(1932)
Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer
Written by Arthur Hoerl, Sherman L. Lowe
Starring Regis Toomey, Dorothy Sebastian, Edward Woods, Greta Granstedt, Earle Foxe, Gertrude Astor
IMDB Entry
In the 1930s, boxing was America's most popular professional sport next to baseball so there were a lot of boxing movies. They Never Come Back stays away from the cliches that marked boxing movies* to come up with something different.
Jimmy Nolan (Regis Toomey) is a successful prizefighter, but just before a bout, he gets a telegram telling him his mother has died. Distraught, he goes into the ring and manages to win, but he tears a ligament in his arm and is not cleared to box again. He brings his sister Mary to the city and he manages to get a job working for at Jerry Filmore's (Earle Foxe) nightclub. He becomes close to Adele Landon (Dorothy Sebastian), Filmore's girl. When money is stolen, Jimmy becomes the prime suspect and is arrested when he is found with the money; he believes Filmore has framed him for his interest in Adele. Mary visits him in prison and also falls in love with Ralph Landon (Edward Woods). When Jimmy is released, he discovers that the money was stolen by Landon because he owed it to Filmore. Because Landon is in love with Mary, Jimmy decides to find the money and the most convenient way was to take part in a boxing match, despite the risk.
The story is fairly sophisticated for its time. Toomey, who later became a successful character actor in TV, was a leading man of the time, but never a star. Dorothy Sebastian is best known today starring with Buster Keaton, most notably for the routine when he tries to get her into bed once she's passed out drunk.**
Director Fred C. Newmeyer directed several Harold Lloyd films, notably his classic Safety Last."
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*"In the third round, you're taking a dive."
**It's hard to write the description these days without people getting the wrong impression. Sebastian plays his wife and Keaton is just trying to get her into a place to sleep. No sex is suggested or implied. Keaton loved the routine and re-created it elsewhere.
