jackie cooper be the top child actor at mgm in the early 30 when it be the top studio . he start off a part of our gang but just a year later be nominate for an academy award for his performance in skippy ( he just lose out to lionel barrymore in a free soul ) . l. b. mayer call him a wonderful kid and team him and wallace beery in the emotional and heart wrenching film the champ . it have the most tear drench finale of any film i have ever see and jackie cooper give an outstanding performance a dink and the little boy who have an unswerving faith in his hopelessly alcoholic father . the set have a very gritty and real look not at all what you would expect from mgm the dream factory . little dink life with his dad and a wash up fighter who can not stay off the booze . his manager try to talk him up to some promoter and promise that he be the same fighter he always be dink job be to sober him up but unfortunately it doesn not work . andy the champ have always promise dink a race horse and when his luck change and he buy lil champ an old and beat up horse that they train up for a race . the day of the race dink meet his mother ( he or she doesn not realise it ) and linda and who have the horse blue boy next to lil champ in the stable . dink introduce her to his little mate he colour he say and yes and but he kind of a pretty colour she reply . ( it be interest that you do not see her shake hand with the little boy and their hand be out of the camera range ) . when lil champ lose the race and linda ( irene rich ) realises who dink be and want to give him everything that he have miss out on . ( even though linda seem lovely her character be portray a once have be a gold digger who only marry andy when he be rich and famous and leave him for a more prosperous gentleman when he be down on his luck ) . andy be then pay $ 100 to let dink visit his mother while there he sing a few bar of a popular song ( ruth ettings don not tell him what happen to me ) and meet his step sister mary lou ( adorable marcia mae jones ) a little cutie who talk to dink about the reality of fairy tale . after his visit linda be determine to take dink away from the unwholesome life he be lead with his dad . dink and andy have a magical relationship but after a heartfelt scene andy convinces dink to live with his mother and but with dink away and he lose the will to go on . the end be the most emotional ever and jackie cooper be a genuine star . there will not be a dry eye by the film end . in an interview and i heard jackie cooper say he do not get on with wallace beery . they make a few picture together and be consider a team and adore by the public . cooper say whenever people stop him in the street to ask what beery be really like and he have to lie and say what a wonderful guy he be he couldn not tell them the truth and spoil their illusion . the previous reviewer be right beery be not well like . highly recommended .