source: World in My Corner

Moviecut—World in My Corner

Although the "War-Hero" Always Gave His All in a Career Where He Took On 50 Roles, Mostly in Westerns, and Some TV..."Whispering Smith" (1961), "Murph" Never Received Credit from the Critics that He Deserved. He Did Have a Huge Fan-Base and His Movies Always Made Money, He was Mostly Ignored and Dismissed as a B-Movie "Pedestrian" Doing Hack-Work. This is just Not True. His Westerns, Yes Most were Low-Budget, Always seemed to Have an Edge, and Something Not Usually Found in the Routine Oaters so Popular in the 1950's. Here He Plays a "Boxer" (quite effectively) who Seeks the Middle-Weight Title, Getting Involved with "Crooked" Promoters and then "Seeing the Light", Decides to Fight the Title Match On His Own Terms. Barbara Rush is the Love Interest, the Rebellious Daughter of a Tycoon, that Also "Sees the Light" Concerning Murph and the Rather Routine Story, with some Bite, is Driven Home by Her and Jeff Morrow, as the Father. The Ring Footage is Outstanding and You Won't Find Much Better and Should Satisfy Boxing Fans. It's an Above-Average "B" from the Mid-50's and a Treat to See Audie Murphy in More than just a Western, where He Excels, and this Gangster-Boxing Movie is Another "Win" for the Champion Soldier. For Pugilist Fans a Must See... For All Others, it's... Worth a Watch.

Audie Murphy plays Tommy Shea, a not particularly distinguished boxer whose career is anything but stellar. However, an aging boxing manager, David Bernstein (John McIntire), thinks Shea has real promise...though he lacks discipline and training. It happens that Bernstein works for a rich guy...a guy who is looking to back a promising young fighter and soon Tommy is getting the guidance he needs. The problem, however, is that to get a chance at the title, Tommy might need to play by the rules of the mob...perhaps throw a fight or two. What is he to do? This is a decent boxing film. But in a genre where there are many great boxing pictures, it's quite undistinguished by comparison. It's not like the movie is bad or anything like that...but similar stories have been told better. It also would have helped had the writer made Tommy a bit more likable and less impulsive.

Occasionally Universal Pictures let Audie Murphy do some work other than westerns. I'm sure he was grateful for the change of scenery and pace and a chance to vary his roles. Rural Texas country kid Murphy does quite well in World In My Corner as an aspiring young boxer from the mean streets of Jersey City. Getting laid off from a job means that Murphy has to give his all to a boxing career. He's unpolished, but has the instinct. Two people take an interest in him, millionaire sportsman Jeff Morrow and old time fight manager John McIntire. And Murphy takes an interest in Morrow's daughter Barbara Rush. The conflict in this film is whether Murphy will keep his integrity or turn himself over to racketeer promoter Howard St.John. When this film came out there were rumblings about organized crime's involvement in boxing and soon it would come out at the Senate rackets committee hearings. World In My Corner has Murphy getting the most of what boxing could give him. But he pays a heavy price for it. As you can see a great cast of players back Murphy in this film. I would also include Tommy Rall in a non-musical role as one of Murphy's friends from Jersey City. He's quite a conniver, but does show he's Murphy's friend in the end. A very nicely done boxing film that gets too little attention.

There was two other underrated boxing stories produced by Universal Pictures: THE SQUARE JUNGLE, and THE IRON MAN, directed by Jerry Hopper and Joseph Pevney, starring Tony Curtis for the first and Jeff Chandler for the second. This one is made by Jesse Hibbs, a western specialist and starring Audie Murphy, who was for Hibbs the equivalent of what Chandler was for Pevney. It is a good time waster bringing no surprises at all, showing the boxing underworld as we all have seen it before in so many movies: corrupted managers, love story between the lead and the gorgeous gal whom he falls in love with, the friendly and paternalistic trainer. This is not THE SET UP, nor THE CHAMPION or THE HARDER THEY FALL, I warn you. But it is unusual to see Murphy in something else than a western and directed by his * director Hibbs with whom he also gave a strange drama: JOE BUTTERFLY and not a western.

