The Champ (1931 film)

The Champ is an 1931 American PreCode film directed by King Vidor from a screenplay by Frances Marion, Leonard Praskins and Wanda Tuchock, and starring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper. It tells the story of a washed up alcoholic boxer who tries to put his life together for the sake of his young son.

Andy Champ Purcell Wallace Beery is the former world heavyweight champion, now down on his luck and living in squalid conditions with his eightyearold son Dink in Tijuana, Mexico. Champ attempts to train and to convince promoters to set up a fight for him, but his efforts are consistently stymied by his alcoholism. Dink is repeatedly disappointed and let down by his fathers irresponsible actions and frequent broken promises to quit drinking, but his utter devotion to his father nonetheless never wavers.In addition to his drinking problem, Champ is also a compulsive gambler, another vice which he repeatedly promises Dink he will surrender but never does. After a winning streak, he fulfills a previous promise to buy Dink a horse, whom they subsequently name Little Champ and decide to enter into a race. At the track, Dink happens across a woman who, unknown to either of them, is actually his mother Linda. She is now remarried to Tony, a wealthy man who owns one of the other horses in the race. ........

Source: Wikipedia