The Basketball Fix

Sitting in a bar all by himself sports writer Pete Farreday, John Ireland,is approached by a reporter, Johnny Phillips, with a photo of a number of college students arrested for being involved in a mob-fix of basketball games that they played in. Asking at first for the reporter to please not print that photo after Pete ripped it up, when the reporter refused, Pete let him have it with a left to the jaw.

Pete had a very personal interest in the story that the reporter was talking about and as the movie goes into flashback and we in the audience get to see what happened to get Pete so emotional about it. Johnny Long, Marshall Thompson, is a good student and even better basketball player on the Central High School team. Wanting to go to a college close to where he lived with his kid brother Mickey, Bobby Hyatt, who Johnny was supporting, as well as himself. At his job as a valet at the Cresthaven Country Club Johnny turned down a number of basketball scholarships from colleges out of the area.

Pete got to know Johny well and was also a good friend of the local college ,State College, basketball coach Nat Becker, Walter Sande, who got Johnny in the college where he quickly became the star player and was leading the State College basketball team to the local as well as country-wide championship. While Johnny was working at the Cresthaven Club he met mob bookie Mike Taft ,William Bishop, who was interested in Johnny not for his hard work and ethics on and off the basketball court but for what he Johnny could do for him and the mob that he works with. Taft was interested in making a lot of cash for the mob and himself by throwing Johnny a few scraps for playing along with him, in shaving points.

A "See it now straight from the headlines" type movie that was obviously made to capitalize on the CCNY, among other, college point-shaving scandal that rocked the world of college sports back in the early 1950's. With John Ireland playing a hard hitting, with his fists as well as his typewriter keys, sports columnist who's for college athletes getting compensated by their schools in order to counter-balance the temptations that they are faced with, like Johnny, by mobsters like Mike Taft.

Made an impact back then,1951,on the public but watching the movie now it's no big deal compared to the corruption and abuse in the sports world, both professional and college, that we see now. We see at first Johnny strongly rejecting cash from Taft for purposely missing points in games that he and the mob are betting on. Later, when Johnnies financial troubles become unbearable he gives in to mobsters and thus destroys a promising career in both college and professional basketball.

Johnny also, by being busted, loses his girl who he was engaged to marry Pat, Vanessa Brown, and that ironically was the reason that he was busted in the first place. Johnny foolishly paid $1,000.00 in cash, that he got from Taft, for an engagement ring for Pat giving a false name but having the right initials carved into the ring. Johnny being a big college star was easily recognized by the Jewelry salesman, Lester Shape, who got in touch with the press and thus Johnnies fate was sealed. In the end Johnny Long learned the hard way what he never would learn in college. That when you get in with "The Mob" there's no way of getting out except in a pine box or prison cell.

I had never heard of this movie but I bought it because it's sports related and the DVD only cost $1! And as a bonus, one of its stars is John Ireland, who has a supporting role in one of my favorite movies of all time, 1976's "The Swiss Conspiracy." I bought the latter movie last year, also from a cheapie bin, and had yet to see Ireland in anything else.

Ireland stars in "The Basketball Fix" as Pete Ferreday, a sports writer for a local newspaper. Ferreday narrates the movie as if it's one of his articles. It tells the story of Johnny Long (played by Marshall Thompson), a basketball star for a nearby college known simply as "State." As a freshman, Long becomes an instant star and after an early season win is visited by big time gambler Mike Taft (William Bishop). Mike says he's just won a lot of money in a bet because of Johnny's great play and gives Johnny an envelope containing a large sum of cash - a portion of what Taft has just won. Johnny is determined to be ethical and refuses the money.

But soon reality catches up with him. His father is physically unable to work and Johnny dreads the thought of his younger brother Mickey (Bobby Hyatt) not getting any Christmas gifts. And he desires to marry his girlfriend, Pat Judd (Vanessa Brown), and give her a good life.

So he decides to turn to Taft as a solution to his financial problems. In the process, he learns that, to his surprise, his senior teammate Jed Black (John Sands) has been regularly fixing games for Taft - not to lose them but only to make sure that his team fails to cover the spread. Unfortunately, the concept of the spread isn't explained in this movie quite as explicitly as it should have been. For those not familiar with it I'll say that it's the number of points by which a particular team is expected to win or lose. Many bets are placed around that figure.

