GENTLEMAN JIM (1942) B/W 104m dir: Raoul Walsh

w/Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, John Loder, William Frawley, Minor Watson, Ward Bond, Madeleine LeBeau, Rhys Williams

From The Movie Guide: "One of the best sports biopics ever. Historically inaccurate, but a directorial field day for director Raoul Walsh, who excelled at action direction and also period nostalgia. Errol Flynn's colorful temperament, capricious moods, and daring nature were perfect for the role of James J. Corbett, the brash Irish bank clerk from San Francisco who went on to defeat John L. Sullivan (nicely essayed by Ward Bond) for the heavyweight championship of the world in New Orleans in 1892. As Gentleman Jim's reputation grows, so does his ego, but in the fine scene where Sullivan presents Corbett with the championship belt, Corbett displays a heretofore unseen humility that finally wins the heart of the patrician woman he loves (Alexis Smith). The bout in which Corbett matches his 'scientific' boxing techniques against the toe-to-toe slugging of Sullivan is particularly winning but Walsh is firmly in control throughout."