Lady and Gent

Boxer George Bancroft hasn't been training for his fight with college graduate John Wayne, despite his manager, James Gleason talking about how he needs a lot of money, and his live-in girlfriend, Wynne Gibson, razzing him over it. When Bancroft loses, Gleason gets killed trying to steal the money. Bancroft and Miss Gibson cover it up, then head up to Ironton to see who the mysterious telegram is from. It turns out to be from nine-year-old Billy Butts. They want to leave, but can't figure out how to do that to a child, so they wind up staying twelve years raising him into Charles Starrett.

It's an Oscar-nominated script by Grover Jones and the wonderfully named William Slavens McNutt; Bancroft and Miss Gibbs are wonderfully matched as two wrangling lovers, even if Bancroft spends most of the script thinking and speaking very slowly. It's a fine comedy-drama, and the relationships and characters are nicely explored.

It was later remade as UNMARRIED, with much of the pre-code charm washed off; that was Helen Twelvetrees' last movie.