Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Post about classic films and films related to combat sports and history.
RKO Pictures brought the Dick Tracy comic strip character to the big screen on December 1, 1945. While the film is definitely a “B” film meant to be first on the double bill, it still would have been of interest to the many fans of the popular comic strip. Chester Gould created the strip in October 1931 for the Detroit
William Powell’s fifth turn as S.S. Van Dine’s detective Philo Vance may have been his best. The Kennel Murder Case (1933) finds Philo Vance trying to solve the murder of Archer Coe. Coe had many enemies but the greatest mystery for Vance is how Coe was murdered in a locked room. Vance attended a dog show with Coe and his
Charlie Chan in Panama (1940) stars Sidney Toler as Inspector Charlie Chan. In this film, Inspector Chan is on the trail of the spy Riner. Riner intends to carry out an act of sabotage, when the American fleet passes through the canal. Inspector Chan experiences an unusual situation, when he is arrested for the death of an American agent in
On March 19, 1942, RKO Radio Pictures released the second film starring the Old Time Radio comedy team Lum and Abner. The Bashful Bachelor (1942) starred Chester Lauck as Lum Edwards and Norris Goff as Abner Peabody, the owners of the Jot’Em Down Store in Arkansas. In this film (affiliate link), longtime bachelor Lum Edwards wants to become a hero
On June 27, 1941, Producer’s Releasing Corporation (PRC) released Double Cross (1941). The film is a starring vehicle for Kane Richmond, who displays his usual rugged toughness backed up by intelligence. In this film, Richmond plays Police Officer Jim Murray, the son of a Police Captain. At the beginning of the film, Jim Murray’s friend Steve Bronson, another police officer,
On January 26, 1934, United Artists released Palooka (1934), a feature film based on the popular comic strip. Stuart Erwin plays Joe Palooka but Jimmy Durante steals the show as his manager Knobby Walsh. Joe Palooka is the son of former world boxing champion Pete Palooka. When Joe was a baby, his mother Mayme, played by Marjorie Rambeau, takes him
On September 16, 1932, RKO Pictures released The Most Dangerous Game (1932), a film about a big game hunter becoming the hunted. Joel McCrea plays big game hunter Bob Rainsford. Rainsford is on a yacht off the South American coast discussing his latest hunt, when another guest asks him, “Do you ever think how the tiger felt?” Rainsford laughs at
Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland were paired together for the first time in this International Renters, Ltd (Monogram Pictures) film, Irish Luck (1939). In the film (affiliate link), Frankie Darro plays “Buzzy” O’Brien, a hotel bellhop, while Mantan Moreland is Jefferson, the hotel porter. “Buzzy’s” father was a police officer killed in the line of duty. “Buzzy” wants to be
On December 27, 1941, Republic Pictures released the first chapter of the fourth Dick Tracy serial, Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941). Once again, Ralph Byrd played Detective Dick Tracy. In this series, Dick Tracy works with “The Commission” to attack crime but suspects one of the members of the commission is the mysterious Ghost. The Ghost’s henchman Lucifer, played
From 1931 to 1954, Lum and Abner occupied a spot among the most popular shows during the Old Time Radio era. Chester Lauck and Norris Goff attended the University of Arkansas together. Lauck and Goff later developed their show Lum and Abner based on life in Arkansas. The show struck a cord with many listeners. My wife’s grandmother once told