Kid Monk Baroni

The movie's the sort of thing John Garfield at Warner Bros. did to more dramatic effect. Nimoy's a tough slum kid going nowhere until priest Rober takes an interest and teaches him boxing. The Kid's good with his fists, attracting the interest of professional gamblers who grease his upward career. Now he's got money and a fast-lane girlfriend. Trouble is he's losing the wholesome values that were emerging with the priest and neighborhood girlfriend Roberts.

I agree with another reviewer: the narrative is restrained in its drama and conflicts. The results don't play up either phase of Nimoy's life. Slum life and fast life are both characterized rather than dramatized. That's okay, but doesn't do much for overall impact. Nimoy shows acting flair even if his physical build is too spare for a professional fighter. Mona Knox impresses as the gold-digging counter girl. Too bad her career was brief. And I wish I knew the name of the Huntz Hall counterpart who threatens to turn the proceedings into a Bowery Boys farce. Anyway, I get the feeling the screenplay was influenced by the temper of its time, 1952. After all, the McCarthy years emphasized both societal and religious conformity, both of which are foremost in this feature. Nonetheless, fans of Nimoy should enjoy this early outing, with his ugly nose make- up or without.

Leonard Nimoy gets an "introducing" credit as an Italian kid in Little Italy who goes from gang member to a boxer thanks to Irish priest Richard Rober. Bruce Cabot gets the most interesting role as his manager, a man who is in it only for the money, and is completely honest about it.

The interesting thing about the script is its free acknowledgment of the corruption of the fight game, the short-sighted attitudes of the boxers, and the people hanging around it. Allene Roberts is the good girl, and Mona Knox the one who is also in it for the money.

Despite the structure of the movie, and the shock, first of seeing Nimoy in heavy prosthetics that make him ugly, and then his natural face after plastic surgery, there's a Code-compliant reticence about the racketeers, and an ending that makes little sense. With Mona Freeman, Paul Maxey, and Jack Larson.

The chief apostle of calm and logic as an approach to life made a screen debut in this film Kid Monk Baroni. Leonard Nimoy who became famous as Mr. Spock of Star Trek played many a tough guy like the title role in this film.

Nimoy is a kid with a real chip on his shoulder and it's about his looks. Not exactly blessed with the looks Tyrone Power, Nimoy learns the manly art of pugilism courtesy of the neighborhood priest Richard Rober. What to do but make his temper and his new boxing skills pay off. He goes to Bruce Cabot as a manager and soon enough gets into the big time.

For all the years of being teased and ridiculed about his looks, Nimoy makes it all pay in the ring. He even gets himself a fast stepping new girlfriend in Mona Knox to the consternation of Allene Roberts from the old neighborhood.

And then he gets some plastic surgery courtesy of all the money he's made in the ring he hasn't spent on Knox. That leads to quite a change of attitude and style.

Elements of Champion are very much present in the plot of Kid Monk Baroni. Jack Larson is in the film as well in the Arthur Kennedy role as opposed to Nimoy's Kirk Douglas.

Kid Monk Baroni is a no frills independent B picture. It is a nice boxing story however and Nimoy makes an impressive debut.

Oddity from the church basement with Leonard Nimoy who actually can act and gay Jack Larsen.

It's an odd film which I initially thought was made for TV, but it's not. Not especially original. Nimoy goes from tough goon to choir singer in 10 seconds flat

Interesting that in 1954 East 103rd street in Manhattan was still Italian and not a dump.

The most amusing part of this little movie is the fact that Nimoy plays a young man so ugly women make fun of him. By 1966 they were kicking and screaming to get to their Vulcan during his amok time. I fell off the sofa when I accidentally caught this modest offering on daytime tv back in the 70's. Life is funny.

The movie itself? I remember enjoying it because I was such a Trekker at the time. Another fan of a multi-talented actor like Nimoy (did you ever hear him sing?) might be similarly disposed.