Johnny rationalizes his decision to shave points on the basis that his team will still win and that the margin of victory isn't important. He makes a lot of money very quickly but he soon realizes that he's in over his head. He arouses suspicion by buying Pat a $1,000 ring, leading the jewelry store workers to wonder where a college basketball player gets that much money. And when his conscience gets the best of him and he decides he wants to stop fixing games, that doesn't go over well with Taft and Taft's associates.

Although the script of "The Basketball Fix" has a few weak spots - including State hosting the national championship game, which in real life has always been played at a pre-determined site - the movie is still very powerful. The story is hard hitting and heart breaking and the performances are excellent, though it's a bit of a stretch for Johnny to be played by a man who was 25 at the time of the movie's release. And while at 65 minutes it probably couldn't pass as a theatrical movie these days, it makes every minute count well. It never drags at all.

The greatest asset of "The Basketball Fix" is its portrayal of the age old conflict between conscience and money. Even before Johnny's scandal, Ferreday was critical of the exploitive mentality of major college athletics - players, many of whom are from financially struggling families, generate big money for their schools but get none of it. Of course, the players do get a free college education, which is of great value, but that doesn't pay the bills at the time. No wonder some kids - even good kids - fall prey to the Tafts of the world. This theme was also addressed very strongly 43 years later in "Blue Clips."

In many ways, college basketball has changed dramatically in the 55 years since the release of "The Basketball Fix." Sheer athleticism and brute force have been largely replaced fundamentals. Racial integration has taken place. Media coverage and revenue have skyrocketed. Many schools have abandoned academic standards. Uniforms are flashier. Tattoos have become the norm. Yet the core message of this movie remains as relevant today as it was back in 1951. Despite many more real life scandals like the one portrayed in this movie, the NCAA's archaic rules mostly remain in tact.

And on a technical note, the DVD is of very good quality for an obscure black-and-white 1951 movie. The DVD's audio and visual are slightly out of sync but other than that, it contains no major glitches. 8/10 (The rating is based solely on the movie; not the DVD quality.)

Thompson is the college basketball star, Ireland the sportswriter attempting to set him straight. Story moves along slow, in this early 'jock' movie. Interesting, if for no other reason, to see early work by Thompson, Ireland.

What to expect from a 1951 public domain movie entitled 'The Basketball Fix'? With low expectations, surprises can be big. Are there any happy surprises?

The basketball fix is a mildly entertaining sports/crime drama, including all the familiar characters: the humble reporter, the smooth-talking crook, the odd coach and our hero, the money-struck, tempted sports star.

It's not a boring movie, and the subject of fixed matches is an interesting topic. The basketball game footage has its fair share and the actors are above average in this B flic. I won't remember a second from it a year from now though.

Ripped from the Headlines the Ads used to Say in the Day. This Little B-Movie Capitalized on Just That.

A Real-Life Scandal Shocked College Basketball and its Fans During the Early 50's.

The Sacrosanct Higher-Education System Took a Hit of Sorts as a Light was Shined on some "Dark-Dirty-Play".

Still Alive Today.

The Debate about Big-Money in College Sports as Amateur (by Law) Athletes are Exploited for Their Skills with No Financial Reward.

Sure some of the Top in the Field Get Scholarships Worth Money, but Not All the Player Get a "Full-Ride" and the Inequities are Transparent.

This Movie is Helped by the Versatile John Ireland as a Sports Journalist and Felix Feist, a Workman-Like Director.

Marshall Thompson Plays the B-Ball "Star" who Goes from High-School to College.

Maintaining a "Boy-Scout" Clean-Cut Life Sinking Baskets and Dominating the Game.

He also has Issues at Home Taking Care of a Younger Brother with Little Resources.

So No Christmas Toys for the Kid, and No Money to Solidify His Love with a "Diamond Ring", the "Shooter" Buckles and Deliberately Misses, for a Pay-Day from the "Mob"

Once Hooked, He's in it Forever.

The Production Code No-No's are Avoided and the Story is Told in a Rather White-Washed Display.

But Close Enough for the Strange and Off-Beat Foray into a Touchy Thing that Movies Generally Stayed Clear.

Worth a Watch.