Killer McCoy (1947) User Reviews (18)

One of Mickey Rooney's best performances.

[David-240 · 7/10 · 28 January 2002]

This 1947 boxing flick, seems to have been an attempt by MGM to save the career of their former top box-office attraction, Mickey Rooney, by toughening up his image. Had the script been better, and the direction more interesting, they could well have succeeded.

The 27 year old Rooney couldn't play kids any more, and so MGM cast him as a young man literally fighting his way out of the slums by becoming a boxer. And he's very convincing in the role. He was always a sensitive performer, but this time he displays a maturity and a restraint that is remarkable. He is really listening and giving his all to his fellow actors, and so to the audience.

And he has some great actors to work with. The entire cast is very strong, but special mention should be made of the excellent Brian Donlevy, and, most especially the brilliant James Dunn. Playing Rooney's washed-out Vaudevillian father, Dunn is truly unforgettable - making the character both immensely likeable and totally loathsome.

Apart from the performances we also get some very nicely filmed, and exciting, boxing sequences. On the downside, the script is rather ordinary, the ending a bit sappy, and the direction unimaginative. But the film is well worth seeing for Rooney and Dunn at their best!

Classy Remake Of Earlier Film

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 12 July 2010]

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.

I want Mickey! I want more Mickey!! We miss you dearly Mickey!!!

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 22 September 2017]

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.

Give 'Em The Right, Tommy!

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 13 April 2014]

An inexpensive black-and-white film from MGM, strictly minor, but pretty good. Mickey Rooney learns how to be a boxer from his older friend, Mickey Knox. And he turns out to have a certain talent and a dynamite right hand. His second is the endearingly cynical Sam Levene.

Unfortunately, Rooney is saddled with a loving but inadequate father who is a drunken gambler, continually throwing money away. That's Phillip Dunn, who won an Academy Award for a similar role in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Dunn was dogged by a drinking problem in real life, and so was Brian Donlevy, who has the role of the sneaky but sentimental role of Rooney's manager. It's a rather neatly written part because although he operates under a phony name and is terribly rich, Donlevy wants his daughter, Ann Blyth, to keep believing that he runs an investment firm and that's where his wealth comes from. She believes it too. She's beautiful but dumb. (And she IS babalicious too.)

There are all kinds of ups and downs and other shenanigans. Rooney gives a speech defending prize fighters as a kind of nobility that makes a living by spilling its own blood, in contrast to the Suits that manipulate figures on Wall Street and sacrifice nothing. The scene isn't entirely convincing because it's intended to bring Ann Blyth and her snootiness down a notch, but she's said nothing to deserve being scolded with such emotion.

But there are well thought-out scenes too. Bob Steele never had many good roles. He made a few cheap Westerns and serials. But he was okay in "Of Mice and Men" as Curly, and he's quite good here as "Sailor", with whom Rooney has a professional bout. Rooney decks him. Afterward, in a restaurant, Blyth tells Rooney that there must be a great deal of hatred between Rooney and Steele as a result of the knockout. "Nah, we're in the same business," replies Rooney, and just then Steele and his girl friend enter and join Rooney and Blyth, and Bob Steele is all lit up with jollity over some news -- the fight long forgotten.

Rooney was too recherché a character to become a leading man. The guy -- R.I.P. -- was a shrimp and had curiously comic features and boundless energy. Even when he was standing still he look like he was about to pop. But this is a fine role for him and he's not bad. And not to feel too sorry for him. He was married to Ava Gardner for a while.

Mickey Rooney is a boxer in this remake of The Crowd Roars (1938)

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 21 October 2016]

Directed by Roy Rowland, and written by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, Thomas Lennon, George Bruce, and George Oppenheimer, this boxing film is a remake of The Crowd Roars (1938).

Tommy McCoy (Mickey Rooney) is a hard working youngster and a bit of a hustler whose father (James Dunn) is a deadbeat "actor". After losing his paper selling corner to a precinct leader's kid (Douglas Croft), he runs into Father Ryan (James Bell) who says he's got an opportunity for his dad. Tommy returns home and secretly puts the money he won playing pool in his mom's (Gloria Holden) purse. Father Ryan arrives and hires Brian, Tommy's father, to do a performance opening a boxing benefit, for $10. Brian convinces his son to do a song and dance act with him. After they do their bit, Tommy notices the precinct leader's kid is the boxer who won the first exhibition fight. He approaches the middleweight champion Johnny Martin (Mickey Knox), who was a guest referee for the bout, to challenge the winner. Happy (Sam Levene) is assigned as his trainer and Tommy ends up flooring the kid. His success causes Johnny to take Tommy under his wing and show him the ropes in the fight game.

