Golden Boy (1939)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Rouben Mamoulian

Writers:

Clifford Odets (play)
Lewis Meltzer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 September 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Famous Play.....Now A Great Picture!

Plot:

Despite his musical talent, Joe Bonaparte wants to be a boxer.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Boxing | Fight Manager | Conscience | Italian American

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Lorna Moon
Adolphe Menjou	...	Tom Moody
William Holden	...	Joe Bonaparte
Lee J. Cobb	...	Mr. Bonaparte
Joseph Calleia	...	Eddie Fuseli
Sam Levene	...	Siggie
Edward Brophy	...	Roxy Lewis (as Edward S. Brody)
Beatrice Blinn	...	Anna 'Duchess'
William H. Strauss	...	Mr. Carp
Don Beddoe	...	Borneo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Halton	...	Newspaperman (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5368)

Filming Locations:

Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden - 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

William Holden was so grateful to Barbara Stanwyck for her insistence on casting him in Golden Boy (1939), his first big role, that he reportedly sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of the filming.

Quotes:

Eddie Fuseli: This your girl?
Lorna Moon: I'm my mother's girl.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Archie's Fun House: Jungle Doctor/Lake (#1.14)" (????)

Soundtrack:

We're in the Money Now

WONDERFUL (SCHMALTZY AT TIMES) MOVIE....

A great film. A (very) young William Holden "hits" the bulls-eye on this one. And, I always love to see Barbara Stanwyck's hard, street smart "heart of stone" turn to mush. In a story that won't present you with many surprises as it unfolds, this film is held together by many fine performances. It's from that magical time, long ago, when New York City was inhabited by hustlers and gangsters and boxing was king. It was also inhabited by those of strong family values, the ones fighting that constant battle of the "easy" way or the right way. The mainstay, in that era (in film, anyway), was the ultimate triumph of good. Here, it is a joy to behold. The right choices, by both Stanwyck and Holden, seem very apparent to the viewer, but the right choices are rarely the first ones taken.

Eventually, they can be taken......