Pop Morgan
Robin Clarke	...	Mike
Cisse Cameron	...	Polly
Mary Ellen O'Neill	...	Mama
Michael LaGuardia	...	The Butcher
George Nutting	...	Timmy
Irwin Keyes	...	Flower
John Myhers	...	Doyle
Bill Ash	...	Towel Man
Joan Benedict Steiger	...	Dori (as Joan Benedict)
Merle G. Cain	...	Bumper
Holly Conover	...	Judy
Alfred E. Covington	...	Ring Announcer

Storyline

A mobster tricks an ex-boxer and his manager to take part in a series of (fixed) fights as part of a scheme to get his hands on an old boxing gym.

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Plot Keywords:

great depression | mafia | illegal fistfight | fixed fight | underground tournament | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Knock-out tyrmääjät

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tristar Pictures, Prize Fighter Partners, The Prize Fighter Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Part of a cycle of ring fighter movies, mostly boxing, some wrestling, initiated by the box-office and critical success of the Academy Award Best Picture winning boxing movie Rocky (1976). The films include Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Tough Enough (1983), Title Shot (1979), Raging Bull (1980), The Champ (1979), Matilda (1978), The Main Event (1979), The Prize Fighter (1979), The Greatest (1977), Body and Soul (1981), Paradise Alley (1978), ...All the Marbles (1981) (aka "The California Dolls"), The One and Only (1978), Every Which Way But Loose (1978) and Any Which Way You Can (1980).

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Carol Burnett/Tim Conway/Robert Easton/Tracee Talavera (1979)

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Soundtracks

'TIL THE END
Lyrics and Music by Peter Matz

User Reviews

Terribly unfunny boxing comedy

Tim Conway was very funny on "The Carol Burnett Show", but outside of that show he came across as being very lame. Not just with his "Dorf" videos, but also with his motion pictures. My theory is that he had too much creative control when he was in movies, since often he also took on the role of the screenwriter, this movie being one just example. I had a little hope that there might be some laughs, seeing that Conway's co-star was the great Don Knotts. But Knotts' performance here is very subdued; it's clear that he knows he's in a real turkey. The main problems with the movie are that the script is simply not that funny, and that director Michael Preece seems unable to inject any serious energy to what unfolds on the screen. What results is gag after gag landing with a thud, made worse by a story that is obviously very padded out. Though the movie only runs about 98 minutes long, it feels a lot longer, so much so that it's sometimes agonizing to sit through . It doesn't help that the official DVD release of the movie more often than not has a transfer that resembles a rip of a VHS copy. Hard to believe that this movie did reasonably good business for an independently made production.