“Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1962) written by Rod Serling, directed by Ralph Nelson, starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney & Julie Harris / Z-View

Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)

Director:  Ralph Nelson

Screenplay: Rod Serling

Stars: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, Julie Harris, Stanley Adams, Madame Spivy, Val Avery, Herbie Faye, Jack Dempsey, Barney Ross, Rory “Haystacks” Calhoun, Willie Pep and Muhammad Ali.

Tagline: They beat him… they broke him… they betrayed him… but they could not crush the towering dignity of a real fighter!

The Plot…

Louis “Mountain” Rivera was good at one thing.  Fighting.  In his last bout, a young fighter put a beating on the 37 year old Rivera.  Rivera was pummeled so badly that no doctor is going to clear him for future fights.  Fighting is all Rivera knows.  Now that is gone.

For years Rivera’s fight winnings have supported Rivera, his manager Maish Rennick, and Army, his cutman.  They have no savings.  Even worse Maish is in debt to Ma Greeny.  Ma deals harshly with those who don’t pay their debts.

When Rivera meets a woman named Grace, he begins to have hope.  Maish realizes that he’s about to lose his meal ticket.  That means no money coming in.  When Ma Greeny and her thugs show up, they will expect to be paid.  As Rivera’s manager, Maish is supposed to protect Rivera.  What he’s about to set up will break him.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ralph Nelson was a 1963 Nominee Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.

The National Board of Review named Requiem for a Heavyweight one of the top ten films of 1962.

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) made his film debut as the young fighter who defeats Mountain Rivera at the start of the film.

Jackie Gleason, best know for his comedic skills on The Honeymooners, shows he’s just as adept as a dramatic actor.

Requiem for a Heavyweight first appeared as a television movie before becoming a feature film.  The television production featured Jack Palance as Mountain Rivera, Ed Wynn as Maish and his son Keenan Wynn as Army.   Ralph Nelson directed both versions.

Requiem for a Heavyweight is another example of the Rod Serling’s stellar writing talent.

Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) rates 5 of 5 stars