The Prizefighter and the Lady

In earlier viewer comments I notice that Max Baer is referred to both as a "lunk" and as a dominating presence. He had every opportunity, since he appears in a majority of the scenes. The script called on him to demonstrate incredibly diverse talents, even as he was surrounded by such seasoned performers as Myrna Loy, Walter Huston and Otto Kruger, all of whom give excellent performances. We see him in semi-comic scenes as a braggart strong man; in love scenes with Myrna Loy in which something seems really to be going on between them, and in flirtations or affairs with other women; in a ten-minute "dance" number embodying fighter training techniques with a line of chorus girls; and finally in an only slightly abridged championship fight with the then heavyweight champ Primo Carnera, anticipating their actual battle a year later. It's amazing that a screen neophyte with no drama training actually brings these off credibly; I agree with the dominating presence comment. If you look at his subsequent filmography, it's clear that he never had another significant opportunity; perhaps it was necessary for a film to be built around him as this one was. As I watched this film last night the thought came to me that he was born fifty years too soon; he could have been successful in the kind of roles recently played by Stallone and Schwarzenegger, neither of whom, in my opinion, has the range for which Baer showed the potential.

..........AND OBVIOUSLY SOMEBODY over at MGM was of like mind. It would appear that this story and film were tailor made for "the Livermore Larruper" as he had co-starring status (along with Miss Myrna Loy) and basically just did himself.

OBVIUSLY WE'RE TALKING a Boxing Movie here ("No sh*t Sherlock!), but it does manage to touch base with the Love Story, the Morality Play and the always popular Success Story. Although we may view some portions of it as being "Camp Humour"* there is still much to recommend it.

WHEREAS NO ONE at Metro Goldwyn Mayer ever thought of this as being Oscar material or a "Blockbuster" there was obviously some serious thought put in to give it that polished look. There appears to be a great deal of care in meticulously blending in drama, boxing action, comedy and the metaphor of the Prize Ring as Life itself.

WHICH BRINGS US to yet another observation. Professional Boxing has meant so much as a cultural catalyst to our country. This was particularly important in the late 19th Century and in the 20th Century all the way from the Turn of the Century to he 1950's.

NEVER WAS IT more so than in the Great Depression years of the 1930's. A poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks could pull himself up several rungs of the Socio-Economic ladder with success as a pugilist. In that sense, the boxing game turned itself into the great crucible of ethnic blending and pride and thus became a leading agent in our attaining "E Pluribus Unum." (That's "One from many", Schultz!)

WHILE WE CANNOT say that the movie has a great and memorable musical score, both its theme (which saw some other service) and incidental music were more than adequate. Its supporting cast made it look easy and included: Walter Huston, Otto Kruger, Muriel Evans and Vince Barnett. The Heavyweight Champ, Primo Carnera, "the Ambling Alp" (himself) had third billing playing himself (who else, Schulz?)

WELL NEEDLESS TO say, Max Baer never did achieve stardom in Hollywood; but did a lot of film work. He also managed to win the Championship from Primo in the following year of 1834.

BUT WE CANNOT close out this report without first making note of the one other outstanding sequence in the film. With his boxing fame, his stock rose in other forms of entertainment and he is depicted as being featured in a musical stage play. Man,. was it ever something "mock training" while dancing with a whole bunch of showgirls!

SO NOW WE'LL close with "Busby Berkeley-eat your heart out!"

The movie's routine plot involving the on-again, off-again romance and marriage between Myrna Loy and Max Baer seemed completely dwarfed by the drama of the final 25 minutes, which pitted Max Baer against Primo Carnera for the world heavyweight championship. As most boxing fans will know, Carnera was the world heavyweight champion and Baer was a contender when this movie was made, and they actually did square off against each other for the heavyweight title the year after this movie was released, when Baer beat Carnera. In a sense, the fight in this this movie is a preview of the real championship fight even though it was staged, and it is much more enjoyable if you keep that in mind. Many of the boxing greats were introduced before the fight just as is done in actual championship fights.

I don't think anyone in Hollywood history did so well at playing himself as Max Baer did in this film until Audie Murphy played himself in To Hell and Back. Though his character name was Steve Morgan, believe me this is the genuine Max.

And this is a lot closer than the portrayal of Baer in that otherwise excellent film Cinderella Man that came out this year. Baer had all the tools necessary to have been the greatest heavyweight champion of all. His power punching killed two people in the ring as was graphically demonstrated in Cinderella Man.

But Max was no killer and no bully as Cinderella Man showed. Those deaths deeply affected him and he pulled his punches in many subsequent matches. In addition he was a colorful playboy who just loved the fast nightclub life as he does in The Prizefighter and the Lady.

Myrna Loy and her chauffeur are saved from an auto wreck by Max and his fight manager Walter Huston. They find out later she's the main squeeze of hoodlum Otto Krueger. I won't say more, but there are some of the same plot elements that are found in Broadway Through a Keyhole and Stars Over Broadway in which this same story has the protagonist a singer.

Today's audience might find it a little silly that fighter Max Baer appears in a Broadway review. But that was definitely Max as he sings with a bunch of chorus girls, Lucky Fellow, Lucky Guy.

Myrna Loy, Walter Huston and Otto Krueger all turn in fine performances in their parts. And Max Baer was a natural born performer. After his ring career he had a nightclub act with fellow pugilist and former Light Heavyweight Champion Maxie Rosenbloom. Baer was no longer the physical specimen he was in 1933, but he had great comic timing and also did several movie roles by himself and with Rosenbloom.

He also did a great dramatic part in The Harder They Fall as a stone cold killer of a heavyweight champion, the image that Cinderella Man tried to convey of him.

Also the Twentieth Century Fox film, Footlight Serenade, uses Max Baer as a model for Victor Mature's character.

And as a special treat for you boxing fans, a whole slew of former ring greats are introduced at the climax of the film before Baer fights for the heavyweight champion.

I found the film thoroughly enjoyable and hope TCM shows it more often so the real Max Baer is seen by today's audiences.

. . . or is it life imitates art? For here we have real life boxing champs, stage-battling in the ring for a movie. Only to be pitted in real life the following year for a bona fide championship bout.

Van Dyke's direction and his crew's camera work and editing for the climactic screen fight are all excellent. As exciting and well staged as any modern film . . . and remember this was 1933! The cast is excellent, including Loy, Huston and Kruger.

The real surprise though is Baer himself, acting, boxing, singing, and dancing. Who ever had the idea of fashioning a script around this athlete got a brain storm. It was brilliant and it worked.

Overlook the title (and often middling script) and check this striking early talkie out.