Gentleman Jim (1942)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Vincent Lawrence (screenplay) and
Horace McCoy (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 November 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

The grandest story of the Naughty "Nineties" becomes the gayest picture of the Fighting "Forties!"

Plot:

As bareknuckled boxing enters the modern era, brash extrovert Jim Corbett uses new rules and dazzlingly innovative footwork to rise to the top of the top of the boxing world.

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Irish American | Extrovert | Childhood Idol | Benefactor

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	James J. Corbett / Gentleman Jim
Alexis Smith	...	Victoria Ware
Jack Carson	...	Walter Lowrie
Alan Hale	...	Pat Corbett
John Loder	...	Carlton De Witt
William Frawley	...	Billy Delaney
Minor Watson	...	Buck Ware
Ward Bond	...	John L. Sullivan
Madeleine Lebeau	...	Anna Held
Rhys Williams	...	Harry Watson
Arthur Shields	...	Father Burke
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Ma Corbett

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (No. 8440) | Norway:A (1950) | Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Baldwin Estate, Santa Ana, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

During the filming of Gentleman Jim (1942), Errol Flynn suffered a mild heart attack. His weak heart kept him from serving in the Armed Forces during World War II.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the bank the day after the first fight (and their arrest with the bank director for attending it), Corbett (Flynn) and Lowrie (Carson) decide they should resign preemptively, rather than wait to be fired. However, Corbett gets a raise instead and returns from his boss's office to tell his pal Lowrie about it. As he talks, he's counting a stack of "money" of which only the top and bottom sheets appear genuine. The other "notes" are all blank sheets of paper.

Quotes:

James J. Corbett aka Gentleman Jim: [Looking at an enormously oversized derby he has been given by Victoria as a joke] Well, it wouldn't take many of these to make a dozen. How'd you guess my size?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Summer of '42 (1971)

Soundtrack:

The Fountain in the Park

Possibly Flynn's Best Role

Well, I am delighted to hear a rumor that this may finally be issued on DVD. When that will happen, I don't know, but I will grab it when it's released.

In my humble opinion, this is Errol Flynn's most entertaining film, especially when "Gentleman Jim" Corbett's ring career begins in the film. Then it goes from a good film to a great one.

Few people could play arrogant men and still come off as a likable good guy as well as Flynn could and this film is a perfect example of that. Reportedly, this was Flynn's favorite role and I believe that. You can just sense how much fun he was having here. Ward Bond also looks like he was really enjoying his role playing the famous John L. Sullivan. Bond, too, was never better.

There is just the right amount of action boxing scenes in here and they are pretty well done, too. Corbett's family is fun to watch, too, as they carry on in the stands during Jim's matches. Out of the arena, Corbett's family's constant arguments and yelling can get a little too loud and annoying but they set the stage for a fitting conclusion.

And speaking of the conclusion, Sullivan's speech to Corbett after the big fight is very touching and the highlight of the film. Some mean-spirited critics (Variety, for example) didn't like that ending nor the fact that much of the film is fictionalized but - duh - most films are fictionalized, like it or not. And, in this case, it made for a nice story and nice ending. (In real life, Corbett was a very soft-spoken true gentleman, not anything like Flynn's portrayal, but Flynn still make him a good guy.)

This is one of the more entertaining classic films I have ever watched and I eagerly wait for the DVD.