The Champ (1931)

This seems to be a must among fans of '30s dramas. I had seen only one other King Vidor film and did not have a good mental picture of Wallace Beery yet. Why not see what garnered an Oscar for the latter and a nomination for the former?

In the area of Tijuana, Andy "Champ" Purcell talks the talk about getting back into prizefighting, but his habits of gambling and especially drinking get in the way of opportunities (think of druggie Dicky in The Fighter). He probably wasn't like this back when the divorce court granted him custody of his son, Dink (Jackie Cooper), who's about nine. Dink and Champ love each other in spite of frustration, but after Dink's mother Linda happens to catch sight of him, she and her husband put pressure on Champ to cede custody to her. They'd have a good case, seeing as, beyond financial issues, Champ places Dink in rather kid-unfriendly environments and leaves something wanting in the discipline department.

The Netflix jacket description gives away a third-act development, so I might as well do the same. Following an arrest, Champ finally agrees to his ex's request. In a heartrending scene, he pretends not to love Dink anymore. But his efforts work only so much. As kind as Linda is, she treats Dink like he's several years younger, no doubt because she misses that period of his life. Not a good way to persuade him to stay away from the grown-up stuff.

Research tells me that Beery received one vote fewer than Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) did, but Academy rules at the time pretended it was a tie. In retrospect, Beery probably deserved it more -- especially since he convincingly hid his reported distaste for working with kids.

Cooper is often noted right up there with Beery in this movie's performances. He does do an excellent job for his age at the time. Still, I'm pretty glad he didn't win, for this or the "previous" year's Skippy. The child actor curse is harsh enough without getting into Tatum O'Neal territory. As it stands, his most significant adult role is as Clark Kent's boss in the Superman movie series.

The film's other claim to fame is its Oscar for the original story. It's rather simple, of course, but certainly more moving than that of the year's more involved Best Picture, Grand Hotel.

Would I have granted The Champ Best Picture status? Possibly. I haven't seen most of the nominees of that cycle, and The Smiling Lieutenant was too silly for serious consideration. The important thing is, I affirm the recommendation.