Prizefighter and The lady, The

The prizefighter is the real deal -- real-life World Heavyweight Champion Max Baer in an acclaimed performance. The lady -- she's the real deal, too: Myrna Loy, just before she shot to renown in The Thin Man. The movie is a two-fisted bruiser of a rags-to-riches fight story, as fast and stinging as a workout on the punching bag. W.S. Van Dyke directs this saga of a has-been fight manager (Walter Huston) who rebuilds his career on the muscled back of a sailor (Baer) with lightning in his gloves and a mobster's moll (Loy) in his corner. The climactic scene pits Baer against then-reigning World Champion Primo Carnera (Baer would take his title the next year) in a thrill-packed fight refereed by ex-champ Jack Dempsey.

• comedy