IMDb > Spirit of Youth (1938)

Spirit of Youth (1938) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
5.8/10   38 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Harry L. Fraser
Writer:
Arthur Hoerl (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Spirit of Youth on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 April 1938 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama | Sport more
Plot:
The story of the rise of boxer Joe Thomas, which paralleled the life of Joe Louis. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
Actor Robert Earl Jones, Father of James Earl Jones, Dies
 (From WENN. 20 September 2006)
User Comments:
Make It a Double Bill With "The Joe Louis Story" more (4 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Joe Louis ... Joe Thomas
Clarence Muse ... Frankie Walburn
Edna Mae Harris ... Mary Bowdin
Mae Turner ... Flora Bailey (singer)
Cleo Desmond ... Nora Thomas (Joe's mother)
Mantan Moreland ... Creighton 'Crickie' Fitzgibbons
Jewel Smith ... Duke Emerald
Tom Southern ... Dr. Bowdin
Jess Lee Brooks ... Jeff Thomas (Joe's father) (as Jesse Lee Brooks)
Marguerite Whitten ... Eleanor Thomas (as Margaret Whitten)
Clarence Brooks ... Speedy (trainer)
The Plantation Chior ... Themselves
The Creole Chorus ... Themselves
The Big Apple Dancers ... Themselves
more
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
66 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #3980)
Filming Locations:
Hollywood Legion Stadium - Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Company:
Globe Pictures Corp. more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Production Code Administration director, Joseph Breen, told the production company that the movie was "questionable" because it showed a black boxer beating white boxers, and that distribution in the South may be difficult. more
Soundtrack:
No More Sleepy Time more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
Make It a Double Bill With "The Joe Louis Story", 3 August 2007
7/10
Author: catherine yronwode from United States

I liked this movie -- which is saying a lot, as i do not generally enjoy boxing or movies about boxing. I bought it because it starred Joe Louis, and i bought "The Joe Louis Story," about his life, at the same time because i wanted to learn who Louis really was. Of the two, "Spirit of Youth" was the one that captured my fancy -- and the one that revealed the most about Joe Louis, the human being. Louis is a very shy and unassuming man, hardly an actor at all, but his grace and charm shine through as he plays the role of a young boxer on the way up. Mantan Moreland, as his sidekick-trainer, is a true professional, carrying Louis the amateur actor over the rough spots in his performance and deftly giving way for Louis the boxer to do his stuff AS a boxer when the plot calls for action. Make it an evening and watch "Spirit of Youth" as a double bill with the much slicker but less charming "Joe Louis Story." Then come back here and tell us which one *you* liked best. I'm betting it will be "Spirit of Youth," by a knockout, in the fifth round.

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