Tommy spends the next 5 years on the road as a journeyman boxer, with trainer Happy and his drunken blowhard father. During this time, Johnny had lost his last fight and retired 3 years ago, and Tommy's mother died. He also hasn't saved any money because his father drinks or gambles away his winnings. Now, however, he's finally got a shot at legitimate contender. Walter Sande plays a beat reporter. Unfortunately, the contender injures himself just before the fight and Tommy must fight Johnny, who's making a comeback for financial reasons; his investments went sour. Though Tommy doesn't want to fight Johnny, he really doesn't have any choice because his father is $600 in debt to a gambler Jim Caighn (Brian Donlevy). So, Tommy decides not to use his knockout punch, his right hand, and merely jabs at his friend throughout their bout. However, Johnny is so out of shape that Tommy knocks him down and out anyway such that he is killed. A saddened Tommy gives his purse to Johnny's widow (Eve March). Tommy finds out his father has sold his contract to the gambler Caighn, who saw the fight, and throws him out.

Now dubbed "Killer McCoy" by the media, Tommy quits the fight game and wanders aimlessly for a couple of months before he decides to return to boxing through Jim Caighn. Caighn had learned about Tommy's powerful right through his father, and convinces Tommy to keep his knockout punch a secret so that he can get better odds for the fights. Caighn also "forces" Tommy to pretend his father is his manager (Tommy also chooses to use Happy as his trainer) because gambler Caighn can't be openly involved with a boxer. However, Caighn gives Tommy access to his home in the country in order to train. Watch fast for Shelley Winters as an autograph seeker at the estate. While in training, Tommy meets Sheila Carrson (Ann Blyth), who claims he's in her home and shows Tommy a picture of her father, Jim Caighn, she's says is an investor. Tommy pretends not to know him and says that he's rented the house while preparing for his next fight. Later, even though Caighn is grateful to Tommy for not revealing his true profession to his daughter, Caighn tells Tommy not to get interested in her. But after his next fight, attended by Sheila who witnesses his taking a beating from his opponent (Bob Steele) before using his right, Tommy begins dating her.

Of course, Tommy wins three bouts in a row, all by knockouts with "lucky" right handed punches, while he secretly dates Sheila, and Caighn makes good money on the fights. However, a showdown with one of the men Caighn has scammed (Tom Tully), as well as one between Caighn and Tommy for his dating her daughter, is as inevitable as Tommy's drunken father being the one who "lets the cat out of the bag". But the film does offer some redemption and, as one would expect, a happy ending too.

"How does it feel like to kill a pal?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 6 December 2016]

This is the second time I watched this story, the first time it was called "The Crowd Roars", a 1938 film with Robert Taylor in the Tommy McCoy role and Edward Arnold as the businessman/gambler Cain. All the principal characters in this one retain the exact same names from the earlier story, except for the odd spelling of 'Caighn' and an extra letter in the Carrson name; I wonder why they did that. Differentiating those names didn't do anything to affect the story.

For me, without a significant variation between the two pictures, the same flaws appear in the story line here as in the earlier one. No sense repeating myself, my review of "The Crowd Roars" goes into some detail. One new element however added some entertainment value at the beginning of the picture. It was when Tommy (Mickey Rooney) joined his Dad Brian (James Dunn) in that energetically choreographed hoofer number. That was really quite the routine.

As for the boxing sequences, Rooney's character showed some genuine progress as a fighter over the course of the story. Starting out he seemed to be flailing more than punching in his first few bouts, however even in his later matches Tommy seemed to be extending himself a bit too much to come across as a real boxer. I had to rewind a scene from the seventh round in that final fight Tommy had against Patsy Cigones (Larry Cisneros). Check it out and you'll notice the referee actually held Tommy up to prevent him from falling after taking a shot from his opponent!

And speaking of that last match, just get a good look at the crowd at ringside. I don't think I've ever seen another boxing movie in which the fans got this worked up over a fight. Some of the individual reactions show the attendees really getting into it, you would think this was a real match with big time money on the line.

Besides the principals, pay attention for a whole slew of the era's character actors popping up here and there in limited scenes. You had folks like Milburn Stone, Ray Teal, Jane Wyman, Shelley Winters and Bob Steele as boxer Sailor Graves going up against Tommy in one of the preliminary matches. There's even David Gorcey in an early scene, one of the few times you'll see him in a picture where he's not a Bowery Boy with brother Leo.

A far cry from Andy Hardy

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 25 August 2016]

The role of Tommy 'Killer' McCoy is a far cry from Andy Hardy, and it proves what sort of range Mickey Rooney had as an actor. There are some excellent scenes in this story about a kid who becomes a well-known boxer, despite the many obstacles in his way. One of those obstacles is his drunken father (James Dunn) who seems to gamble all their money away. Dunn had previously played an incorrigible alcoholic in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and took home an Oscar for it. Personally, I think Dunn is even better here; he gets to sing and dance; he gets to play tipsy several times; and he has a heartbreaking scene with Rooney when he reads a telegram in a bar that his wife has died.

