The Ring (1952 film)
The Ring is a 1952 American film noir film directed by Kurt Neumann and based on a novel by Irving Shulman. It tells the story of a Mexican-American male who becomes a boxer, believing this kind of achievement will gain him respect among the English-speaking white majority. The film was shot in various locations in early 1950s Los Angeles. The film examines institutionalized bigotry. Plot 
The film focuses on a young Mexican-American named Tomas Cantanios, who boxed under the pseudonym Tommy Kansas, a resident of Los Angeles's poor Chicano neighborhood. He feels constrained due to his inability to thrive in a white-dominated society. Therefore, to achieve popularity, he becomes a professional boxer, achieving fame and recognition. He soon discovers that Anglos are only drawn to him for his sports reputation and that they still consider him an outsider because of his ancestry and skin color. In fact, the only two white men who treat him decently are his manager Pete and trainer Freddy. However, their tolerant behavior is based primarily on monetary gain. Tommy also is conflicted by his unconditional love for Lucy, the daughter of a punch-drunk bum. Production 
The Ring is one of the early sports-centered films in Hollywood in which discrimination against Chicanos is presented. Its Mexicano/sports themes can be traced to the 1940s with films like The Girl from Monterrey. Cast 

 Lalo Rios as Tommy
 Gerald Mohr as Pete
 Rita Moreno as Lucy
 Robert Arthur as Billy Smith
 Robert Osterloh as Freddy
 Jack Elam as Harry Jackson
 Martin Garralaga as Vidal
 Peter Brocco as Barney Williams
 Julia Montoya as Rosa
 Lillian Molieri as Helen
 Pepe Hern as Rick
 Victor Millan as Pablo
 Tony Martinez as Go-Go
 Art Aragon as himself
 Robert Shayne as Jimmy, Aragon's manager 
 Ernie Chavez as Joe  
 Edward Sieg as Benny  
 Robert Altuna as Pepe Cantanios

See also
 List of boxing films

References

External links 
 

Film noir
Films directed by Kurt Neumann
Films based on American novels
Films scored by Herschel Burke Gilbert
1950s sports drama films
American boxing films
American sports drama films
1952 drama films
1952 films
American black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films
English-language sports drama films