Evening star., 1949-06-12
New BIoodCreotes
ACorking Picture
The Champion, Lardner Tale,
Made by an Old Formula
BY Jay cormody

By Jay carmody
blood" every forecasng
revouonize Holywoods product has produced picture
Frankly the result is not revolutionary 1t corkns
screenplay called THE Champion Better pictures
revolutionary. just good
THE Champion" q production called
has been dissolved the result Of internal between tn.
partners Nothing could sound like Hollywood yet in this
case 1t Is not as bad as 1t sounds.
This because although the partners Stanley
Robert stman are going their separate ways they are still going
making movies, and with the same standards
Their Standards Pay
That the standards good supported by ev
dence not from THE Champion" but from the other
picture Home Of the Brave"
Both pictures differing extent which they
could not ask anything happier than this Nor for that
matter could the old who have been eyng Screen Plays
undsguised envy asking
Just Champion pictures
they get well result in considerable improve
of pictures industry turning
last few months.
paradox Plays presumably
blood operating the oldest formulas
namely that the pay-or the stoys the thing Producer
Kramer stopping of here his to Hollywood than
told this correspondent that this would be his operating
principle He did not think of merely common
Not Just Fight Picture.
Champion" patiently just a story been
described przehght picture category into which it falls
merit of the production lies in simple circumstance that
about character interest story the like Of which
is to be found few places outside the collected works of Ring
Lardner The producers Kramer and stman, themselves
author from whom they got story The rest is daily pleas
reading the account which the profits recorded
Lardners man In The Champion the complete reverse OF
the movie hero fact he colossal heel whose like movie
audiences rarely have His life story written with
deep perception and acid honesty by the late great Lardner and
It been photographed with the dramatic qualities by
Screen Plays.
been other pictures Of them. built around
villains They whole of movie stars
Edward G. Robinson James Cagney John Garfield Richard Wild
mark and others
of these however took such a sharp hard,
Champion
at the fellow played by Kirk Douglas.
Lardner Wrote With Fury
Body and Sou another prizehght picture with GARFIELD in
the role closest in its search but did not find
the dramatic values those revealed In he Champion
Lardner narrated his story of Mdge Kelly the idol Of the
boxing public with of the most beautifully controlled fue
brought to typewriter He did not set down
that the brutal sport Of boxing ruined otherwise promising
citizen contrary points that Midge born
despcabe achieved Towering the only field In
which he could possibly feel at home
This saying whale of lot that audiences have not
been hearing standard sound tracks saying most pontedy
about the sport in which Midge became champion.
It Screen Plays idea that Lardners story could
the theory which much Of cinema
production In single picture in decade introduced
blood certainly than represented
and the others in the large and altogether brilliant
cast Of "The Champion"
There k Of patent the by which Screen
Plays has started It's operations In Hollywood Others free to
they wish ofce results have their old meaning
the odds are that they will do
That could be fine for movegoers.