***SPOILERS*** True and heart lifting story of light and welterweight boxing champion Barney Ross, Cameron Mitchell, who's roller coaster life in and out of the ring is the stuff that legends are made of. We first get to see Barney broken and alone enter a federal or veterans hospital in Kentucky to get treated for his addiction to morphine that he devolved during WWII in the battle of Guadalcanal where he was both wounded and contracted malaria. The movie starts at the Polo Grounds in NYC with Barney winning a 15 round decision over welterweight champ Jimmy McLarnin who took the title from him the year before. Celebrating his victory at a local nightclub Barney meets his future wife single mom and show girl Cathy Holland, Dianne Forster, and he's off to the races, Belmont Aqueduct & Saratoga, with her and her six year old daughter Noreen, Kathy Garver, enjoying life to the fullest and gambling his money away. That's until three years later when in a title match he runs into the windmill like "Hammering Henry" Armstrong who takes his welterweight title from him in a brutal 15 round decision at the now defunct Madison Square Bowl in Long Island City.
Retiring from boxing Barney later does his patriotic duty at age 33 and joins the US Marine corps when he ended up in the fighting in the South Pacific. That ended up getting Barney addicted to morphine that destroyed his as well as his wife Cathy's life. It's then after Barny returns state side to a hero's welcome that the story of an all-American success story turns into an all-American nightmare. Craving for morphine and not getting it from the VA turns Barney into a down and out junkie who goes so far of raiding his 12 year old step daughter Noreen's piggy bank for money to buy the stuff. Getting involved with drug pushers like Rico, Paul Richards, doesn't help either. Rico like a monkey on Barney's back squeezes the poor man for every cent he has leaving him totally broke and unable to pay his bills as well as rent and food!
With Barney's wife Kathy threatening to leave him if he doesn't straighten his sorry life out Braney comes clean and turns himself over to the government, or government hospital, to get help before his addiction to morphine ends up killing him. With the love and support he gets from both Cathy and the hospital staff, as well as thousands of his fans and admirers, Barney kicks his morphine habit where in four month of going cold turkey he's completely drug-free. We see at the end of the film Barney leaving the hospital a free, drug free, man to start his life over again with Cathy waiting to greet him. With all the battles he had fought in the ring the one Barney had with drug addiction was the hardest he ever went through. And in the end he licked it even though the at the start the odds of him winning were greatly against him!
Retiring from boxing Barney later does his patriotic duty at age 33 and joins the US Marine corps when he ended up in the fighting in the South Pacific. That ended up getting Barney addicted to morphine that destroyed his as well as his wife Cathy's life. It's then after Barny returns state side to a hero's welcome that the story of an all-American success story turns into an all-American nightmare. Craving for morphine and not getting it from the VA turns Barney into a down and out junkie who goes so far of raiding his 12 year old step daughter Noreen's piggy bank for money to buy the stuff. Getting involved with drug pushers like Rico, Paul Richards, doesn't help either. Rico like a monkey on Barney's back squeezes the poor man for every cent he has leaving him totally broke and unable to pay his bills as well as rent and food!
With Barney's wife Kathy threatening to leave him if he doesn't straighten his sorry life out Braney comes clean and turns himself over to the government, or government hospital, to get help before his addiction to morphine ends up killing him. With the love and support he gets from both Cathy and the hospital staff, as well as thousands of his fans and admirers, Barney kicks his morphine habit where in four month of going cold turkey he's completely drug-free. We see at the end of the film Barney leaving the hospital a free, drug free, man to start his life over again with Cathy waiting to greet him. With all the battles he had fought in the ring the one Barney had with drug addiction was the hardest he ever went through. And in the end he licked it even though the at the start the odds of him winning were greatly against him!