Killer McCoy *** (1947, Mickey Rooney, Brian Donlevy, Ann Blyth) – Classic Movie Review 8894

Director Roy Rowland’s punchy 1947 American film Killer McCoy stars Mickey Rooney as a tough New York City prizefighting boxer called Tommy McCoy, who gets mixed up with a big-time gambler Jim Caighn (Brian Donlevy) and falls for his daughter Sheila (Ann Blyth). It is a remake of the Robert Taylor classic The Crowd Roars (1938).

Killer McCoy was the result of a decision by MGM to try Rooney out in a different, harder sort of role, after coming back from war service, and he is up for the challenge. Rooney, Donlevy and Blyth and James Dunn as Brian McCoy all give first-rate, convincing performances.

Sam Zimablist was assigned to produce and Frederick Hazlitt Brennan was signed to write the script. Elizabeth Taylor was announced as Rooney’s co-star, but in June 1947 she was replaced by Ann Blyth after script revisions changed the age of her character of Sheila Carrson.

Killer McCoy was a hit, earning $2,201,000 in the US and Canada and $990,000 elsewhere, on a budget of $1,402,000, making a profit of $768,000.

The main cast are Mickey Rooney as Tommy McCoy / Killer McCoy, Brian Donlevy as Jim Caighn, Ann Blyth as Sheila Carrson, James Dunn as Brian McCoy, Tom Tully as Cecil Y. Walsh, Sam Levene as Happy, Walter Sande as Bill Thorne, Mickey Knox as Johnny Martin, James Bell as Father Patrick Ryan, Gloria Holden as Mrs Laura McCoy, Eve March as Mrs Martin, June Storey as Waitress Arlene, Douglas Croft as Newsboy Danny Burns, Bob Steele as Sailor Graves and David Clarke as Pete Mariola.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8894

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com