The production is bolstered by many standout performances in addition to the ones offered by Rooney and Dunn. Brian Donlevy plays a racketeer who guides Rooney's career, and he's tough yet vulnerable. Ann Blyth, not long after her performance in MILDRED PIERCE, plays Donlevy's innocent daughter who becomes romantically involved with the young fighter. Theirs will not be a conventional courtship.

Mostly what impresses me about KILLER MCCOY is the way the director, Roy Rowland, keeps the action going. There are breaks in the story for more character-driven moments; but the drama's overall momentum is always sustained and the ringside scenes have a lot of energy. The film did very well for MGM, and it's easy to see why.

Mickey was such a stud

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 6/10 · 21 September 2022]

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.

Real Punches?

[bbowman-7 · 10/10 · 21 September 2006]

No he's no Di Niro but his street pug slugging came off very real. Mickey Rooney looked like he was really taking some shots up there and I wouldn't doubt it if he actually insisted on doing it for the realism. Either that or the editing deserved an Oscar! Interesting cameo of , Johnny Andrisiano,( Rocky ) the real-life fighter who trained Mic for the film. (And who died mysteriously-suicide?) Also keep your eyes peeled for a quick but fleeting glimpse of Shelly Winters as one of two autograph hounds in the car. James Dunn playing his poor song-and-dance soul was superb! This movie is a rare gem and it really deserves more credit than it's given.

Weak remake of 1938's "The Crowd Roars"

[Setemkia · 6/10 · 22 October 2005]

While there are some minor differences, the script of this film is virtually identical to the original and none of the character names of central plot lines are altered. In general, the original is a much stronger film. Somehow I just cannot believe Mickey Rooney as a light heavy weight. Had they dropped the weight class to middle weight of super middle weight it would have been easier to believe. Worse, for all of Mickey's abilities as a dancer, singer, and actor, he just does not look like boxer -- his posture and his swings are all wrong.

For all that Mickey carries off the balance of the film exceptionally well. He was a superb actor. Is failings in ring could simply be that work methods of the time did not allow for the type of pre-shooting training that goes on these days.

In one respect, this film is superior to the original. In the 8th round of the final round director Roy Rowland constructs a wonderful montage showing off the audience's blood lust and involvement in the fight. It is electrifying and far superior to any similar scene by the more workman-like Richard Thorpe.

The 30's and 40's produced some stunning boxing films. This film is not one of them.

Doesn't Ring True

[Handlinghandel · 4/10 · 25 October 2005]

Mickey Rooney does a good job. He is believable as a fighter. That would be the title character. He is, of course, believable in a soft-shoe routine done with his character's father. The father is James Dunn. Dunn is heartbreaking in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn." Here is good but it's not a well developed character.

The childhood friend Rooney fights is very good, as is his wife. (The wife seems quite a bit older.) I always think of Ann Blyth as Joan Crawford's monstrous daughter in "Mildred Pierce." For me, she doesn't work in a sympathetic role like the one she plays here. Hers is other underwritten character.

It's filmed well and holds the interest. But more than that I cannot say for it.

Killer McCoy-Great boxing film.

[madformickey05 · 10/10 · 24 October 2005]

I just caught this movie on TCM not long ago and it features some of the best boxing sequences ever filmed. Starring Mickey Rooney, Ann Blythe and Brian Doneley. Mickey Rooney was in top form here and was very good in this film. It's easy to see why he was and is one of the most loved actors of all time. The movie is entertaining from beginning to end. Another great boxing film that also starring Mickey Rooney along side Anthony Quinn is Requiem For A Heavyweight made in 1963. (I believe that was the year.)Mickey Rooney plays the boxer's sympathetic trainer and is also very good in this one. Check Killer McCoy out the next time it plays on TCM.

Rooney does boxing

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 September 2022]

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.

killer mc coy

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 15 October 2020]

A boxing movie with no memorable boxing scenes, a song and dance movie with but one decent song and dance (the Stanley Donen directed "Suwanee River" number) and a gangster picture with no shootout. What it does have, in great profusion, is Mickey Rooney trying and failing to be James Cagney. Give it a C.

Mickey Rooney Is EXCELLENT AS ALWAYS

[muffinheuer2003 · 10/10 · 16 April 2005]

I just got done watching this film and i love Mickey Rooney in this one. He plays a rather grown up and mature character, which is wonderful to see. He is so handsome in this film. Mickey's acting was tremendous. He's totally amazing.;) i love the whole film. This movie is well worth seeing if you are a Rooney fan such as myself. I also like Ann Blythe in this film. She was good as Mickey's girlfriend. She looks like the type of girl Mickey would have fell for in real life. Tall and very pretty.;) I do not see why MGM could not have given Mickey better parts. His talent has not boundaries. I think the talent of the MGM script writers were where the boundaries lye. Anyhow, this is good one.

