Requiem for a Heavyweight

Requiem for a Heavyweight

The legacy of Rod Serling still packs a punch

Rod Serling is best remembered as creator of The Twilight Zone. And if that were his only achievement in the industry, it would still be a stunner. Arguably the best television show in history. But his legacy didn't end there. He followed The The Twilight Zone with another anthology series, Night Gallery, which, among other things, introduced the young director Stephen Spielberg to the world. He wrote the screenplay for the original Planet of the Apes. And, he had already preceded The Twilight Zone with work on Playhouse 90, most notably "Requiem for a Heavyweight", the story of a punch-drunk ex heavyweight contender, trying to adjust to life outside the ring. It won a special Peabody Award, as well as an Emmy, and was Serling's proudest work.

Several years later Requiem for a Heavyweight was adapted for the big screen with Anthony Quinn in the lead role. Though not directed by Serling, it has his fingerprints all over it. And, like much of his work, all these years later it still packs a punch (so to speak).

It's amazing that with all the sports out there, boxing seems to be the one with all the best movies, and yet Requiem for a Heavyweight still stands out thanks to the authentic feel of Serling's writing (he was himself a former boxer). And if that's not enough, cameos by Jack Dempsey and Cassius "Muhammad Ali" Clay just add more cred.