Patsy Kelly and Guinn Williams prove to be a funny and romantic team in their own way Kelly The Second. The title refers not to any order of birth, but the fact that Patsy acts as Big Boy Williams's second in his boxing career.
I liked Williams playing a lovable lunkhead of a truckdriver who will goodnaturedly brawl on a given occasion. One such brawl damages pharmacist Charley Chase's establishment so that Chase is owing money big time. It's Kelly who gets the idea to turn Williams's talent for brawling into his becoming a prizefighter.
Of course gamblers Harold Huber and Edward Brophy get involved as well as blond golddigger Pert Kelton. The heavyweight championship fight with Williams against Maxie Rosenbloom is something hilarious and pure Hal Roach.
The gimmick at the end is that Williams goes into the ring thoroughly soused to the gills. But another thing that audiences today can't appreciate is Maxie Rosenbloom who two years earlier lost the world light heavyweight title after a five year reign. Rosenbloom's nickname as a fighter was 'Slapsie Maxie' because of his tendency to almost paw at his opponent. He was a tough man in the ring, but he rarely knocked out any opponent because of that. Fight fans in 1936 would know that and realize that Williams in his condition might fare better against a Rosenbloom than say Joe Louis.
The final scene of course is Williams becoming the heavyweight champion, but the fight itself with a drunk Big Boy in the ring with Slapsie Maxie is hysterical. And of course the help he gets from Patsy and in fact the whole audience really make Big Boy, the People's Champion.
I liked Williams playing a lovable lunkhead of a truckdriver who will goodnaturedly brawl on a given occasion. One such brawl damages pharmacist Charley Chase's establishment so that Chase is owing money big time. It's Kelly who gets the idea to turn Williams's talent for brawling into his becoming a prizefighter.
Of course gamblers Harold Huber and Edward Brophy get involved as well as blond golddigger Pert Kelton. The heavyweight championship fight with Williams against Maxie Rosenbloom is something hilarious and pure Hal Roach.
The gimmick at the end is that Williams goes into the ring thoroughly soused to the gills. But another thing that audiences today can't appreciate is Maxie Rosenbloom who two years earlier lost the world light heavyweight title after a five year reign. Rosenbloom's nickname as a fighter was 'Slapsie Maxie' because of his tendency to almost paw at his opponent. He was a tough man in the ring, but he rarely knocked out any opponent because of that. Fight fans in 1936 would know that and realize that Williams in his condition might fare better against a Rosenbloom than say Joe Louis.
The final scene of course is Williams becoming the heavyweight champion, but the fight itself with a drunk Big Boy in the ring with Slapsie Maxie is hysterical. And of course the help he gets from Patsy and in fact the whole audience really make Big Boy, the People's Champion.