Silent film from First National Pictures, directed by Alfred Santell. The Patent Leather Kid is a boxing-war-romance that earned Richard Barthelmess and Academy Award nomination and features a breakout performance by Molly O’Day.
Frank Capra’s Broadway Bill (1934) Starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy
A look at Frank Capra’s follow-up to It Happened One Night, the 1934 holiday release Broadway Bill starring Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy and a horse named Broadway Bill. With comparison to 1950 remake Riding High and explanation of why Bill wound up out of circulation until 1992.
Winner Take All (1932) from Warner Archive’s Latest Wave of James Cagney
James Cagney stars as boxer Jimmy Kane in Winner Take All, a 1932 Warner Bros. release. This post takes a look at the Rocky II-like double knockdown from the film in order to revisit its inspiration, a real-life 1912 lightweight title fight. Also starring Marian Nixon and Virginia Bruce.
Stablemates (1938) – MGM Rides Seabiscuit to Hit with Beery and Rooney
MGM’s horse racing weepie Stablemates starring Wallace Beery and Mickey Rooney released just three weeks before Seabiscuit’s match race vs. War Admiral. A look at time, circumstances and film.
Ronald Reagan as Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander
A look at Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander and how Ol Pete was portrayed by Ronald Reagan in The Winning Team (1952) with focus on the 1926 World Series.
Baseball Movie The Stratton Story (1949) Starring James Stewart
Jimmy Stewart stars in The Stratton Story about tragic baseball pitcher Monty Stratton. Starring James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan and Agnes Moorehead.
Eleven Men and a Girl (1930) starring Joan Bennett and Joe E. Brown
Joan Bennett’s early career with a focus on Eleven Men and a Girl aka Maybe It’s Love, a 1930 Warner Brothers football comedy directed by William Wellman and co-starring Joe E. Brown and the College Football All Americans.
William Frawley Before I Love Lucy
A look at William Frawley in the years before he achieved his greatest fame as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. Special attention is paid to his baseball movies and his early days on the vaudeville circuit and Broadway. The article is illustrated with seven promotional photos from the 1939 film St. Louis Blues.
More on The Stratton Story
A follow-up to coverage of the actual Sporting News article about Monte Stratton’s amputation with a more in-depth look at The Stratton Story (1949) with James Stewart and June Allyson.
Coverage of The Stratton Story inside The Sporting News
Coverage of Monty Stratton’s accident as it happened inside the December 1, 1938 issue of The Sporting News, plus notes on 1949’s The Stratton Story and more.