

The Harder They Fall
"No Punches Pulled! If you thought "On The Waterfront" hit hard... wait till you see this one!"
Overview
Jobless sportswriter Eddie Willis is hired by corrupt fight promoter Nick Benko to promote his current protégé, an unknown Argentinian boxer named Toro Moreno. Although Moreno is a hulking giant, his chances for success are hampered by a powder-puff punch and a glass jaw. Exploiting Willis' reputation for integrity and standing in the boxing community, Benko arranges a series of fixed fights that propel the unsophisticated Moreno to #1 contender for the championship. The reigning champ, the sadistic Buddy Brannen, harbors resentment at the publicity Toro has been receiving and vows to viciously punish him in the ring. Eddie must now decide whether or not to tell the naive Toro the truth.
Movie Details
Revenue
$1.4M
$1,350,000
Languages
Spanish
+1 more
Studio
Columbia Pictures
Key Crew

Mark Robson
Director

Philip Yordan
Screenplay

Philip Yordan
Producer

Jerry Wald
Executive Producer
Cast

Humphrey Bogart
Eddie Willis

Rod Steiger
Nick Benko

Jan Sterling
Beth Willis

Mike Lane
Toro Moreno

Max Baer
Buddy Brannen
Jersey Joe Walcott
George

Edward Andrews
Jim Weyerhause

Harold J. Stone
Art Leavitt, TV sportscaster

Carlos Montalbán
Luís Agrandi

Nehemiah Persoff
Leo

Felice Orlandi
Vince Fawcett

Herbie Faye
Max

Rusty Lane
Danny McKeogh

Jack Albertson
Pop

Paul Frees
Priest (uncredited)

William Henry
Fight Arena Locker Room Guard (uncredited)

Frank McLure
Reporter at Hospital (uncredited)

William H. O'Brien
Ringsider (uncredited)

Bert Stevens
Fight Crowd Spectator (uncredited)

Arthur Tovey
Fight Crowd Spectator (uncredited)