The Set-Up

Synopsis: Over-the-hill boxer Bill 'Stoker' Thompson insists he can still win, though his sexy wife Julie pleads with him to quit. But his manager Tiny is so confident he will lose, he takes money for a "dive" from tough gambler Little Boy...without bothering to tell Stoker. Tension builds as Stoker hopes to "take" Tiger Nelson, unaware of what will happen to him if he does.
Director(s): Robert Wise
Production: RKO Pictures
  Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.8
Rotten Tomatoes:
86%
APPROVED
Year:
1949
73 min
183 Views


Daily paper! Get your evening paper

with the complete fight card! Evening paper!

Daily paper! Get your evening paper

with the complete fight card! Evening paper!

City paper! Read all about it!

Evening paper with the complete fight card!

Get your Knockout here!

All the fight news and pictures!

Evening paper! Get your evening paper!

Complete fight card!

- Hey, kid! Hey, kid!

- Evening paper!

- I gotta make a buck too!

- Go take a walk!

Evening paper! Evening paper!

Get your Knockout here!

All the fight news and pictures!

Hurry it up, won't you?

The first fight's on already!

They put us back

in the eighth row!

Get your Knockout here!

All the fight news and pictures!

I couldn't find them anyplace!

Let's go on in!

Well, we'll give them five more minutes!

All right?

- All right!

- I don't know!

why I let George

talk me into coming!

Why, Harriet, I thought you liked

the fights!

Like them? Last time I kept my hands

over my eyes the whole time!

- Who do you like?

- Hawkins, for a sawbuck!

- You got a bet! How about the semi?

- I'll take Lopez! Even money!

Are you kidding? They're laying 3-to-1 !

- Even money by a KO!

- Forget it!

- How about Nelson and Thompson?

- Stoker Thompson? Is he still fighting?

- I remember him when I was a kid!

- Don't tell me you're that old!

- Where's Stoker?

- He's in the hotel getting some shut-eye!

Don't that guy get enough sleep

in the ring?

You ought to know!

You're his manager!

You wait here!

Come on, baby, and cough up!

I got it! I got it!

He'll give you an apple for an orchard

anytime! Hey, put a head on this!

- Hi, Danny!

- Hi, Tiny!

Everything's taken care of, Danny!

If it's all the same to you, Danny!

How do I know you'll deliver?

You and me has done business

a long time, Danny!

Yeah! But this deal ain't

between you and me!

It's between you and Little Boy!

It's his dough you're taking, not mine!

- I know it, Danny!

- Little Boy's got a lot of plans!

for young Nelson!

Little Boy don't like nothing

to interfere with his plans!

- You said yourself Stoker ain't got a chance!

- Yeah, that's what I tell Little Boy!

But he likes insurance

against accidents!

And when Little Boy buys insurance

- he gets his money's worth!

- My guy will deliver it, Danny!

Okay!

Now you got the set-up?

Nelson will carry your guy two heats!

Anytime after that,

Stoker can go down for the count!

Eggs in the coffee!

Well, it's getting late!

I got to blow!

It's all there, 50!

Come on! Let's go!

I said, let's go!

- Did you get it?

- Yeah!

- How much?

- Thirty!

- Thirty? I thought you said 50!

- You know Danny!

- Only a fin?

- Don't you want it?

- What about Stoker?

- What about him?

- He's all set, ain't he? You told him?

- Why cut him in?

I don't like it, Tiny!

Stoker can still punch!

- Lf anything goes wrong, Little Boy's gonna...

- Don't be a meathead!

- Nelson will butcher him! It's 100-to-1 !

- That's it! There's always the one!

You gotta tell Stoker!

You give me a bellyache! He's blown

100 fights without anybody's help!

And he ain't gonna need none tonight!

Hurry!

Yeah!

- Did you sleep good?

- Like a top!

Yeah! I was watching you!

Wanna know something?

I'll take that kid tonight!

I can feel it!

- It's getting kind of late!

- Everything's packed!

Well!

Let's get going, then!

Come on! What's the matter?

