From a swashbuckling pirate and romantic idol, Errol Flynn could even play a professional boxer as he proved in Gentleman Jim (1942), a story about an underdog who takes on a world champion boxer in 1880's San Francisco. The movie is charming in its quaint way, and has sports action, romance and lots of humor. The cast of Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, Ward Bond and many others offer fine performances.

Jack Carson  &  Errol Flynn

© Warner Bros. Pictures

Jim Corbett is a young Irishman from a big family yearning to get out of his poverty-level job at the bank. When the beautiful and wealthy socialite Victoria Ware (Alexis Smith) enters the bank, Jim and his pal Walter Lowne (Jack Carson) both fall over themselves to get her to his window. Jim gets lucky and when the stack of silver coins she needs for her father's poker game at the prestigious Olympic Club are too heavy, he offers to accompany her to the club.

Alexis Smith © Warner Bros. Pictures

Victoria agrees to show Jim around the club and though outwardly agasht at his brash and cocky manner, is intrigued by the handsome man. She's quite amused when he acts like he owns the place, but the older members find Jim talkative and annoying. Victoria's father, Buck Ware (Minor Watson), and some of the other old codgers love the game of boxing. It's illegal, and sneaking over to a midnight game in the middle of nowhere has only resulted in a few of them landing up behind bars. That's what happens one night when Jim and Walter are arrested and thrown into jail along side Judge Geary (Wallis Clark).

Wallis Clark

© Warner Bros. Pictures

When the members of the Olympic Club decide to make boxing a "gentlemanly" sport, they go in search of boxers. Jim, who has gone one round after another with his brothers in the barn, insists he can box. They laugh as first but when he becomes so annoying in the club, decide he needs to the heck knocked out of him. So his boxing career begins, and with his incredible footwork Jim levels one semi-pro after another.

Meanwhile, Victoria, who finally sponsored him along with her father to become a member of the Olympic Club, has grown so incensed at Jim's continuous conniving she keeps her distance and spends most of her time with her soon-to-be fiancé Carlton De Witt (John Loder), who would rather run over Jim with a horse than look at him.

Minor Watson, Alexis Smith, John Loder © Warner Bros. Pictures

One night when Jim defends Walter's loud and drunken behavior in the club after Jim's win caused all the members to lose their money betting against him in a big fight, Jim and Walter tie on a good one. The next morning they wake up in a hotel in Salt Lake City. Luckily Jim comes out on top though because that's where me meets his new manager, Billy Delaney (William Frawley). Up to this point Harry Watson (Rhys Williams, The Bells of St. Mary's) has been coaching Jim. Billy, aided by Father Burke (Arthur Shields), trains Jim for the biggest fight of his career, against World's Champion John L. Sullivan (Ward Bond).

There are many entertaining facets of Gentleman Jim. The characters all seem believable. They're warm, funny, romantic or just curmudgeons. Flynn (Dodge City, The Adventures of Robin Hood) is a delight from beginning to end. He's the perfect lad having the time of his life. He can rally with the guys one moment, make the girls swoon the next, and boast the buttons off his proud parents' (Alan Hale, The Fighting 69th and Dorothy Vaughan, Little Orphan Annie) shirts. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Jim stands outside a building with a large poster of John L. Sullivan and mimics his stance.

Alexis Smith (Of Human Bondage, The Adventures of Mark Twain) plays a swell dame teetering on the line between love and hate about Jim. No matter which moment she's in, she's beautiful and adorned by gorgeous costumes by Milo Anderson. Ward Bond (Hondo, Gone With the Wind) plays the unbeatable and arrogant John L. like he was born for the role.

Jack Carson (Romance on the High Seas, The Male Animal) antes up the wonderful humor he did in so many of his movies. An early look at William Frawley and one can't help but remember all of his wonderfully comedic moments in the I Love Lucy series as Fred Mertz.

William Frawley

© Warner Bros. Pictures

Director Raoul Walsh did a terrific job balancing the balls up in the air. He had a cast of recognizable talents to corral, side plots of drinking and fighting, and several scenes of many extras to control during the rowdy boxing matches. One scene in particular where Jim fights Joe Choynski (Sammy Stein) down by the wharf is great. Lowlifes and richies mingle on different levels to get a look, but when the paddy wagons arrive to throw everyone if jail, they all scatter and many choose to jump into the bay rather than get locked up.

What a really like about Gentleman Jim is there are no losers. Everyone ends up with they want, and in the end, even John L. Sullivan is a gentleman.

Gentleman Jim has one of the more  memorable quotes. Alexis says to Jim, "This is a fine way for a gentleman to behave."

He replies, "I'm no gentleman."

Director: Raoul Walsh  

 Writers: James J. Corbett - (autobiography The Roar of the Crowd), screenplay -Vincent Lawrence and Horace McCoy

 Cast Members: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, John Loder, William Frawley, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields

 Rating: Unrated €“ some minor boxing ring violence, probably boring for anyone under 13

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars  

 Studio:    Warner Home Entertainment  

 Black & White, Widescreen format