| Iron Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Joseph Pevney |
| Screenplay by | Borden Chase George Zuckerman |
| Based on | the novel byW. R. Burnett |
| Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg |
| Starring | Jeff Chandler Evelyn Keyes Stephen McNally |
| Cinematography | Carl E. Guthrie |
| Edited by | Russell F. Schoengarth |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1 million (US rentals)[1] |
Iron Man is a 1951 Americanfilm noirdramasport film directed byJoseph Pevney and starringJeff Chandler,Evelyn Keyes andStephen McNally. The film features an early appearance byRock Hudson playing a competing boxer. The film is a remake of a film produced two decades earlier by directorTod Browning, also titledIron Man.[2]
Chandler plays a coal miner who is encouraged by his gambler brother (Stephen McNally) to become a boxer. The problem is when he boxes he is consumed by a murderous rage.
Jeff Chandler trained as a boxer to play the role. "It's my chance to step right up there in a class withKirk Douglas andBob Ryan", said Chandler. "And that's pretty fast company."[3]
Filming started 3 January 1951.[4]
To promote the film, Jeff Chandler went two rounds withJersey Joe Walcott atPolo Grounds in front of 25,000 spectators.[5]
When the film was released, the staff atThe New York Times gave the film a mixed review. They wrote, "... this story of a fighter, scared and defeated by his own killer instinct, is merely standard for the course. The cast, director and scenarist are professional and take their assignments seriously, but they are not creating a champion in their class. One is reminded of such noted predecessors asChampion butIron Man is not of that blue-blooded company ... It is not the portrayals, however, that make the film less than memorable. The bouts are exciting enough, but the punches, which are fairly hard and straight, are telegraphed."[6]
Rock Hudson's appearance in the film attracted favorable publicity.[7]