Born to Fight (1936 film)

Last updated
Born to Fight
Born to Fight (1936 film).jpg
Directed by Charles Hutchison
Written byStephen Norris
Based onthe short story, "To Him Who Dares"
by Peter B. Kyne
Produced by Maurice Conn
Martin G. Cohn
Starring Frankie Darro
Kane Richmond
Jack LaRue
Cinematography Arthur Reed
Edited by Richard G. Wray
Music byDidheart Conn
Production
company
Conn Pictures
Release date
  • November 3, 1936 (1936-11-03)(US) [1]
Running time
58 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Born to Fight is a 1936 American drama film directed by Charles Hutchison from a screenplay by Stephen Norris, based on the short story, "To Him Who Dares" by Peter B. Kyne. The film stars Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, and Jack LaRue.

Contents

Plot

Tom Brown, known as "The Bomber", is a professional lightweight boxer. One night he is out at a nightclub when he gets involved in a fight with a local gangster, "Smoothy" Morgan, over fixing a fight. When Tom knocks Smoothy down, everyone believes the gangster to be dead. On the advice of his manager, Gloomy Gus, Tom flees New York City, heading to Chicago. On the way he meets a young unknown boxer, "Baby Face" Madison, and he agrees to train him, but uses the alias of Tom Hayes. He goes to a local gym in Chicago where he used to train, where he finds out that the former owner has died, and the gym is now run by his daughter, Nan Howard. Nan thinks she remembers Tom, but is not sure. As Tom trains Baby Face as a flyweight, he begins to have some success in the ring, winning his first fight. After the fight, the police arrive, looking for Tom Brown, and question Nan, but she does not tell the police that she thinks she recognizes Tom. After his initial successes, Baby Face is offered a shot at the title in Madison Square Garden. Tom warns him that he is not ready, but his hubris makes Baby Face ignore Tom's warning. He does not know that Baby Face's opponent has been paid off to take a fall. However, because he is so unprepared, Baby Face loses the fight and returns to Chicago in disgrace, finding it difficult to get bouts.

Back in the ring, Baby Face, using Tom's tutelage and techniques, once again begins his ascent. He gets to the point where he is legitimately good enough to try to attempt the big time in Madison Square Garden once again. However, the press has become suspicious of the close resemblance between Baby Face's boxing style and that of Tom Brown. So as to not expose himself, Tom has Gus pose as Baby Face's manager. As the fight nears, Tom and Gus are approached by Morgan, who has faked his death. He offers to "return to life", thus clearing Tom's name, in exchange for them getting Baby Face to throw the fight. They reluctantly agree, but do not tell Baby Face, who they do not think will win the fight anyway. During the fight, however, Tom comes to the ring, exposing himself to the police, in order to cheer on Baby Face, who wins the bout. The loss proves deadly to Morgan, who cannot cover his losses with the mob, and they kill him, inadvertently clearing Tom, who ends up with Nan.

Cast

Production

The picture was originally titled, Johnnie Gets His Gun, but the name was changed to its final title in April 1936, and Madeleine Ruthven was assigned to write the script. [2] However, the writing duties were reassigned to Stephen Norris, who adapted it from the short story, "To Him Who Dares", by Peter B. Kyne, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in the December 23, 1911 issue. While AFI's database gives a release date of November 3, 1936, contemporaneous sources state the film had an April 13 release. [1] [3] [4] Variety was reporting gross receipts information as early as May 1936. [5]

In February 1936 it was announced that Frankie Darro was attached to the project. [6] While AFI and certain contemporaneous sources such as The Film Daily say the screenplay adaptation was credited to Stephen Norris, other contemporaneous sources such as Variety and Photoplay list Sascha Baraniev as the screenwriter. [1] [7] [8]

Reception

The Film Daily gave the picture a favorable review, saying that the film "ranks with the best of independent products, and can hold its own with some of the program major releases of this type." They applauded the action, specifically the fight scenes, felt the direction was well-paced, based on a solid script. They said the film was well-acted, with good romantic elements, with good cinematography. [7] The Motion Picture Herald also gave the film a good review saying, "This lower bracket programmer is head and shoulders above its predecessors in the Frankie Darro Series. In fact, it is almost as good as some of the major company efforts and better than several we have seen." [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Darro</span> American actor (1917–1976)

Frankie Darro was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles in adventure, western, dramatic, and comedy films, and later became a character actor and voice-over artist. He is perhaps best known for his role as Lampwick, the unlucky boy who turns into a donkey in Walt Disney's second animated feature, Pinocchio (1940). In early credits, his last name was spelled Darrow.

<i>The Phantom Empire</i> 1935 serial film

The Phantom Empire is a 1935 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, and Betsy King Ross. This 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial combined the Western, musical and science-fiction genres. The first episode is 30 minutes, the rest about 20 minutes. The serial film is about a singing cowboy who stumbles upon an ancient subterranean civilization living beneath his own ranch that becomes corrupted by unscrupulous greedy speculators from the surface. In 1940, a 70-minute feature film edited from the serial was released under the titles Radio Ranch or Men with Steel Faces. This was Gene Autry's first starring role, playing himself as a singing cowboy. It is considered to be the first science-fiction Western.

