40 Fun Facts About Cinderella Man

Which late-night host's show bought a jockstrap worn in Cinderella Man at the lead actor's 2018 auction?

John Oliver's show Last Week Tonight paid $7,000 for it. The haul was then donated to a Blockbuster Video store in Anchorage, Alaska, one of the chain's last.

Which unusual offer did AMC Theatres make to lift Cinderella Man's ticket sales after a slow opening?

A money-back guarantee was advertised in about 150 theaters, and at least 50 patrons took the chain up on it.

Which actor plays Depression-era boxer James J. Braddock, the title character of Cinderella Man?

Russell Crowe earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role. He also won the Australian Film Institute's international award for best actor.

Which director made Cinderella Man, his second film with the same leading man?

Ron Howard kept it in the family by casting his father, Rance, as ring announcer Al Fazin.

Which job does James J. Braddock take in Cinderella Man when a boxing injury ends his income?

Dock worker shifts were scarce, so Braddock could not get hired every day. Hauling cargo with his weaker arm is credited with building up his left.

After his comeback wins in Cinderella Man, what does James J. Braddock insist on paying back?

Welfare payments had humiliated the real Braddock, who returned the money and later invited homeless people to eat with his family.

What does Mae Braddock throw at champion Max Baer when he taunts her in Cinderella Man?

Her drink flies after Baer hints that her husband might not survive the fight, one of several taunts the film gives its swaggering villain.

Which legendary champion took James J. Braddock's title two years after the events of Cinderella Man?

Joe Louis knocked Braddock out in 1937. The deal for the bout still paid Braddock and his manager a cut of the promoter's boxing profits for the next decade.

Which Canadian city doubled for 1930s New York during the filming of Cinderella Man?

Toronto's old hockey arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, hosted every fight scene, standing in for Madison Square Garden.

Which actor earned an Oscar nomination as Braddock's manager, Joe Gould, in Cinderella Man?

Paul Giamatti was the film's only acting nominee at the Oscars, and critic Roger Ebert called his performance a home run.

Which actress plays Mae Braddock, the boxer's anxious wife, in Cinderella Man?

Renée Zellweger received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just days before the film reached theaters.

Which injury forces James J. Braddock to give up boxing early in Cinderella Man?

A broken hand dogged the real Braddock for years: his right kept giving way during the long losing run that followed his 1929 title defeat.

How does Mae Braddock follow her husband's title fight against Max Baer in Cinderella Man?

On the radio, with her children beside her: Mae could not bring herself to stay at the arena that night.

In which US state did James J. Braddock, the boxer of Cinderella Man, grow up?

New Jersey still honors him: a county park in North Bergen bears his name and holds a ten-foot bronze statue of the champion.

The family of James J. Braddock, hero of Cinderella Man, traced its roots to which country?

Ireland gave Braddock his roots: he was one of seven children raised by Elizabeth O'Tool and Joseph Braddock.

Which rapper named a 2010 comeback track Cinderella Man after boxer James J. Braddock's nickname?

Eminem put the song on Recovery, the album that marked his own return after addiction, and set it to a stomping stadium-style beat.

How did James J. Braddock win the 1935 title fight with Max Baer that ends Cinderella Man?

Unanimous decision was the verdict for a heavy underdog, in a result hailed as boxing's greatest upset in decades.

Which earlier drama about a mathematician first paired Cinderella Man's director with its leading man?

A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture four years earlier, and its Oscar-winning screenwriter also co-wrote the boxing film.

Which New York sportswriter gave James J. Braddock the fairy-tale nickname Cinderella Man?

Damon Runyon coined it, and his Broadway short stories later became the musical Guys and Dolls.

Which famed boxing trainer coached Cinderella Man's lead actor and appears on screen as a cornerman?

Angelo Dundee, who guided Muhammad Ali for two decades, travelled to Australia to work with the actor on his boxing.

Which highly touted heavyweight does James J. Braddock knock out in his comeback fight in Cinderella Man?

