This was another of the series of television dramas shown in 1994 (I believe in a series produced by Sonny Fox) that showed the best of the "golden age of television drama" that was the 1950s/ As such, like PATTERNS with Everett Sloane, Ed Begley Sr., and Richard Kiley, or like THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES with Charles Bickford and Cliff Robertson, they gave the viewers who only saw the stories in their movie forms a totally different point of view. These were changes in the stories' dialog and scenes. Frequently the viewer had to decide which version was better - MARTY the movie with Ernest Borgnine, or MARTY the television play with Rod Steiger.
This version of REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT had the fading boxer, "Mountain" McClintock (Jack Palance) (not {"Mountain" Rivera - Anthony Quinn) confront the collapse of his career in a world he barely is prepared to confront. A country boy (hence his nickname) he was taken under the wing of Maish (Keenan Wynn - Jack Gleason in the film) and trained until he reached the level of serious contender for the heavyweight championship. But he never reached that title. As is brought home brutally at the end by Wynn, talking to a young potential boxer, there are only eight titles in boxing, so only eight boxers are real champs, and the rest (even if they win bouts) are only also-rans.
This particular bout that McClintock has lost was due to heavy blows he took to one of his eyes. The arena doctor (Edgar Stehli, in a fine if brief performance) realizes that Mountain will go blind if he continues, and tells him he cannot allow him to box anymore (and he will inform the boxing commission about this). Maish (for personal reasons) tries to stop the doctor from doing this, and gets well put in his place by the doctor. Maish reasons are not quite nice: he has long since given up on Mountain ever winning another bout, and now has started betting against his own boxer and friend. Unfortunately Mountain fought too well in the bout, and stayed beyond the round that Maish bet he'd lose in. Now Maish owes money to some nasty customers.
While Maish worries about figuring out what to do with Mountain in order to placate his creditors, Army (Mountain's trainer - Ed Wynn here, but Mickey Rooney in the film) suggests that Mountain go to an employment agency. He does and meets Grace Carney (Kim Hunter), who slowly realizes the fragile spirit who has been stuck in the no-where fight game for so many years. She thinks she can get him placed in a job as a camp counselor, which he enjoys thinking about. The problems is Maish, who pulls out every trick to make Mountain feel like he owes Maish everything, so that the former will do what Maish wants him to do - which is what the creditors want him to do.
The cast was excellent, with Palance reminding us here (as in his film THE BIG KNIFE) how more than competent he was playing decent guys as well as villains as in SHANE. It's nice to know that Palance eventually got the recognition he always deserved in CITY SLICKERS, with his "Oscar". The television show was critical in revitalizing the career of Ed Wynn as "Army". A great Broadway clown (and occasional movie comic) he was falling into a groove of being a voice for Walt Disney (such as "the Mad Hatter" in ALICE IN WONDERLAND). Here he demonstrated his strength as a dramatic performer, and a slew of movie roles like this at the time (THE GREAT MAN, MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, THE DIARY OF ANN FRANK). Wynn would continue doing comedy but people were more aware of his range. Keenan Wynn played Maish as an opportunistic creep, although one can see that he eventually sickens of his own emotional blackmail.
Finally let me note two names not included who have a frightening scene with Palance: Maxie Rosenbloom and Max Baer Sr. Both are old pugs who have been reduced to cadging drinks at a local bar, constantly re-fighting old victories. They almost turn Palance into one of them!
This version of REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT had the fading boxer, "Mountain" McClintock (Jack Palance) (not {"Mountain" Rivera - Anthony Quinn) confront the collapse of his career in a world he barely is prepared to confront. A country boy (hence his nickname) he was taken under the wing of Maish (Keenan Wynn - Jack Gleason in the film) and trained until he reached the level of serious contender for the heavyweight championship. But he never reached that title. As is brought home brutally at the end by Wynn, talking to a young potential boxer, there are only eight titles in boxing, so only eight boxers are real champs, and the rest (even if they win bouts) are only also-rans.
This particular bout that McClintock has lost was due to heavy blows he took to one of his eyes. The arena doctor (Edgar Stehli, in a fine if brief performance) realizes that Mountain will go blind if he continues, and tells him he cannot allow him to box anymore (and he will inform the boxing commission about this). Maish (for personal reasons) tries to stop the doctor from doing this, and gets well put in his place by the doctor. Maish reasons are not quite nice: he has long since given up on Mountain ever winning another bout, and now has started betting against his own boxer and friend. Unfortunately Mountain fought too well in the bout, and stayed beyond the round that Maish bet he'd lose in. Now Maish owes money to some nasty customers.
While Maish worries about figuring out what to do with Mountain in order to placate his creditors, Army (Mountain's trainer - Ed Wynn here, but Mickey Rooney in the film) suggests that Mountain go to an employment agency. He does and meets Grace Carney (Kim Hunter), who slowly realizes the fragile spirit who has been stuck in the no-where fight game for so many years. She thinks she can get him placed in a job as a camp counselor, which he enjoys thinking about. The problems is Maish, who pulls out every trick to make Mountain feel like he owes Maish everything, so that the former will do what Maish wants him to do - which is what the creditors want him to do.
The cast was excellent, with Palance reminding us here (as in his film THE BIG KNIFE) how more than competent he was playing decent guys as well as villains as in SHANE. It's nice to know that Palance eventually got the recognition he always deserved in CITY SLICKERS, with his "Oscar". The television show was critical in revitalizing the career of Ed Wynn as "Army". A great Broadway clown (and occasional movie comic) he was falling into a groove of being a voice for Walt Disney (such as "the Mad Hatter" in ALICE IN WONDERLAND). Here he demonstrated his strength as a dramatic performer, and a slew of movie roles like this at the time (THE GREAT MAN, MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, THE DIARY OF ANN FRANK). Wynn would continue doing comedy but people were more aware of his range. Keenan Wynn played Maish as an opportunistic creep, although one can see that he eventually sickens of his own emotional blackmail.
Finally let me note two names not included who have a frightening scene with Palance: Maxie Rosenbloom and Max Baer Sr. Both are old pugs who have been reduced to cadging drinks at a local bar, constantly re-fighting old victories. They almost turn Palance into one of them!