Brief

A man grows up during the great depression and finds in boxing the first meaning to his life. It's the fighting spirit developed during his time as a boxer that makes him persevere after going to war, building his own business, surviving two brain tumors, and serving as an example to his sons.

What We Liked

We pinpoint the moment when Murray makes a living as a boxer. The boxing scene during the 1930s, the Depression context, and how difficult it was for him to help his family while trying to make a future for himself. It's fascinating how Murray finds new meanings when life is hard, such as his love for Franny or the objective of building a business for himself.

Film: Besides the book's length, an excellent one-and-a-half-hour drama is waiting to be adapted here. This coming-of-age story looks to the simple people to tell the story of 20th century America from the Great Depression to the recovery after WWII. The historical backdrop that influences these characters' life can make this a unique and thrilling movie.

TV: Murray's life could work very well as a period story, first about the Golden Age of boxing in the 1930s and last about how was America's reconstruction after the war. How ordinary people build a life in this world resonates with Murray's children. The story can be developed gradually during the episodes, maybe with the Author himself narrating Murray's story and the season being divided into two: young and old Murray.

Key points:
1. Interesting setting during the Great Depression and the after war's America;
2. The boxing scene during the 1930s;
3. The inspirational life-lessons from the main character;
4. Low budget;
5. The self-made man has a prosperous life, even with many struggles.

Synopsis

Young MURRAY, the oldest son of ISAAC and TONIA GOLDMAN., lives on the fourth floor of a tenement building with his parents and three siblings. ISAAC is a good man with a gambling addiction, which he justifies by saying that this is a way to bring home more money even with him losing much more than winning. This is the 1930s America during the Great Depression when raising a family was an even more difficult task for the poor.

Specific day, the adolescent MURRAY follows his father and sees ISAAC being attacked by two men because of gambling debts. MURRAY then intervenes and beats the attackers to save his dad. This makes his father leave home, forcing TONIA to ask a brother for help. She sends MURRAY to this brother's house so they can save money to afford to feed the other children and the rent. With time, MURRAY's uncle starts to mistreat him and the boy, making him run away from the new home to Philadelphia, where MURRAY joins a circus at 16. There he works as a handyman, among other things. In the chaos, MURRAY also knows his first love: Mariana. A woman of 26 years old who doesn't see a future with the boy she thinks has 18. She never breaks up with MURRAY but disappears when the circus arrives in Chicago. MURRAY saves LOUIE, a friend from the chaos, from being beaten. And LOUIE takes MURRAY to watch his first boxing match as a way of thanking him. When the boy meets Mariana again, she is with another man. MURRAY has his first heartbreak. He then decides it's time to go back home.

In Brooklyn, MURRAY meets ALVIN, who introduces him to boxing. Don't take long before he fights for the first time, winning easily. This makes him compete in boxing tournaments, but in secret, because he fears his family won't approve. With time, MURRAY sees his career growing, adopting the ring name of Moe Fields to keep this side of his life secret. Registered in the Golden Gloves tournament, MURRAY is punished after being seen at the gym with his brothers lifting weights, something forbidden to the competitors after the registration is made. He ends up being honest and admits to breaking the rules.

MURRAY can't be away from boxing for much time. In one visit to Rosie's bar, he hears a clandestine boxing tournament happening in the back. There is a man known as BULLDOG MULLOBY who is the current champion. The announcer asks for challengers offering money to whoever wins the fight. Seeing the opportunity, MURRAY steps up and starts a career as a clandestine brawler.

One of MURRAY's sisters, BERTA, asks for his company on a double date with ZIGGY, a local boy. He denies it at first. By this time, MURRAY also works at Limberg's bakery, and, on his way there, he sees again a girl he met years ago, her name is FRANNY, and she is now a beautiful woman. She constantly challenged him to handball matches when they were kids, and MURRAY never accepted. This time he decides to take the challenge. This proves to be a hard match, and even with MURRAY making FRANNY fall to the ground, she wins. Two weeks later, MURRAY accepts the double date invitation. He goes as a company to BERTA date's sister: FRANNY. They start to become close, but this doesn't develop because FRANNY is part of an all-women traveling band as a saxophonist.

Don't take too long for MURRAY and FRANNY to meet again. He still loves her, but she is in love with another man called JERRY. MURRAY can't stand seeing them both together and starts intervening in their relationship, even letting JERRY attack him one time without fighting back. For some reason, this makes FRANNY think about MURRAY more and more until she decides to break up with JERRY to be with MURRAY. After a car accident and a good time dating, MURRAY asks FRANNY in marriage. They married in the fall of 1938.

FRANNY gets pregnant for the first time after WWII started. This makes the couple want to move to another place, like New Jersey or California. During the fourth month of pregnancy, she has her first miscarriage. As long as the war keeps going, the fear of being called up as a foot soldier grows inside MURRAY. He then follows a friend called ARTIE and enlists to the Navy, expecting this way he can be designated to some ship that'll never go to war. MURRAY is assigned to the USS Catoctin. The boat is dispatched to fight but never participates in any significant conflict. There MURRAY knows the king of Britain and the president of the United States.

Back home, MURRAY starts working on plumbing again, with a big pay raise. He and FRANNY still want to have kids, so they try another two times, ending in other miscarriages. One year after this, FRANNY is pregnant again from the couple's first son: ALAN GOLDMAN. They soon have another two kids: ZACH and GARY. With a family to raise, MURRAY starts his own plumbing business. In this meantime, he discovers a head tumor -- needing to have surgery to remove it. He then sees his family break after his father dies. ISAAC leaves 300,000 dollars as a heritage to its children, which causes a fight between them.

At 43, MURRAY sees his plumbing business reach one million a year in revenues, becoming an influential man. Attending a plumbers' event in Atlantic City, MURRAY and FRANNY"s are involved in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. This makes them go to a hospital for almost two months, leaving their children alone. MURRAY survives but has problems for the rest of his life, while FRANNY needs to be in a wheelchair for years before she starts to recover the movements of her legs. They persevered, even after all of this and another brain tumor to MURRAY's count. He dies in his 60s, but not after living an inspirational and eventful life.

About The Author

Stuart Z. Goldstein was one of the longest-serving spokespersons on Wall Street. He is also a very proud and loving son of a great man and wants to see this story being told.