A hidden gem

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 19 May 2019]

While Killer McCoy might not sound like a winner at first glance, it's surprisingly smart, exciting, and fun. It might look like Mickey Rooney isn't the best choice for a prizefighter, and it might look like James Dunn is just reprising his Oscar- and Rag-winning role in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and it might look like Brian Donlevy has a throwaway role as a typical bad guy, but this movie is one of the top of its kind.

Mickey Rooney shows off his acting chops in this meaty role, and not only does he show a different mastery of choreographed footwork, but he has a range of emotions that show great experience and street smarts. James Dunn once again plays a drunk who can't get ahead, but it is slightly different than two years ago's film. If you did enjoy A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, though, you'll want to watch this one. Brian Donlevy isn't a straight villain, and has a very interesting character. He's fleshed out and given layers to his performance, showing once again, that he's a very good and underused actor. Ann Blyth is Mickey's love interest and Brian's daughter, and while she is the contrast to Mickey's coarse boxing world, she's not a one-dimensional snob. She's sweet and loving, and it's clear why both Mickey and Brian want to shield her from their world.

The script of Killer McCoy is very strong. Frederick Hazlitt Brennan has written smart, snappy dialogue as well as dramatic scenes, and the plot unfolds at an even yet exciting pace. This is a surprising hidden gem that isn't remembered anymore, but when you watch it you'll realize it should be.

Rooney Puts On The Mitts

[dougdoepke · 21 August 2013]

A slum kid fights his way to the top despite an alcoholic dad and a bunch of tricky gamblers.

MGM does a boxing movie, not exactly its usual glamorous fare. And though the movie suffers in comparison with the gritty, noirish classics of the time, Body and Soul (1947) and The Set-Up (1949), Rooney lends a kind of manic energy that remains compelling. In fact, the film's shrewdly cast, from bit parts to leads, making it easy to overlook the film's theatrical over-tones. Sure, it's a vehicle for Rooney, to toughen his Andy Hardy image, but the producers have surrounded him with a first-rate cast, and a pretty good story that's got just enough twists to carry past the many clichés.

My favorite parts are surprisingly some of the talky parts—the two gamblers Tully and Donlevy, each thinking he's outfoxing the other; or the two boxers Rooney and Steele, buddying up in the nightclub after their match; or a cynical Rooney finding out the chippie waitress does have more on her mind than casual sex. Each is cleverly written and expertly performed. I just wish Rooney had hooked himself to a generator where all that energy could have lit up a city.

No, the movie's neither memorable nor a boxing classic, but it does make it as 100-minutes of colorful entertainment.

One of Rooney's best.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 25 August 2022]

In the 1930s and early 40s, Mickey Rooney was a HUGE star...and even was the box office leader in 1939, 1940 and even 1941...beating out the likes of Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Robert Taylor! You might not know it today...but he was the biggest star for about a decade. However, after WWII, MGM couldn't have Rooney continue making the same 'nice kid' roles, such as those where he's paired with Judy Garland or playing Andy Hardy. Now, no longer THE box office draw and older, Rooney began taking on roles which were meatier and no less enjoyable than his early stuff. My favorite is 1959's "The Last Mile" where nice-guy Rooney played a vicious imprisoned psychopath. He played the role intensely...and very convincingly. But near as good at times is Rooney in "Killer McCoy". No, it's NOT a gangster film...but one about boxing and somehow Rooney is able to make it work...along with some great supporting performances by James Dunn and Brian Donlevy...especially Dunn.

When the story begins, Tommy McCoy is a poor young man with not much of a future. Some of this is because his father (Dunn) is a drunk...and a foolish one. In fact, because of his father, he accidentally falls into the boxing business. Soon, he is winning...and winning big. But what's next for this most unusual boxer?

Dunn and Rooney put on an acting clinic here. As for Dunn, he played a wonderful drunk...which is ironic because this is pretty much who he was in real life. Seeing and hearing him make excuses and living in a dream world is great acting...and the writing sure is spot on as well. As for Rooney, what I love about him in the film is that he's not afraid to take chances. He also shows great sensitivity...and some amazing non-verbal acting. Seeing his face in the scene after he accidentally kills another boxer (hence his nickname 'Killer') is touching to say the least.

Overall, this isn't just another boxing film...though there are many great boxing movies. Instead, this one shows that MGM could be gritty and tough...even with the beloved Rooney in the lead.

By the way, look close for the B-movie cowboy Bob Steele as one of McCoy's opponents as well as Shelley Winters in a couple scenes (such as when she and a friend try to crash McCoy's training camp).