Main Cast: Richard Denning, J. Carrol Naish, Robert Paige, William Frawley
Release Year: 1940
Country: US
Run Time: 66 minutes
Plot
Filmed with the full cooperation of the Golden Gloves Tournament Association, this Paramount programmer stars Richard Denning as promising pugilist Bill Crane. Though tempted to sign up with crooked Joe Taggerty (J. Carrol Naish) for a series of fixed bouts, Crane is saved from himself by sportswriter Wally Matson (Robert Paige), the organizer of the local Golden Gloves program. Taggerty tries to get even by pitting the amateur Crane against a seasoned professional, but to no avail. James Cagney's sister Jeanne Cagney is an appealing heroine, while Crane's duplicitious ring opponent is played by Robert Ryan in his first screen appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A tough little Paramount B-movie, directed with his usual steady hand by Edward Dmytryk and performed by a fine cast of second-tier performers, Golden Gloves was undoubtedly inspired by Clifford Odets' 1937 Broadway play Golden Boy and its 1939 screen version. In fact, Paramount attempted to borrow William Holden, the sensational young star of Golden Boy, but Columbia's Harry Cohn reportedly refused to let him go, and contract player Richard Denning was chosen instead. Denning is quite good in the role of the fighter with a conscience but Golden Gloves belongs to villainous J. Carrol Naish who offers a memorable interpretation of controlled menace. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
