Killer McCoy

This is Mickey Rooney's first true adult role, just a year after his final appearance as Andy Hardy until a final film in the 1960s. This entry has lots going for it, not the least being a terrific performance by Rooney as the title character. At age 27, Rooney was trying to rid himself of MGM's image and McCoy was probably a godsend role for him, bridging the squeaky-clean image that he had with something a bit more adult. Rooney here is still boyish and starts the films as the dutiful son of a no-good drunk father (James Dunn) and a mother who literally works herself to death providing for the family and making excuses for her wastrel of a husband.

The local priest, as an act of charity, tells Rooney and Dunn about a need for a song and dance number to open for a fight that night with the job paying ten dollars. After the fight, Rooney says he'd like a turn at the winner, and he does manage to knock the guy out. This causes someone who sees the fight to take him under his wing and teach him the ropes of the trade. At one point down the line Rooney kills a guy with his punch and that earns him the nickname "Killer".

All the while Mickey's dad is causing problems - drinking heavily, running up big debts to gamblers that eat up the purses that Mickey wins, until his dad sells Mickey's contract to a crooked gambler (Brian Donlevy) who is living a double life that includes a daughter nobody knows about who is attending an elite finishing school (Ann Blythe). Complications ensue, not the least of which is that Rooney's father has a big mouth in the presence of the wrong people about everything that is going on.

Look fast for Shelley Winters in a non-speaking bit as one of Rooney's groupies as he trains for a championship.

What I've described sounds pretty formulaic except maybe for the crooked gambler living a double life, but it is very well done and is an excellent showcase for an adult Rooney in an adult role. He's convincingly hard boiled when he needs to be. The only thing negative I can say is how the conclusion seemed rushed - like the writers really didn't know quite how to end it.

Strangely enough, Rooney and the director of this film had a big argument on the set about how bad Rooney's acting was which caused him to walk off the set. Rooney angrily recalled the incident 50 years later when Robert Osborne interviewed him on Turner Classic Movies. Osborne sat perfectly still while Rooney ranted about the situation, later saying he was afraid Rooney would have hit him if he moved or spoke.

What an actor Mickey Rooney was and he will always be immortalized over eight (8) decades as a bona' fide star of the silver screen. He was born to star in feature films and this he did with great gusto as Killer McCoy/Tommy McCoy. Tommy McCoy is a street fighter who accidentally kills one of his opponents in the ring who happened to be a boxer named Johnny Martin (Mickey Knox) who used to be a close friend of Tommy's while Tommy was learning how to box professionally. Due to coming on hard times, and past his boxing prime years, Johnny Martin climbed back in to the ring for the purse money that he needed for his wife and new child.

The end result is that Tommy immediately builds himself a big reputation in the ring and his new handle as "Killer McCoy". Tommy finds a beautiful young girl is one of his many admirers whose name is Sheila Carrson (Ann Blyth) but theirs is a relationship not meant to be since Sheila's father hides many secrets from her daughter. The biggest secret is that Mr. Carrson has an alias name of Jim Caighn (Brian Donlevy) which he uses to run the biggest gambling racket in the state. As the film progresses it seems everyone is hiding secrets from each other including Tommy, his girlfriend Sheila, Sheila's father Mr. Carrson and Tommy's father a drunkard named Brian McCoy (James Dunn).

Tommy continues to do well in the ring and his love for Sheila never falters but he needs to find a way to tell Sheila's mobster father who expects much more from the future husband for his precious only daughter and heir than a boxing thug like Tommy. As in almost every film of the 336 credits Mickey has accumulated over his illustrious career Mickey (in this case playing a pugilist named Killer McCoy) must overcome the messes that his drunkard father gets him involved in and find a way to win over his girlfriends father.

A happy ending prevails once again and Mickey's light continues to shine bright. Rest in peace Mickey (Mickey passed away at age 93 on April 06th, 2014). We miss you but you live on in many great performances such as in Killer McCoy. I give the film a grateful 8 out of 10 rating.

In the first few minutes of Killer McCoy, Mickey Rooney sings, dances, shoots some sharp pool, shows a range of emotions, and takes his shirt off to work a speed bag. Now I finally understand why he was able to get busy with Ava Gardner. He's a total stud.

This cynical boxing movie features fine work from Sam Levene, Brian Donlevy and Tom Tully, plus some showy acting from James Dunn.

Problem starts when Ann Blyth shows up. As with most gritty movies that shoehorn in a love interest, it falls apart quickly. We have to sit through a romance montage. And the movie loses its focus, turning into a chick flick where Rooney and Donleavy are focused on protecting the sweet, innocent Blyth. Snooze-O-rama.

What started out as a cynical look at poverty and the choices we make to escape it, ends up so soft and rounded and middle America it could have been made by Disney.

Tommy McCoy (Mickey Rooney) is a hustler in general and hustles pool specifically. He challenges a boxer in a charity event and catches the eye of boxing champ Johnny Martin. It's steady climb and then he gets into the ring with Martin.

Rooney is trying something a little different. I love him but I don't really buy him as a boxer. He has enough muscles but he's not a good fighter. The staging is not helping. He's flailing around like a dancer. I don't buy him even outside the ring. He's no Rocky. Maybe they could play it off as his advantage. He's smarter than the usual dumb brutes who fight and he fights like a dancer. As for the drama, I would have thought that his fight with Johnny Martin should be set up as the climax. Quite frankly, he should quit fighting after the incident. It's nice to have the wife come talk to him afterwards but it's not elevating the emotional drama. It's an emotional excuse for him to continue. I love Rooney no matter what. This is one of the no matter whats.

In his second film since coming back from war service MGM thought that a remake of the Robert Taylor classic from 1938 The Crowd Roars would be perfectly suited for Mickey Rooney. With a little post war updating it was in fact a perfect film for him now entitled Killer McCoy.

As the ambitious young prizefighter Mickey Rooney is perfectly cast in the role. Although the role had to be taken down a few pegs in weight division, I believe Robert Taylor was a middleweight in the first film, given Rooney's size and build he's now a lightweight. But not in acting talent by any means.

As in the first film Rooney's Achilles heel is his father, a lovable drunk loafer who has a nasty habit of getting into bets involving slow horses. That puts Rooney in a vulnerable spot given his rising career as a boxer. Taking over from Frank Morgan who was great in the role in The Crowd Roars is James Dunn, equally as good.

In fact playing just such a part two years earlier had earned Dunn a Best Supporting Actor for A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Sad to say that Dunn was playing a version of himself. At the time he was cast in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Dunn's drinking had rendered nearly unemployable. That Oscar gave his career a resuscitation, but Dunn would do mostly television after this role.

Rooney's love interest and also well cast as the sheltered daughter of gambler Brian Donlevy is Ann Blyth. They did work well together, too bad they didn't do a few more films. Also Sam Levene as Rooney's trainer gives a good performance as well.

Killer McCoy was a good part for Rooney. Sad to say in his next two films he was miscast and MGM dropped him. They should have given more material like Killer McCoy.