Ring Lardner Tonight: The conclusion of "Champion" -- In New York, the champ meets the press

"Just a kid; that's all he is; a regular boy. Get what I mean? Don't know the meanin' o' bad habits. Never tasted liquor in his life and would prob'bly get sick if he smelled it. Clean livin' put him up where he's at. Get what I mean? And modest and unassumin' as a school girl. He's so quiet you wouldn't never know he was round. And he'd go to jail before he'd talk about himself."

-- Midge's new manager, to a newspaper reporter,
in tonight's concluding installment of "Champion"

by Ken

"Champion" was included in the collection of Lardner stories that F. Scott Fitzgerald prevailed on his publisher, Scribner's, to put out. Probably we should have had this story when we started out. Now I'm going to save it for a little "Champion" postscript tomorrow night.

But tonight, at last, we come to the final installment of "Champion," which finds Midge in New York.


FOR PART 7 OF "CHAMPION," CLICK HERE.

RING'S "CHAMPION" -- THE WHOLE STORY

Part 1: We make the acquaintance of young Michael Kelly
Part 2: In Milwaukee, Midge makes connections
Part 3: In Boston, Midge makes his mark
Part 4: In New Orleans, Midge reads some mail
Part 5: Back in his hometown, the champ knows how to deal with a sponger
Part 6: Back in Milwaukee, the champ rearranges more old arrangements
Part 7: In New York, the champ meets the press (tonight)
Postscript: How "Champion" found its way into book form (coming Wednesday)

THURBER TONIGHT (including BENCHLEY, WILL CUPPY, WOLCOTT GIBBS, RING LARDNER, BOB AND RAY, E. B. WHITE, and JEAN SHEPHERD TONIGHT): Check out the series to date

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