The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial. It was the fourth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and the studio's first Western serial. The serial was the first to be produced by Columbia personnel; Columbia's previous three serials had been produced by the independent Weiss Brothers company, using Columbia's facilities.

Nat Levine, was an American film producer. He produced 105 films between 1921 and 1946. Born in New York City, he entered the film industry as an accountant for Metro Pictures and became personal secretary to Metro head Marcus Loew.

<i>Dinty</i> (film) 1920 film by Marshall Neilan

Dinty is a 1920 American silent comedy drama film written by Marshall Neilan and John McDermott specifically for Wesley Barry, a young actor known for his freckled complexion. Prominent among the supporting players were Colleen Moore, Marjorie Daw, Pat O'Malley, and Noah Beery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Grant</span> American actress (1909-1982)

Frances Grant was an American movie actress and dancer. She appeared as the leading lady of Gene Autry in Red River Valley (1936) and Oh, Susanna! (1936) and other B-films such as Thunder Mountain (1935). and Cavalry (1936).

<i>Grand Jury</i> (film) 1936 film by Albert S. Rogell

Grand Jury is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell from a screenplay by Joseph A. Fields and Philip G. Epstein, based on a story by James Edward Grant and Thomas Lennon. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it premiered in New York City on July 31, 1936, and was released nationwide the following week on August 7. The film stars Fred Stone, Louise Latimer and Owen Davis, Jr.

<i>Dont Turn Em Loose</i> 1936 film directed by Ben Stoloff

Don't Turn 'Em Loose is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Ben Stoloff and produced by RKO Radio Pictures, who released the film on September 18, 1936. Written by Harry Segall and Ferdinand Reyher, the production's screenplay is at least partially based on "Homecoming" by Thomas Walsh, a short story published in Collier's magazine in March 1936. The film costars Lewis Stone, James Gleason, Bruce Cabot, Louise Latimer and Betty Grable.

<i>Show Them No Mercy!</i> 1935 film by George Marshall

Show Them No Mercy! is a 1935 American crime film directed by George Marshall and written by Kubec Glasmon and Henry Lehrman. The film stars Rochelle Hudson, Cesar Romero, Bruce Cabot, Edward Norris, Edward Brophy and Warren Hymer. The film was released on December 6, 1935, by 20th Century Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kelly (actor)</span> American actor (1901–1947)

John F. Kelly was an American actor whose career spanned the very end of the silent film era through the 1940s. While most of his parts were smaller, often-uncredited roles, he was occasionally given a more substantial supporting or even featured role.

<i>Vacation Days</i> 1947 film

Vacation Days is a 1947 American Western musical film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Freddie Stewart, June Preisser, and Frankie Darro. It is part of The Teen Agers series.

Cyclone Higgins, D.D. is a 1918 silent American comedy-drama film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Francis X. Bushman, Beverly Bayne, and Baby Ivy Ward, and was released on May 13, 1918.

<i>The Thrill Hunter</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

The Thrill Hunter is a 1926 American silent comedy adventure film directed by Eugene De Rue and starring William Haines, Kathryn McGuire, and Alma Bennett. An American is mistaken for the ruler of a small European principality, and forced to marry. He manages to escape, and publishes an account of his adventures.

<i>The Arizona Streak</i> 1926 film

The Arizona Streak is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey and starring Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro, and Ada Mae Vaughn.

Mary Eunice McCarthy was an American screenwriter, playwright, journalist and author, perhaps best known today as the screenwriter of, and driving force behind, the biopic Sister Kenny (1946).

<i>Cyclone of the Range</i> 1927 film

Cyclone of the Range is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey and starring Tom Tyler, Elsie Tarron, and Frankie Darro.

<i>Lightning Lariats</i> 1927 film

Lightning Lariats is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey and starring Tom Tyler, Dorothy Dunbar and Frankie Darro.

<i>Born to Battle</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

Born to Battle is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey and starring Tom Tyler, Jean Arthur and Frankie Darro. Tyler also starred in the 1935 film of the same name, but that western film has a different plot and is unrelated to the 1926 film.

The Fearless Lover is a lost 1925 American silent drama film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and Henry MacRae and starring William Fairbanks, Eva Novak, and Tom Kennedy.

<i>Fighting the Flames</i> 1925 film by B. Reeves Eason

Fighting the Flames is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by B. Reeves Eason.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Born to Fight". American Film Institute. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Out Hollywood Way", Motion Picture Daily, p. 10, April 17, 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
  3. ↑ "Motion Picture Daily's Hollywood Preview", Motion Picture Daily, p. 6, April 27, 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
  4. ↑ "The Release Chart", Motion Picture Daily, p. 99, April 25, 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
  5. ↑ "Loew's Double At $9000 Tops Slumpy Prov.", Variety, p. 10, May 13, 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
  6. ↑ Dee, Miss Vee (February 1936), "Ask Me!", Screenland, p. 81, retrieved January 27, 2023
  7. 1 2 ""Born To Fight"", The Film Daily, p. 8, April 27, 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
  8. ↑ "Cast of Current Photoplays", Photoplay, p. 116, February 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
  9. ↑ "What the Picture Did For Me: Ambassador", Motion Picture Herald, p. 68, October 31, 1936, retrieved January 27, 2023
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.