''Champ for a Day'' is a 1953 American

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

directed by William A. Seiter and written by Irving Shulman. The film stars

Alex Nicol Alexander Livingston Nicol Jr. (January 20, 1916 – July 29, 2001) was an American actor and film director. Nicol appeared in many Westerns including '' The Man from Laramie'' (1955). He appeared in more than forty feature films as well as dir ...

Audrey Totter Audrey Mary Totter (December 20, 1917 – December 12, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s. Early life Audrey – some sources indicate "Audra" – Totter w ...

Charles Winninger Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals. Life and career Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...

, Hope Emerson,

Joseph Wiseman Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 – October 19, 2009) was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor who starred as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' in 1962. Wiseman was also known for his role as Manny We ...

and

Barry Kelley Edward Barry Kelley (August 19, 1908 – June 5, 1991) was an American actor on Broadway in the 1930s and 1940s and in films during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The heavy-set actor created the role of Ike in '' Oklahoma!'' on Broadway. His l ...

. The film was released on August 15, 1953, by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

Plot

Big pug George Wilson shows up at a motel and diner run by Ma and Pa Karlsen, saying he's supposed to meet his manager, Dolan. He catches the eye of another customer, the attractive Miss Gormley, but she seems to be in a bad mood. George has a fight lined up, but boxing promoters Guido and Healy believe that Dolan has run off with George's advance payment. George decides to go ahead with the fight, with down-and-out trainer Al Muntz agreeing to work in his corner. By winning the fight, George angers ex-boxer Willie Foltis, who had bet heavily on the loser. George stays with the Karlsens and becomes better acquainted with Miss Gormley, who, it turns out, had also come there to meet Dolan, who was trying to blackmail her into marriage. A bout with the tough "Soldier" Freeman is set up, but Guido and Healy insist that George throw the fight. Muntz warns him that Guido and Healy are connected with organized crime. Willie also comes to rob George of his prize winnings from the previous fight, but George knocks him cold. Dolan's dead body is found in the river. George schemes to turn Guido and Healy against one another, resulting in them exchanging gunfire after the fight. Miss Gormley likes the way George has handled himself and they look like a perfect match.

Cast

as George Wilson *

as Miss Peggy Gormley *

as Pa Karlsen * Hope Emerson as Ma Karlsen *

as Dominic Guido *

as Tom Healy * Harry Morgan as Al Muntz * Jesse White as Willie Foltis * Horace McMahon as Sam Benton * Grant Withers as Scotty Cameron *

Eddy Waller Edward Carlingford Waller (June 14, 1889 – August 20, 1977) was an American stage, film and television actor. Early years Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, he was a son of the Rev. Thomas M. Waller, a Presbyterian minister, and Anna Ta ...

as Phil *

Dick Wessel Richard Michael Wessel (April 20, 1913 – April 20, 1965) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 270 films between 1935 and 1966. He is best remembered for his only leading role, a chilling portrayal of strangler Harry "Cu ...

as 'Speedtrap' Calhoun *

Hal Baylor Hal Harvey Fieberling (born Hal David Britton); December 10, 1918 – January 15, 1998 known professionally as Hal Baylor, was an American actor, probably best known for his role as Pvt. 'Sky' Choynski in the film ''Sands of Iwo Jima''. In 1 ...

as 'Soldier' Freeman

References

External links

* 1953 films 1950s English-language films American crime drama films 1953 crime drama films Republic Pictures films Films directed by William A. Seiter American black-and-white films 1950s American films {{1950s-crime-drama-film-stub