Jesse Hibbs began his career as an assistant director from 1937 to 1953. Then he became cinema director during 1953 and 1958 and directed 11 movies , 6 with Audie Murphy : 3 westerns, 1 comedy, 1 war autobiography and this box drama that has already been done in other movies in a far better way. Because "World In My Corner" is really flat with no punchy rhythm, the worse for a box movie. Absolutely no inventive direction and cinematography, even during the fights. Forgettable.

Partly a story about the rise of a poor young boxer(Audie Murphy, as Tommy Shea), from the wrong side of the tracks, who has to decide whether to play straight or follow the dictates of a crime boss(Harry Cram), who wants him to throw an occasional fight. Also, partly, it's the story of an unlikely romance between unsophisticated Tommy and bookish society girl Dorothy(Barbara Rush). Her wealthy father: Robert Mallinson(Jeff Morrow) was a good amateur boxer in his day, and continues to work out in the gym in his house. He lets Dave Bernstein, an honest trainer, work with his clients, of which Tommy is one, in this gym. Harry Cram is the kingpin crime boss promoter. At first, Tommy wants nothing to do with him. But, after he seems to be picking up Dorothy as a girlfriend, he gets greedy, and succumbs to the suggestion of her father that if he wants to advance quickly, he should work with Cram. But Dorothy gets wind of this. She blames her father for corrupting Tommy, and walks out on both. As a result, Tommy changes his mind, and, the night before the fight, tells Cram he wont throw the fight. Cram sends his goons over to beat up Tommy, mostly concentrating on his chest, apparently breaking most of his ribs. Very surprisingly, when Tommy is revived, he says he will go on with the fight. Assuming Tommy's ribs were damaged as bad as said, it was very dangerous, not to mention, very painful, for him to be engaging in a boxing match! Tommy lost the early rounds, but finally knocked out his opponent with a flurry of punches. Since this was a championship fight, Tommy was happy to receive a good purse. Dorothy saw the fight, and was happy Tommy changed his mind about throwing the fight. But, the doc said Tommy's boxing days were over(punctured lung?). Looked like Tommy and Dorothy might make a couple after all. Ray was Tommy's manager through most of this, and had a connection with Cram...... Dani Crayne played the sexy blond at Ray's party, who made a play for Tommy when he arrived: a minimal 'bad' girl role to contrast with Dorothy's 'good' girl characterization. .......In conclusion, this is an unremarkable film, which I believe has a fatal flaw in having Tommy in a boxing match with broken ribs. The pain, alone, would have greatly distracted him, not to mention the distinct possibility of puncturing nearby organs, such as lungs.

source: World in My Corner

Although the "War-Hero" Always Gave His All in a Career Where He Took On 50 Roles, Mostly in Westerns, and Some TV..."Whispering Smith" (1961), "Murph" Never Received Credit from the Critics that He Deserved. He Did Have a Huge Fan-Base and His Movies Always Made Money, He was Mostly Ignored and Dismissed as a B-Movie "Pedestrian" Doing Hack-Work. This is just Not True. His Westerns, Yes Most were Low-Budget, Always seemed to Have an Edge, and Something Not Usually Found in the Routine Oaters so Popular in the 1950's. Here He Plays a "Boxer" (quite effectively) who Seeks the Middle-Weight Title, Getting Involved with "Crooked" Promoters and then "Seeing the Light", Decides to Fight the Title Match On His Own Terms. Barbara Rush is the Love Interest, the Rebellious Daughter of a Tycoon, that Also "Sees the Light" Concerning Murph and the Rather Routine Story, with some Bite, is Driven Home by Her and Jeff Morrow, as the Father. The Ring Footage is Outstanding and You Won't Find Much Better and Should Satisfy Boxing Fans. It's an Above-Average "B" from the Mid-50's and a Treat to See Audie Murphy in More than just a Western, where He Excels, and this Gangster-Boxing Movie is Another "Win" for the Champion Soldier. For Pugilist Fans a Must See... For All Others, it's... Worth a Watch.