Golden Boy (1939)Despite his musical talent, Joe Bonaparte wants to be a boxer. Director:Rouben Mamoulian |
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Golden Boy (1939)Despite his musical talent, Joe Bonaparte wants to be a boxer. Director:Rouben Mamoulian |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Barbara Stanwyck | ... | ||
| Adolphe Menjou | ... |
Tom Moody
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| William Holden | ... |
Joe Bonaparte
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| Lee J. Cobb | ... |
Mr. Bonaparte
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| Joseph Calleia | ... |
Eddie Fuseli
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Sam Levene | ... |
Siggie
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Edward Brophy | ... |
Roxy Lewis
(as Edward S. Brophy)
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Beatrice Blinn | ... |
Anna
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William H. Strauss | ... |
Mr. Carp
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| Don Beddoe | ... |
Borneo
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Charles Halton | ... |
Newspaperman
(scenes deleted)
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Joe Bonaparte's father wants him to pursue his musical talent; but Joe wants to be a boxer. Persuading near-bankrupt manager Tom Moody to give him a chance, Joe quickly rises in his new profession. When he has second thoughts Moody's girl Lorna uses feminine wiles to keep him boxing. But when tough gangster Eddie Fuseli wants to "buy a piece" of Joe, Lorna herself begins to have second thoughts...for that and other reasons. Is it too late? Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
I found this to be a pretty solid movie with some interesting characters. It was a shock at first to see William Holden this young. I had known him at that time as an older guy. In this film, he looked about 19 and didn't even have the deep voice I was accustomed to hearing. I didn't Lee J. Cobb, either, who played Holden's father, a Jewish man with a beard. Barbara Stanwyck, meanwhile, played her typical role: tough gal with a soft heart underneath.
Story-wise, there were a couple of holes in it near the end which lowered my rating a tiny bit. No stranger, in a big fight, would be allowed to walk into a fighter's dressing room right before the bout. In fairness, I've seen that in other classic films, too, even to the point of the boxer being in his room totally alone and anyone walking in. I don't think so!!!!
Anyway, outside of those little things, it was a well-done and involving story that got me hooked in from the start. I've watched this twice and enjoyed it both times. Now I am just waiting for a DVD of this.