Iron Man

Can it be merely coincidence, even in the relative innocence of 1951, that the boxers in Iron Man go by the names of Coke and Speed? (The fact that they're played by Jeff Chandler and Rock Hudson, whom viewers today will identify as, respectively, a cross-dresser and a gay man, adds another latter-day dimension to their sweat-lubricated clinches.) In any case, their stimulating monikers do no injustice to the story – a jacked-up, strung-out fight movie that's a worthy entry in that oddly distinguished, brutal genre.

It starts in Coaltown, Pennsylvania, a mining community where the only excitement is wondering when the shafts will cave in. When Chandler takes on a bully and thoroughly thrashes him, his brother (Steve McNally) and girl (Evelyn Keyes) see a glamorous future and fast money for him – and for them. The only catch is that Chandler isn't a born boxer: He's clumsy and gets pummeled. But when he's hurt (and then jeered at), he falls into blind, murderous rages, going after his opponents by fair means or foul. He wins purses and titles but not the hearts of the fans – they don't like dirty fighters, and come only in hopes of seeing him get his comeuppance. But they keep coming, and soon Chandler's poised for the heavyweight title.

The story, ably directed by Joseph Pevney, follows a familiar course: The fallings-out with his brother and his wife, the big-time sportswriter who becomes his manager (Jim Backus), the fixed fight, the fallacious sense of invincibility. And the ending is a little too pat and feel-good. But it's one of Chandler's best roles (he's as good as Kirk Douglas in The Champion, if not so convincing as Robert Ryan in The Set-Up, both of two years earlier). Evelyn Keyes has but two things to do: First egg him on, then beg him to stop, but she's, as always, distinctive. (She gets slugged by him, too.)

Hudson's another case entirely. In the part of the loyal sparring-partner who turns into the challenger, he's confined to playing L'il Abner – a good-natured but dim-witted lout. But in the final grudge-match, he reverts to the sheer, feral physicality of which he was capable but rarely called upon to display – and, in its final scene, he all but steals the movie away from Chandler. He's the breakout star.

A well-cast Jeff Chandler, in his physical prime at about age 32, plays a Pennsylvania miner named "Coke" Mason who reluctantly becomes a boxer in order to earn some extra money. (He wants to use this money to marry girlfriend Evelyn Keyes and open up a radio store.) "Coke" is a mild-mannered fellow who proves to be an indifferent fighter until he's goaded into anger. Then, with an almost audible "click," he turns on his opponent in a murderous rage and attacks him without mercy. This streak of brutality quickly earns him the enmity of the crowd even as it causes his rapid rise in the standings. Meanwhile his friend and fellow boxer "Speed" O'Keefe (Rock Hudson) has the boyish good looks and clean-cut manner which make him a crowd favorite. Inevitably the two meet in the ring to decide the world heavyweight championship.

These ingredients could easily be combined into a serviceable B-movie but there's a problem here: the character played by Evelyn Keyes. The script can't decide whether she's the faithful girlfriend who's appalled by the violence of the boxing ring or instead the greedy golddigger who sees her boyfriend as a means to a life of wealth and comfort. This confusion about her character proceeds to muddle the script's conception of other characters. Stephen McNally as Chandler's ambitious brother also has the makings of a villain as does Joyce Holden as the "other woman." However, since Keyes might (or might not) be the story's real villain, these two characters are often left in a state of limbo -- not quite good, not quite bad. An air of indecision thus lingers over many parts of the movie and keeps it from having the desired impact.

The movie's fight scenes lack the gritty reality of those in, say, "Raging Bull," but this movie almost seems slanted at a female audience so instead of blood and bruises we get attractive "beefcake" shots of Chandler's and Hudson's bare torsos, gleaming with sweat and shaved of hair. (Knowing what we do now of these two actors' private lives, it's easy to imagine how much they enjoyed filming these "beefcake" scenes -- not to mention getting buck naked for the showers that followed!) Fans of "beefcake" get a bonus in also seeing James Arness stripped to the waist for an early fight scene with Chandler.

Though it's hard to imagine Rock Hudson as the heavyweight champion of the world, he has an eager, likable quality that hasn't yet been hardened by the movie-star status soon to settle around him.

This "Iron Man" is a re-make of a 1931 "Iron Man" starring Jean Harlow. Notes indicate that the Jean Harlow version was also re-made in 1937 under the title "Some Blondes Are Dangerous" but information on this movie seems to be missing from the files.

Finally, you can tell how old this movie is by one simple fact: virtually all the boxers in it are white!

The film begins with a crowded auditorium booing the champ, Coke Mason (Jeff Chandler), as he enters the ring for a title defense. His wife who is there in the audience has a flashback and you see Coke going from coal miner (a rather obvious name for a coal miner, I know) to champion. He had no interest in boxing...mostly because when Coke loses his temper he only wants to kill his opponent...an urge Coke has kept in check all his life. But his wife and brother push and push him until ultimately he enters the ring....and is reviled by most everyone due to his being a dirty fighter. What's next? See the film.

This is a mediocre film in a genre filled with excellent boxing movies. Much of what happens is pretty predictable and the character played by Rock Hudson is pretty poorly written and acted...plus Hudson was all wrong to be playing a boxer. Overall, a decent time-passer and not a lot more to it than that.

Now I did struggle with the idea of Jeff Chandler as a red-misted boxing champion, but here he acquits him self adequately enough. He's coal miner "Coke" who dreams of wedding his girl "Rose" (Evelyn Keyes) and buying a radio store. His rather more venal brother "George" (Stephen McNally) runs a pool hall and discovers that when his sibling gets cross, really cross, his fists can do his talking for him. The ring beckons, and success follows - but at a price. "Coke" is a brute. He fights legal, but dirty - and the crowd gradually learn to loathe him. Finally he has had enough and wants to stop, but discovers that his now wife is embroiled in some match-fixing with "George" and he faces quite a dilemma - one epitomised at the denouement with a bout with the equally unlikely pugilist Rock Hudson ("Speed"). It's another of the stories set in an industrial town where opportunities were scant and where boxing was a route out if you were prepared to take and give a beating. This one tries to introduce the concept of a conscience in the lead character and the photography does give some sort of indication as to the brutality in the ring. It's a solid film that has just about enough action and a message to convey about right (hooks) and wrong.

A coal miner who dreams of his own radio shop is lured into a boxing ring where he becomes a kind of animal hated by the public. Box is a film genre that remains to this day committed to tradition. It underwent few changes in dramatic elements or peculiarities of plots. Old scripts used to tell the same stories. They hardly become outdated. (Take the Rocky franchise for example) Most often (like here) it's the story of a poor guy who finds self-fulfillment in fighting, in order to be successful. At the same time either old friends break with him or he with them. Finally, a decision must be made as to whether the hero will look back to his former values or allow success within such a brutal business lose him in every respect. Director Joseph Pevney has some interesting titles in his filmography, but Iron Man surely isn't the best one.