(Note: The movie starts at the 7 minute 58 second mark)
Rod Serling's "Requiem for a Heavyweight", the story of a down-and-nearly-out boxer who has been used up and tossed aside by nearly everyone in his life, was one of the masterpieces of the Golden Age of Television that helped legitimize live, long-form television drama as genuine art form.
The teleplay won a Peabody Award (the first time that had happened for an individual script) and a slew of other awards, and established Serling's reputation as a serious dramatist. Director Ralph Nelson and Serling both won Emmy Awards for their work, and Jack Palance won a Best Actor Emmy for his portrayal of "Mountain" McClintock.
In 1961-2 it was remade into a feature-length theatrical-release movie which was pretty fine too and in which a very young Cassius Clay makes his movie debut as himself. Tonight we have started our movie at around the eight-minute mark to skip past some commentary on how the film was made and restored. It's good stuff, so if you're inclined to do so, please go ahead and watch it too. It don't cost nuthin'.
Enjoy!
