The Battling Fool (1924)

A minister's son trains to be a champion boxer.

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Stars:

William Fairbanks, Eva Novak, Fred J. Butler

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Fairbanks	...	Mark Jenkins
Eva Novak	...	Helen Chadwick
Fred J. Butler	...	Hiram Chadwick
Laura Winston	...	Mrs.Chadwick
Mark Fenton	...	Rev. Josiah Jenkins
Catherine Craig	...	Madeline Le Bertin
Jack Byron	...	Clarence Lorraine
Pat Harmon	...	Jerry Sullivan
Edgar Kennedy	...	Dan O'Leary (as Ed Kennedy)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrew Waldron	...	Reuben The Chief of Police (as Andy Waldron)

Storyline

A minister's son trains to be a champion boxer.

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Plot Keywords:

minister | boxing

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1924 (USA)

Also Known As:

Combatendo Quem Ama

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perfection Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Boxing programmer.

Surviving by chance this silent movie production line entertainment, is another version of the idyllic small town America of leafy streets and wooden houses seen in more ambitious productions, here contrasted with the only-glimpsed big city.

Oddly, the small town is people by gullible, judgmental authority figures and giving up college for a career in the ring is a smart move.

The leads are personable enough and the handling more than competent. Van Dyke puts in some effort on the boxing material, even tracking in the ring twenty years before BODY & SOUL. The far fetched suspense elements of the finale make it impossible to take the film seriously but it holds attention well enough.