057: The Champ (1931) - released 11/9/1931; viewed 5/21/06.<br /><br />The Chinese Soviet Republic is declared by Mao Tse Tung.<br /><br />BIRTHS: Ike Turner.<br /><br />DOUG: King Vidor directs big bad Wallace Beery (Best Actor winner) and little Jackie Cooper in Frances Marion's moving screenplay The Champ. I've read that Wallace Beery was actually a rotten lunkhead offscreen and not really the lovable loser that he always played on screen. I guess little Cooper really was a good actor to make us believe the latter while enduring the former. This is a rare film made during the Depression that actually talks about it; most people preferred films that let them escape from the Depression entirely. Beery's Champ does everything he can to properly raise his son Dink, but he's not very smart, and he's not exactly a great father; he suffers from gambling and alcoholism, and it's often the kid who has to look after the dad. In the end, we forgive the Champ because he really tries, and he really does love that kid. Although he makes a lot of false promises ("I'll never drink again! No more gambling!"), we're behind him all the same because of Beery. At one point, he tries to send Dink to his mother's in a heartwrenching scene; when Dink tearfully refuses to go, Champ slaps him through the bars of his cell. Dink runs away crying, and Champ starts slapping his fist against the concrete wall in shame; he just hit his son! The final fight is quite effective, as he's fighting for a $20,000 purse that will put his son through school. I thought his heart problem could have used more setup. I didn't cry at the end, but dammit, I was close. I'd also like to point out Dink's friend Jonah, a black kid whose character is handled rather tastefully: "That's Jonah. He's colored." "Really? Pretty color." Awwww...<br /><br />KEVIN: Yes, I wept. I really loved The Champ. I was in no danger of dozing off during this film, as I was captivated in every scene. The role of Andy "Champ" Purcell is truly the role of a lifetime for Wallace Beery; I firmly believe that no other actor in history could ever nail this performance so perfectly, so this time the Academy was right for a change. One might say that this story kind of turns the anti-hero sentiment on its side. Rather than a sadistic thug hiding under a dapper exterior, Beery's "Champ" is a washed-out tough guy with a heart of gold. One of the less effective things about the film was the character of Linda, and Irene Rich's performance of her. It's much harder to sympathize with her struggle, even at the end. Fortunately, we don't see too much of her, and Beery and little Jackie Cooper dominate every scene. We see again and again not just that Andy is a loving father, but that he and Dink really take care for each other in ways that no one could understand. That's why it's so heartbreaking at the end when that union is broken forever and both Dink and we in the audience must come to terms with it and look forward to the future.<br /><br />Last film: The Platinum Blonde (1931). Next film: Frankenstein (1931).