Born to Fight

Gangster/gambler Jack La Rue tells boxer Kane Richmond to throw the fight, which he doesn't. La Rue takes a swing at Richmond, who responds and knocks him out. Richmond's manager, Monte Collins, tell him to get to Chicago, and keep out of sight, so Richmond takes the hobo route. At a jungle, after being serenaded by the jolly bindlestiff chorus and their monkey, he has to take to his heels, along with Frankie Darro. When they hit Chicago, Richmond begins training Darro at anti-fight Frances Grant's gym, while doing his best to stay out of sight.

It all sounds very unlikely, doesn't it? Richmond shows more screen charisma than I've seen him demonstrate in any of his other movies, but the occasional jarring detail derails the flow of the story. Fred 'Snowflake' Toones also has a role, and he sings in a voice totally unlike his normal screen voice.

This is one of those films that defies the laws of logic. A championship boxer slugs a mobster/ gambler. It doesn't really hurt him all that much. But the boxer takes it upon himself to hide out. He goes from job to job, barely making ends meet. He meets a young boxer in a hobo jungle. They escape a mob and go on the lam. As luck would have it, the guy is a pretty good lightweight, even though he prances around like a chicken and never keeps his hands up. We are led to believe that this skinny guy is going to hold off some pretty impressive boxers. Well, a whole bunch of circumstances work against him and he is put in the position of throwing a championship fight. The "Bomber," the former champ, is forced to sit in the back of the arena and puzzle over the whole thing. There are these amusing shots of him squirming in his seat, like his shorts are too tight. There are some pretty good boxing films out there. This is not one of them.

The previous review tells us that this film defies the laws of logic. If you're looking for logic, go read Aristotle. This is a 1930s B-movie. Not a good place to look for logical exposition. Take it on it's own terms: It's a very enjoyable period piece that put most of its humble budget on-screen. Serial fans will treasure it for the opportunity to see three serial regulars: Kane Richmond, Frankie Darro and Fred "Snowflake" Toones. In fact, the latter even sings here! Given his high-pitched whiney way of vocalizing, the baritone that comes from his lips in song is a bit of a stunner. Darro is Darro, but Kane Richmond suggests that he can act a little - something that wasn't all that apparent from his rather wooden serial work. The female lead, whose name escapes me, went on to a mini-career as a choreographer as well as appearing in about a dozen films. Fans of the genre, and you know who you are, will find plenty to enjoy here. Logic be damned.

Light-heavyweight boxer Kane Richmond (as Tom "Bomber" Brown) is about to get a shot at the championship, but refuses to participate in fight fixing, then punches out gangster Jack LaRue (as "Smoothy" Morgan) in a restaurant brawl. Although he's an honest man, Mr. Richmond hits the road, forced underground and hunted by the police. Richmond (assuming the surname "Hayes") meets teenager Frankie Darro (as "Babyface" Madison) and is impressed by the young man's fighting skills. The two become companions, with Richmond turning Mr. Darro into a featherweight champ.

Eventually, Richmond's past catches up with him, and threatens Darro's future...

The film receives "comic relief" from rotund ring trainer Fred "Snowflake" Toones (as "Snowflake"). Mr. Toones sports a white T-shirt (which probably has little to do with his resembling a snowflake). In a scene more startling than any of the boxing matches, Toones sings the song "What Comes Over Me" (a catchy number). Darro isn't your traditional boxer, but he's fast on his feet. Richmond's love interest is attractive Francis Grant (as Nan Howard). Serial director Charles Hutchison and the crew make the most of the money available from producer Maurice Conn, who done well with Darro.

***** Born to Fight (8/13/36) Charles Hutchison ~ Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones, Jack LaRue

"Born to Fight" is not a very good film. It's filled with just about every boxing movie cliche and at times I found myself laughing about that. But, despite all the striked against it, the movie isn't terrible and is watchable IF you cut it a lot of slack!

When the story begins, the famous boxer, Bomber Brown (Kane Richmond), gets into a fight with a scum-bag gambler (Jack LaRue). In the process, the crooked gambler is injured...and Brown goes into hiding because he's worried about prison...especially if the guy croaks. Eventually, he lands on his feet when he meets a pugnacious young guy, Babyface Madison (Frankie Darro), and decides to train him for the boxing ring. However, just about every possible problem comes up during the course of the film--including a return of the old crooked gambler. Can Bomber and Babyface make it to the top of the fight game....and can Bomber avoid prison?

As I said, the film is filled with cliches....and the story works out too magically well at the end. But despite my better judgment, I actually kind of enjoyed the story...even if it is pretty much a re-working of a previous film, "The Life of Jimmy Dolan" (and, which was remade as "They Made Me a Criminal").

By the way, the film also has an appearance by Fred 'Snowflake' Toones...playing a guy named 'Snowflake'. It's all very stereotypical and sad to see Toones playing an incredibly stupid guy...too stupid not to be seen as offensive by most audiences today.