Ringside Maisie (1941)

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Wilson Collison (characters)
Mary C. McCall Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

1 August 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Plot:

Young undefeated boxer Terry Dolan, who's been lying to his invalid mother about his career, confides...

Plot Keywords:

Boxer | Boxing | Maisie Series | Paraplegic | Mother Son Relationship

Cast

Ann Sothern	...	Maisie Ravier
George Murphy	...	Francis X. 'Skeets' / 'Skeeter' Maguire
Robert Sterling	...	Terry Dolan, aka Young O'Hara
Virginia O'Brien	...	Virginia O'Brien, Singer
Natalie Thompson	...	Cecelia 'Cissy' Reardon
Margaret Moffatt	...	Mrs. Dolan
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Chotsie (as Maxie Rosenbloom)
Jack La Rue	...	Ricky Du Prez
Rags Ragland	...	Vic (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Oscar O'Shea	...	Train Conductor
John Indrisano	...	Peaches
Roy Lester	...	Jitterbug Dancer
Eddie Lou Simms	...	Jackie-Boy Duffy (as Eddie Simms)
Jonathan Hale	...	Dr. Kramer
Purnell Pratt	...	Dr. Stanley Taylor

Also Known As:

Cash and Carry (UK)
Cash and Carry Maisie (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #7474)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Movie Connections:

Followed by Undercover Maisie (1947)

Soundtrack:

A Bird in a Gilded Cage

"They don't come any better."

An intelligent script and very likable characters played by superb actors, including especially the adorable Ann Sothern, combine to make this an excellent movie.

Even if it's not perfect, it's excellent.

Maisie gets a chance to demonstrate her own character, her strength, her determination. One speech to a certain cynic gives us a chance to cheer -- literally cheer -- this gutsy and decent young woman who gets knocked down because she is decent.

But, like a champion boxer, she keeps getting up.

Hollywood had an unfortunate tendency to cast flabby or, well, let's say "underdeveloped" men as "heavyweight" boxers, such as Stu Irwin or, in this case, Robert Sterling, an otherwise good actor, and a good-looking leading man.

But he's no Sylvester Stallone.

In this boxing movie, Hollywood didn't make the mistake it did in "Cinderella Man," in which a real-life boxer's character was slimed in order to make a dramatic point.

Of course there's conflict, or it wouldn't be drama, but there are no two-dimensional straw-man villains.

Instead there are real people, with their own goals and dreams, trying to fit into the real world, trying to get ahead within the context of what seemed possible, and to do it while remaining decent and true to themselves.

Ann Sothern just outdid herself in this, a role that gave her a chance to show strength as well as charm.

The rest of the cast, from "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom, in one of his best roles, to Margaret Moffatt and John Indrisano, the latter two pretty unknown today, to the great George Murphy, were just super.

Honest: You ought to see this one.