fienbergm I recently saw this movie for the first time. It blew me away.Max Baer as the protagonist, never overacting and an immense screen presence . Walter Huston as the failed alcoholic manager and |Otto Kruger as the sinister Gangster Willie Ryan.All surrounded by Myrna Loy cute as a pixie.The Broadway Show number starring Baer is an exhausting brilliant tour de forceThe fight scenes intense and realistic(save for over multitude of knockdowns) I counted about 15!This movie from 1933 has it all Romance Sex, Revenge and plenty of amazing cameos by the likes of Jack Dempsey, Jess Willars and Gentleman James Jeffries. \\Highly recommended

dougdoepke Surprising that this film is so obscure. As a devotee of late shows, I don't recall its being played in big market LA, that is, until TMC's recent showing. What might lend this 100- minutes cachet is the presence of a generation of heavyweight champs, including the legendary Jack Dempsey. Soon-to-be-champ Max Baer does surprisingly well in the lead role, even if a neophyte. The plot, however, is shopworn, to say the least—a sports figure loses perspective as he moves up the celebrity and money ladder. Then too, it's a stretch to think any guy would slight the exotic looking Myrna Loy, as Baer's character does. But I really like that smiling cobra Otto Kruger in an unexpected turn. And catch that weird dance sequence, likely choreographed by the Green Bay Packers instead of Busby Berkeley. Except for the legendary sports names, however, the film's pretty forgettable, even if it does feature the delectable Loy.

westerfield As a fight fan I cringe when I see films like Rocky, Kid Gallahad or Golden Boy. They might as well be from Republic serials. Every punch a hay maker. Every punch connecting. But this film shows what two top professionals can do. Sure, the action is unrealistically non-stop but the punches are thrown properly and the connection rate (until the final rounds) realistic. This is enough to make Prizefighter and the Lady the best fight film ever.I was terrifically impressed by Max Baer. He held his own with consummate professionals. Was he awkward in some scenes? Yes. But isn't this how you would expect a guy that he was playing to react? And his turn at show business, while of no value to the film, was the kind of thing famous people routinely did in that age.The rest of the cast was uniformly good. Willy the gangster was a difficult assignment pulled off with originality and rare perception. The basic story may be well-used but done with complete believability and with interesting twists. Fight fans, see this film.

Karen Green (klg19) Max Baer, Myrna Loy, and Otto Kruger deliver worthy performances in this curiosity of a film. Clearly it was made and distributed "pre-Code," as Myrna Loy's character displays a certain...moral laxity that would not have gone unpunished a few years later. Kruger's tough guy is also unusually nuanced for a gangster of this period.But the real surprise--and delight--is Baer. He acts, he sings, he dances, and he does it all as convincingly as he fights in the climactic bout. In that bout he takes on then heavyweight champ Primo Carnera. I found myself on the edge of my seat as I waited to see which of these two renowned boxers would be the one to post an on-screen loss. The resulting decision is best explained by this entry in the American Film Institute Catalog: "Professional heavyweight boxer Max Baer made his screen debut in the film. At the time of the film's production, Primo Carnera, who also made his screen debut in the picture, was the world's heavyweight boxing champion. Baer was considered the main contender for Carnera's crown, and in 1934, he defeated Carnera for the title. Variety notes that Carnera refused to be knocked out at the end of the film and agreed to the draw decision in the script only after the studio added an extra $10,000 to his $35,000 salary. Hollywood Reporter notes that Baer was 'mutilated' for the first time in his two-year boxing career when he had two teeth knocked out during a staged fight. According to the modern interview with Myrna Loy, Baer studied Carnera's boxing techniques during the filming and later used this 'scouting' information to beat Carnera. In March 1934, Daily Variety announced that the picture had been banned in Germany because Baer was Jewish." That last line is quite the kicker, isn't it? All in all, this is a film that's worth giving time to.