Gentleman Jim (1942) on Netflix
Approved19421h 44mBiographyDramaRomance
San Francisco, 1887: boxing is illegal. Bank teller James J. Corbett talks a judge clear of trouble after a police raid; a coach rates his fighting skills. His arrogance irritates Victoria Ware.
- Netflix4.4/5
- IMDb7.5/104,602 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Trailer
Plot summary
James J. Corbett works as a bank teller in 1887 San Francisco, where prizefighting is illegal. He and his friend Walter Lawrie attend a match that a police raid breaks up, catching Judge Geary, a director of the bank, in the sweep; Corbett's fast talking gets him clear of trouble. Geary wants to improve boxing's image by recruiting men from respectable backgrounds to fight under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, and has brought British coach Harry Watson to evaluate prospects. Watson finds Corbett, one of an Irish immigrant family led by Pat Corbett, has excellent fighting skills. Corbett's arrogance irritates the upper class, Victoria Ware among them, though he is drawn to her. He turns professional with manager Billy Delaney and builds a style of footwork and science against champion John L. Sullivan's brawling.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Gentleman Jim (1942)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Errol Flynn's 1959 autobiography My Wicked, Wicked Ways, described as somewhat unreliable, says he suffered a mild heart attack while making Gentleman Jim; he collapsed on set on 15 July 1942 while filming a boxing scene with Ward Bond, and filming shut down until he returned a week later.
- Errol Flynn took the role seriously and was rarely doubled. Alexis Smith recalled in The Two Lives of Errol Flynn taking him aside to say it was silly to work all day and play all night, asking if he didn't want a long life; he answered that he was only interested in 'this half' and didn't care for the future.
