Lady and Gent (1932)

Veteran boxer “Stag” (George Bancroft) hasn’t quite had all the sense knocked out of him by the younger “Buzz” (John Wayne) so hangs up his gloves and takes up with his gal “Puff” (Wynne Gibson). That relationship is swiftly tested when his manager is accidentally killed and they end up rearing his now orphaned young son “Ted”. They are not a wealthy family by any means, but they are determined to give this youngster every chance to go to college and make a life for himself that doesn’t involve him getting pummelled. This doctrine proves even more sensible when they encounter “Buzz” a while later and find his career has already ended leaving him struggling to make ends meet. Of course, pugilism is in the young man’s genes and so as he grows older (and is now Charles Starrett) he becomes more and more enthusiastic about a lucrative career in the ring and that is bound to cause consternation amidst this loving triumvirate. It is a fairly predictable story, this, but there are two quite touching performances from Bancroft and Gibson that rather bely the norm that sees boxing offer a glittering stairway to the sky for the poverty-stricken and opportunity-lacking working class. It’s quite tightly filmed, written and though it could definitely have done with some more wattage to illuminate some of the scenes, it’s a solid story worth a watch.