Corn Griffin was supposed to use Braddock as a stepping stone, but the faded veteran stopped him in the third round for a $250 purse.

Which actor, who once turned down Chandler in Friends, plays champion Max Baer in Cinderella Man?

Craig Bierko was the original choice for Chandler Bing and passed on the sitcom against the advice of his friend Matthew Perry.

The real Max Baer, villain of Cinderella Man, had a son who played which Beverly Hillbillies character?

Jethro Bodine was played by Max Baer Jr., who remembered his father as a gentle man haunted by an opponent's death in the ring.

Which symbol did Max Baer, the swaggering champion of Cinderella Man, wear on his boxing trunks?

A Star of David first appeared on his trunks when he beat Germany's Max Schmeling in 1933, and he wore it in every bout afterward.

After the events of Cinderella Man, James J. Braddock went on to help build which New York bridge?

Verrazzano crews included the former champion in the early 1960s, after his restaurant and a surplus business both lost money.

In which Manhattan neighborhood was James J. Braddock, the boxer of Cinderella Man, born?

Hell's Kitchen was his birthplace, on West 48th Street; decades later he opened a restaurant, Braddock's Corner, one street north.

Which prize did Cinderella Man's Joe Gould actor win weeks before losing at the Oscars?

SAG Award voters honored him for the supporting role, while the Golden Globe and the Oscar both went to other actors.

Which CinemaScore grade did audiences give Cinderella Man despite its disappointing box office?

A+ is a rare top mark in the audience poll, yet the film still opened only fourth at the box office.

Which composer, born into a Hollywood film-scoring dynasty, wrote the music for Cinderella Man?

Thomas Newman is the son of nine-time Oscar winner Alfred Newman and a cousin of songwriter Randy Newman.

What does promoter James Johnston make Braddock and Joe Gould watch before the title fight in Cinderella Man?

Film of Baer fighting lets the promoter say he warned them: in the film's telling, the champion has already killed two men in the ring.

Which actress, a real granddaughter of James J. Braddock, plays neighbor Sara Wilson in Cinderella Man?

Rosemarie DeWitt is the child of Braddock's only daughter, and she later played the title role in Rachel Getting Married.

The title fight recreated in Cinderella Man took place at an outdoor bowl in which part of New York?

Long Island City's Madison Square Garden Bowl was dubbed the Jinx Bowl, because no champion ever successfully defended a title there.

In the era shown in Cinderella Man, which towering champion lost the heavyweight title to Max Baer?

Primo Carnera, the 267-pound Ambling Alp, was floored again and again; Braddock's comeback win took place on the same card.

As a boy, James J. Braddock of Cinderella Man dreamed of playing football for which college?

Notre Dame and its coach Knute Rockne were the dream, but Braddock joked that he had more brawn than brains.

Cinderella Man's star arranged for the film to sponsor an Australian club team in which sport?

Rugby league's South Sydney Rabbitohs wore the film's name on their shirts, in a deal struck by its star, a fan of the club since childhood.

Before his slump in Cinderella Man, James J. Braddock was a title contender in which weight class?

Light heavyweight was his division when he earned a 1929 title shot, six years before he took the heavyweight crown as a heavy underdog.

Which English actor plays Mike Wilson, a friend of James J. Braddock, in Cinderella Man?

Paddy Considine earned a London critics' nomination as British supporting actor of the year for what was only his second Hollywood film.

Whose nose did James J. Braddock break in the win that earned his title shot in Cinderella Man?

Art Lasky was a highly regarded contender from Minneapolis who later worked as a cameraman and stunt coordinator.

Which champion beat James J. Braddock in the 1929 title fight that began his slide before Cinderella Man?

Tommy Loughran outpointed him over 15 rounds, and the Philadelphian also beat a young Max Baer on the way up.

Outside North America, which country was the biggest box-office market for Cinderella Man?

Japan added $10.1 million to the worldwide total after the film opened in fifth place there.