Today’s movie is a sports biography with a scene that happens on September 27. Watch this movie tonight and enjoy.
SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME
Rocco Barbella is a juvenile delinquent who drifts into a life of crime. He is sent to prison and gets in trouble by refusing to accept any discipline. In prison he meets Frankie Peppo, who tells Rocco that if he ever needs money to look him up and he’ll get him into boxing. When he’s finally released, he’s drafted into the army. He refuses to accept military discipline and goes AWOL after punching an officer. He gets into boxing under the name “Rocky Graziano” and wins six fights by knockouts before he’s picked up by the Army. He’s sentenced to one year at Leavenworth and a dishonorable discharge. The boxing coach at Leavenworth tells Rocky that if he channeled his hate into boxing he could be a good fighter. When he gets out Rocky resumes his career. He meets Norma, a friend of his sister and they start dating. They have a big fight because she is initially repelled by boxing’s violence. Rocky makes up with her, but in the process misses a bout and almost loses his license. His manager, Irving Cohen, tells him to either marry Norma or give her up, so Rocky marries her. Then, on September 27, 1946 [ 1:08:26 to 1:11:55] Rocky gets knocked out by Zale in the middleweight title fight. Then Frankie Peppo reappears in Rocky’s life as a messenger from the mob, telling him that unless he throws the title fight they will make his past difficulties with the law public, but if he does they’ll pay him $100 grand. Rocky fakes an injury to get the bout canceled, but when questioned by the District attorney he refuses to name names. His boxing license is suspended in New York, since he failed to report a bribery attempt. Irving Cohen gets the title fight moved to Chicago, since Illinois did not suspend Rocky’s license. Rocky almost considers taking the bribe until he sees the terrible things that happened to his friends who had been members of his youth gang. Rocky fights Zale for the title and wins.
A somewhat sentimentalized story. As is usual with Hollywood biopics, this film plays around with the actual facts of Graziano’s life, but not as much as some films. Overall a decent and watchable movie.
The Boxing Register by James B. Roberts and Alexander V. Skutt (McBooks Press, Ithaca, NY, 1997) p. 258
Awards – This movie won the Best Black and White Art Direction and Best Black and White Cinematography Oscars. It was also nominated for the Best Film Editing Oscar at the 29th Academy Awards.
Producer - Charles Schnee
Director - Robert Wise
Screenplay - Ernest Lehman
Runtime – 1 hour 54 minutes
Released – July 3, 1956
Starring –
Paul Newman as Rocky Graziano
Pier Angeli as Norma Graziano
Everett Sloane as Irving Cohen
Eileen Heckart as Ma Barbella
Harold J. Stone as Nick Barbella
Sal Mineo as Romolo
Ray Stricklyn as Bryson
Robert Loggia as Frankie Peppo
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.
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