There had been a film with the same title made in 1932 at Warner Brothers starring James Cagney about a race car driver. But this MGM production, released six years later, has a completely different story. It's about a boxer played by Robert Taylor who gets caught up with a syndicate. It did well with audiences, so Metro producer Sam Zimbalist dusted it off in 1947 and remade it as KILLER MCCOY with Mickey Rooney as a teen facsimile of the character, in an attempt to defy Andy Hardy typecasting.
I won't go into an extremely detailed comparison of the two versions, or even a lengthy comparison of the two lead actors...though I feel Rooney is probably a tad more believable as a scrapper from the wrong side of the tracks. Despite giving a sincere and adequate performance, Taylor seems too polished and cultured to have been raised in poverty. However, I will say that both actors essay the role of Tommy "Killer" McCoy with the necessary physique.
Sometimes Taylor appears to lack confidence in key scenes, which is not what this tale needs. After all, this is supposed to be a drama about a determined fighter whose ambition and self-confidence propels him forward. His primary motivator is said to be money, since success in the ring will help him escape his poor background.
Killer has an interesting relationship with two paternal figures. One is a crooked gangster (Edward Arnold in the original and Brian Donlevy in the remake) who buys his contract; gives him advice; and then eventually becomes his father-in-law.
The other key relationship exists between Killer and his never-do-well father (Frank Morgan in the original and James Dunn in the remake). The father is a gambler and manipulator extraordinaire, yet still likable. The acting between Frank Morgan and Edward Arnold is a little more interesting to watch than what we see with James Dunn and Brian Donlevy. However, the remake plays up the dad's alcoholism, and James Dunn had a drinking problem in real life and won an Oscar for his realistic portrayal of a boozer in A TREE GROW IN BROOKLYN.
Killer falls in love with the hood's daughter, which gives us the pic's romantic angle. The love interest in the original is played by Maureen O'Sullivan who comes across poised yet tame without Tarzan around. I don't think Taylor enjoys any sexual chemistry with O'Sullivan, so their romantic scenes quickly bog down. At least in the remake, there is a sense that Rooney is into Ann Blyth and wants to jump her bones.
Sometimes you have to ask why filmmakers change things that worked well in the first film, when they set out to do a remake. The 1938 version features Jane Wyman (borrowed from home studio Warner Brothers) in the comic relief part of O'Sullivan's southern belle friend. She enlivens every scene in which she is included, in an Una Merkel/ZaSu Pitts sort of way. But producer Sam Zimbalist dropped this engaging character from the remake. This means that the second picture has less comedy and forfeits lightweight moments in favor of the dramatic heavy hitting stuff.
While I enjoy both of these films, I think the remake as a whole is rather intense at times. KILLER MCCOY actually it did better at the box office than THE CROWD ROARS. But I dunno, I guess I just prefer the balanced approach of the original, even if Taylor may be slightly miscast. THE CROWD ROARS is a good movie that kayos the audience with its one-two punch.
I won't go into an extremely detailed comparison of the two versions, or even a lengthy comparison of the two lead actors...though I feel Rooney is probably a tad more believable as a scrapper from the wrong side of the tracks. Despite giving a sincere and adequate performance, Taylor seems too polished and cultured to have been raised in poverty. However, I will say that both actors essay the role of Tommy "Killer" McCoy with the necessary physique.
Sometimes Taylor appears to lack confidence in key scenes, which is not what this tale needs. After all, this is supposed to be a drama about a determined fighter whose ambition and self-confidence propels him forward. His primary motivator is said to be money, since success in the ring will help him escape his poor background.
Killer has an interesting relationship with two paternal figures. One is a crooked gangster (Edward Arnold in the original and Brian Donlevy in the remake) who buys his contract; gives him advice; and then eventually becomes his father-in-law.
The other key relationship exists between Killer and his never-do-well father (Frank Morgan in the original and James Dunn in the remake). The father is a gambler and manipulator extraordinaire, yet still likable. The acting between Frank Morgan and Edward Arnold is a little more interesting to watch than what we see with James Dunn and Brian Donlevy. However, the remake plays up the dad's alcoholism, and James Dunn had a drinking problem in real life and won an Oscar for his realistic portrayal of a boozer in A TREE GROW IN BROOKLYN.
Killer falls in love with the hood's daughter, which gives us the pic's romantic angle. The love interest in the original is played by Maureen O'Sullivan who comes across poised yet tame without Tarzan around. I don't think Taylor enjoys any sexual chemistry with O'Sullivan, so their romantic scenes quickly bog down. At least in the remake, there is a sense that Rooney is into Ann Blyth and wants to jump her bones.
Sometimes you have to ask why filmmakers change things that worked well in the first film, when they set out to do a remake. The 1938 version features Jane Wyman (borrowed from home studio Warner Brothers) in the comic relief part of O'Sullivan's southern belle friend. She enlivens every scene in which she is included, in an Una Merkel/ZaSu Pitts sort of way. But producer Sam Zimbalist dropped this engaging character from the remake. This means that the second picture has less comedy and forfeits lightweight moments in favor of the dramatic heavy hitting stuff.
While I enjoy both of these films, I think the remake as a whole is rather intense at times. KILLER MCCOY actually it did better at the box office than THE CROWD ROARS. But I dunno, I guess I just prefer the balanced approach of the original, even if Taylor may be slightly miscast. THE CROWD ROARS is a good movie that kayos the audience with its one-two punch.