The Harder They Fall
“No Punches Pulled! If you thought "On The Waterfront" hit hard... wait till you see this one!”
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.
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Cast
120 people
Humphrey Bogart
Eddie Willis
Known for
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon
Rod Steiger
Nick Benko
Known for
Duck, You Sucker
Jesus of Nazareth
Jan Sterling
Beth Willis
Known for
Ace in the Hole
1984
Mike Lane
Toro Moreno
Also in
Stryker
Monster Squad
Max Baer
Buddy Brannen
Known for
Africa Screams
Jersey Joe Walcott
George
Also in
Boxing Barmy
Edward Andrews
Jim Weyerhause
Known for
Gremlins
Sixteen Candles
Harold J. Stone
Art Leavitt, TV sportscaster
Known for
The Wrong Man
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
Carlos Montalbán
Luís Agrandi
Known for
Bananas
Pepe
Nehemiah Persoff
Leo
Known for
An American Tail
Some Like It Hot
Felice Orlandi
Vince Fawcett
Known for
Killer's Kiss
The Driver
Herbie Faye
Max
Known for
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Blackbeard's Ghost
Mark Robson Director · Philip Yordan Screenplay Budd Schulberg Author
Worldwide gross $1.4M · United States release May 9, 1956 · Produced in United States
Box office
Worldwide gross
$1,350,000
Production
Columbia Pictures
Production · Studio
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · Spanish
Release dates
Japan · May 8, 1956
Theatrical
United States · May 9, 1956
Theatrical
Austria
August 1, 1956 · Theatrical
France
September 7, 1956 · Theatrical
Germany
September 20, 1956 · Theatrical
Italy
September 21, 1956 · Theatrical
Netherlands
October 1, 2010 · Physical · DVD
Poland
January 1, 2005 · Digital
Sweden
May 8, 1956 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.