The Big Timer

... But hard not to like.

Ben Lyon is a cocky boxer. The marvelous Constance Cummings plays a gal who becomes both his manager and his wife.

Lyon does a good job in the fight scenes. He is also appealing when not in the ring: His character has an attitude about women's being in their place. Yet, his wife is managing him. And Thelma Todd is a society girl who manages him in her way, too.

The supporting cast is good. We even have Nat Pendleton in a small part.

It's not memorable. It's not a naughty sort of pre-Code film. You'll like it, though.

When the film begins, Pop Baldwin is a successful boxing manager. However, when he is unexpectedly killed, his daughter (Constance Cummings) thinks she can continue running the business. However, only one of Pop's boxers will agree to keep her as a manager--Cooky Bradford. This isn't such a big sacrifice on Bradford's part, as he's never fought professionally and worked for Pop as a sparing partner--his real job was working as a fry cook.

Like you'd see only in the movies, Cooky ends up winning his first fight--though frankly, Ben Lyon looks less athletic than Jerry Lewis and imagining him beating up anyone--even Cummings--a bit of a stretch. In fact, when you see him fight, he punches and swings CONSTANTLY--a style which looked pretty silly and would result in the boxer having a heart attack in the first or second round!! I really think they sped up the film to create this effect.

In a bit of s surprising twist, Cooky cannot find a fight after this first win. This is made worse by the fact that in the interim, he married his manager--and they are really, really struggling. They only make it out of the poorhouse when a chance meeting between Cooky's wife/manager and a socialite (Thelma Todd) results in him getting some matches for charity shows. His performances are so good, that he's spotted by the 'big boys' and soon shoots up the professional ranks. Apparently, in addition to the usual weight classes, there must be one for dorky spastic guys, as Lyons is a success!

Not at all surprising is what happens next. Todd turns out to be a home-wrecker and Lyon is a jerk-face pig who runs around with her--leaving his sweet life at home. The reason this isn't surprising is that this is a standard fight film cliché and because Todd DID play the role of bad-girl when she wasn't playing in comedies. This role was hers in many films--including the great Marx Brothers film "Horse Feathers". And, you know that by the end of the film Lyon will not only get his comeuppance but will come back to his long-suffering wife--who takes him back because she's just plain stupid!

The overall effect is watchable but also immanently forgettable. Nothing about this film is exciting or special--making it just another B-movie about boxing.

In early Hollywood films, the few occasions when they took the time to actually give some depth and development to a female character, the woman was either portrayed as a saint or as bad news. They go the saint route in "The Big Timer" (1932); which in this case means standing behind your man for life, no matter how boorish and stupid his behavior.

"She" is Honey Baldwin, played by Constance Cummings who had much the same cute little Irish girl look as Nancy Carroll. Honey's man is Cooky Bradford (Ben Lyon), so named because he cooks hamburgers at a lunch wagon. Cooky also works for Honey's father Pop as a sparring partner for the boxers he manages. When Pop dies, Honey tries to carry on his gym and fight management business but only Cooky and their trainer Schultzy can overcome their prejudices and work for a woman. One of the writers (Dorothy Howell) was a woman, which might explain these unlikely plot elements.

Honey gets Cooky his first professional fight. He wins and earns a ten-dollar lucky gold piece. For some reason this inspires them to get married. But the fight game is a struggle and the married Cooky is soon back making burgers (the burger jokes are what passes for humor in this film). Finally Honey is able to get Cooky on the card for a charity match and he begins climbing to the top of his light middleweight classification.

Although Lyon looks wimpy, and his character is more slack-jawed retard than manly boxer, he somehow becomes the boy toy of Kay Mitchell (Thelma Todd), a wily society dame. This was a different sort of role for Todd, who generally played an airhead with a heart of gold; and whose real strength was comedic stuff. But she was trying to break the typecasting and would reprise the role in "Call Her Savage" (1932). In both films her natural likability works against her and it's pretty hard to suspend disbelief and buy into these scenes.

"The Big Timer" is not "Rocky" or "Raging Bull". The boxing scenes, when not stock footage, are on the authenticity level of a "Three Stooges" short. But Cummings is good enough to make you want to seek out more of her films.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Terrific precode boxing film with Ben Lyon as the boxer and Constance Cummings as his manager/wife.

Snappy dialog helps move this story as Lyon starts to succeed but falls prey to a swelled head and floozy socialite Thelma Todd. Will there be redemption? Lyon is very handsome and has a great voice; Cummings is gorgeous. Each should have had better film careers. They were big names in early talkies but petered out by the middle of the decade.

Supporting cast includes Tom Dugan, Nat Pendleton, Charley Grapewin, Irving Bacon, Russell Hopton, Robert Emmett O'Connor, and Selmer Jackson.

Worth a look.