I ain't going tonight, Bill!

I got a headache!

Well, they gave me a good seat

for you!

- Row four, section C!

- I told you, Bill, I got a headache!

I'll be here when you get back!

Julie, you always go!

Don't you understand, Bill? I don't wanna go

no more! After Middletown the other night...

That was different!

I was off at Middletown!

Off? Two hours after the fight,

you still didn't know who I was!

Look, Julie, I can take this kid

like I told you! I can feel it!

If I can belt him solid just once!

- What will he be doing in the meantime?

- You don't understand!

I understand that he's 23,

and you're 35, Bill!

Thirty-five in this business,

you're an old man!

Look, Julie, they're building this kid up,

feeding him a lot of pushovers!

If I get over him tonight,

that'll mean a rematch!

That's a semi wind-up, 150 guarantee!

Maybe a top spot even!

Top spot!

Yeah, a top spot,

and I'm just one punch away!

I remember the first time

you told me that!

You were just one punch away

from the title shot then!

Don't you see, Bill? You'll always be

just one punch away!

Oh, Bill, it ain't I wanna hurt you!

But what kind of a life is this?

Springfield, Middletown,

Unionville, Paradise City!

How many more beatings

do you have to take?

Yeah, but if I get a top spot again,

we'll get 500 bucks, maybe six!

Bill, it's been good a long time

between us!

I want to keep what we've got!

Don't you see what we could

do with 500 bucks?

I could get a piece of Tony Martinez!

Best-looking middleweight I seen

since Harry Greb! I'll train him myself!

Or we could get a beer joint or maybe that

cigar stand I told you about in Union City!

I don't care about Martinez

or cigar stands or anything else!

It makes no difference to me if you go back

to the docks or drive a garbage truck!

- Or go on relief even!

- Julie!

It's better than having you

with your brains knocked out!

It's better than having you dead!

Stop it, Julie! Stop it!

Oh, Bill!

Maybe you can go on taking the beatings,

I can't!

Well, that's the way it is!

If you're a fighter, you gotta fight!

Here's your ticket!

You can do what you want!

Get your Knockout here,

all the fight news and pictures!

Get your Knockout here!

- Hiya, Stoker!

- Hiya, Bat!

- Nearly a sellout!

- Good!

- Well, luck, Stoke!

- Yeah!

Get your Knockout here!

- Hiya, Thompson!

- Hi, Sam!

This Moore is murder!

Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!

Keep it up! Come on! Kill him!

Moore's got him on the ropes!

He's working on his middle!

Oh, another in the gut!

- The ref's gonna stop it!

- Let them fight!

- No, wait! He's gonna let them go!

- Good! Good!

That makes it 3 and 2, folks.

And the Sox have two on and two away.

It's still anyone's ballgame.

Come on! Come on!

Hit him! Throw that right!

Hey, Stoker!

- Where you been?

- Just got out of the kip! Hi, Tiny!

- How you feel?

- In the pink!

- You do?

- Wanna know? I'll take that kid tonight!

- I can feel it!

- Oh, take it easy, Stoke! Nelson's strong!

Don't slug with him!

Stay the distance!

Stay the distance?

I'm gonna take him!

- Sure, Stoke!

- I get a semi if I win, don't I?

Semi, nothing! I'll get you

a star bout, 25 percent!

Now, go on in, Stoke!

I'll see you later upstairs!

Look, look! Take it easy,

will you, Stoke?

- Hiya, Stoker!

- Hiya!

Hold still!

- Hiya, Stoke!

- Hiya!

- Mickey, better get the gloves on that kid!

- Yeah, yeah! Come on, kid, let's go!

Plenty of time, Stoker!

You're after the main event!

Yeah, I know!

- How come?

- The radio!

They got to go with the main early!

Turn your hand over!

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Art Cohn

Art Cohn (April 5, 1909 – March 22, 1958) was an American sportswriter, screenwriter and author. Cohn and Hollywood producer Mike Todd died in a plane crash in New Mexico in 1958. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Set-Up" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_set-up_21285>.

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