All but forgotten in recent years, the made-for-TV "Goldie and the Boxer" enjoyed a new lease on life when it was resyndicated to TV in the mid-1990s to capitalize on the notoriety of its star, O. J. Simpson. An old-fashioned tearjerker from the Champ school, the film stars Simpson as unknown boxer Joe Gallegher. Spurred by his friendship with Goldie Kellog (Melissa Michaelsen), the 10-year-old daughter of deceased boxing champ Paul Kellog (John Roselius), Joe goes the distance to the Title. Phil Silvers does an "Ed Wynn" as Joe's heart-of-gold trainer. First telecast December 20, 1979, "Goldie and the Boxer" performed well enough to encourage a 1981 sequel, "Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Goldie and the Boxer (1979) TV Movie
Cast: Claude Earl Jones, Gordon Jump, Judy Landers, Madlyn Rhue, Melissa Michaelsen, Ned Glass, O. J. Simpson, Phil Silvers, Vincent Gardenia
