Champion

Champion is a 1949 American drama about Midge Kelly, a young man travelling to California with his brother Connie who is drawn into boxing almost by accident. After an early bout and an approach from the manager Tommy Haley, Midge decides to pursue the sport professionally. He wins steadily and becomes a celebrated fighter, but his ambition and ruthlessness cost him the people who helped him along the way, including his brother, his manager and the women in his life.

The film was directed by Mark Robson, the third of the thirteen features he directed in chronological order, following Roughshod and preceding My Foolish Heart. Carl Foreman wrote the screenplay, and Stanley Kramer produced. Kirk Douglas plays Midge, with Arthur Kennedy as Connie, Paul Stewart as Tommy Haley, Ruth Roman as Emma Bryce, Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Diamond and Lola Albright as Palmer Harris. Thirty-two cast members are credited.

Released in April 1949, the film took about 3 million dollars worldwide and runs 99 minutes. Its critical standing is notably stronger than its audience scores: critics give it 8.3 out of 10 across 16 reviews, while it holds 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb from around 5,300 votes and 6.7 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 105 votes. That gap between a small body of critical opinion and a much larger but more mixed audience sample suggests a film valued more by reviewers than by general viewers today.