Conflict

"Conflict" is a B-movie starring John Wayne shortly before he went from a B-list to an A-list star. Throughout the 1930s, Wayne made a ton of Bs...mostly westerns. Here, however, he plays a conman in a film about boxing.

In many ways, the plot is very reminscent of Rory Calhoun's exceptional film, "The Big Caper". Both are about crooks who move to a small town, ingratiate themselves to the locals and, ultimately, will rob them blind!

In this case, Wayne is a shill who travels the country with a gang putting on fake boxing matches. Wayne is the local favorite in each case and throws the fight to the other guy (Ward Bond). However, in his latest swindle, he manages to find folks he likes...as well as a pretty lady and a plucky orphan.

Ultimately he refuses to throw the match as they'd previously planned. Does he stand a chance or not? And will his new friends be taken to the cleaners?

This film is a bit more enjoyable than Wayne's western Bs...mostly because the plot is quite different. It's also a bit schmaltzy...but not so much that it harms the story. Well worth seeing and a nice change of pace for the Duke.

By the way, it took me years to find this one and a friend, Angelo, found it for me on YouTube. Thanks Angelo.

An American drama; A story set in 1890s about a farmer raised in the mountains by his father as a bare-knuckle boxer who becomes subject to a prize-fighting gambling scam. This sports drama is loosely based on Jack London's 1913 novel The Abysmal Brute which was previously adapted into a film in 1923. The film is hemmed down to action apart from some sideline melodrama with a kid which works quite well for John Wayne. He looks the part as the strapping pugilist and Ward Bond, swinging as a prizefighter, is a worthy opponent for the engaging conflict. Jean Rogers is charming and comely but isn't given much leeway with the role she's given. The camerawork is quite good.

"Conflict" is a formulaic '30's programmer with very little to recommend it. Let's see. You can see a young John Wayne getting experience and time in front of a camera. Jean Rogers is pretty. And there is some very nice background music by Charles Previn.

Well, that's about it. Not much else going on here. Direction was dreadful and the Screenplay was simple-minded, and it all makes you think of Kid's matinees of the 40's - I loved those shows but we also got some cartoons and funny shorts to go with it.

In this one, Duke is a lumberjack/set-up man for a crooked boxing con game working the Northwest with the"Champ" being none other than a youthful Ward Bond. But then Duke adopts an orphan boy, meets Jean Rogers, gets pangs of conscience, and guess what? You guessed correctly, so now you can buy or watch a better DVD, one more worthy of your time and expenditure.

Average quality but nonetheless interesting Jack London western in which John Wayne and Ward Bond have their first serious on-screen slug match. The story centers on a boxing match and on an orphan boy who Wayne unofficially adopts, the lad thus graduating from eating the tail of the chicken to the drumstick. I never forgot that aspect.

I ought not reveal more of the story, cuz there ain't much more; as the movie clocks in at 65 minutes. In the pre- TV and pre- VCR era the combination of having John Wayne as the star and the short running time made for an ideal half of a double feature and prolonged the movie's life through several re-issues over several decades.

Incredibly, this movie has sold repeatedly in bootleg copies on the internet for prices in excess of $100. Interesting to see the movie listed for $9.95 suddenly bid up above $100, sometimes over $150. (I was never a seller.) This happened more than 20 times.