Put Up Your Dukes: Vintage Boxing Movies Showing in July, August

WILTON, NH — In this corner: a double bill of low-budget prizefight melodramas on Sunday, July 17, 2016, followed a week later on Sunday, July 24, by an early Alfred Hitchcock film set in the boxing world.

The films are all part of the Wilton Town Hall Theatre's summer series of vintage boxing movies.

Submitted by Jeff Rapsis

All films in the series are from the silent movie era, and will be presented with live music by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

The boxing series is part of the Wilton Town Hall Theatre's monthly silent film program. Admission to the screenings is free; a donation of $5 per person is suggested.

The pair of low-budget boxing melodramas to be screened on Sunday, July 17 is a last-minute addition to the series. The two obscure dramas will help give audiences an idea of how popular boxing films were in the 1920s, Rapsis said.

First up is "The Battling Fool" (1924), in which a minister's son takes up boxing. In 'American Pluck' (1925), a cowboy-turned-prizefighter comes to the rescue of a visiting foreign princess.

Both films were cranked out quickly by Hollywood to meet the demand for boxing-related stories.
The double feature will be followed on Sunday, July 24 by Alfred Hitchcock's early boxing drama, "The Ring" (1927).

"Hitchcock's drama of two fighters in love with the same woman shows many of the characteristics that would later earn him the nickname 'The Master of Suspense,'" Rapsis said.

The series concludes on Sunday, Aug. 28, with "Battling Butler" (1926), Buster Keaton's uproarious boxing comedy about a pampered millionaire mistaken for a champion fighter.

The series will also include several vintage boxing-themed short films.

Silent-era boxing dramas are of interest to sports buffs because they're filled with scenes of the fight game at the height of its mainstream popularity.

"As an elemental contest between two opponents, boxing inspired early filmmakers to do some some great work," Rapsis said. "It's a visual sport that doesn't require a lot of dialogue or commentary to understand, and so was perfect for silent movies."

All shows in the silent film series start at 4:30 p.m. The Town Hall Theatre's screenings are free and open to the public; a donation of $5 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.

"Even if you're not a boxing fan, each of these movies offers a great story told at a fast pace," Rapsis said. "These films were designed to be crowd-pleasers, and they still work today. They're the kind of films that caused audiences to first fall in love with the movies."

The Wilton Town Hall Theatre has been showing films since 1912. In addition to running the best current releases on its two screens, the theater remains committed to alternative programming such as its ongoing series of silent films with live music.

The silent series gives local audiences to experience great work of early cinema as it was intended to be seen: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

The complete line-up of films in this summer's boxing series includes:

• Sunday, July 17, 4:30 p.m.: A two-fisted double feature of vintage low-budget silent boxing tales. "The Battling Fool" (1924) finds a minister's son taking up boxing. In "American Pluck" (1925), a cowboy-turned-prizefighter comes to the rescue of a visiting foreign princess.
• Sunday, July 24, 4:30 p.m.: "The Ring" (1927) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The master of suspense was very young, and still in England, when he made this silent drama about two boxers in love with the same woman. Who will win the fight for her heart? Full of trademark Hitchcock touches even at this early stage in his career.
• Sunday, Aug. 28, 4:30 p.m.: "Battling Butler" (1926) starring Buster Keaton. Our series of silent boxing movies concludes with Keaton's riotous comedy. Keaton plays Alfred Butler, a pampered rich idler with the same name as a feared boxing champion. When a girl he fancies thinks he's the fighter, Keaton has no choice but to start training.

The Summer Silent Boxing Film Series continues with a screening of "The Battling Fool" (1924) and "American Pluck" (1925) on Sunday, July 17 at 4:30 p.m.; followed by Alfred Hitchcock's "The Ring" (1927) on Sunday, July 24 at 4:30 p.m.. All films shown at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre, 60 Main St., Wilton, N.H. Admission is free; a donation of $5 per person is suggested.

For more info, call 603-654-3456 or visit wiltontownhalltheatre.com. For more info on the music, visit jeffrapsis.com.

CAPTION: A scene from Alfred Hitchcock's early prizefight drama 'The Ring' (1927), to be shown with live music as part of a summer series of boxing films on Sunday, July 24 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre, 60 Main St., Wilton, N.H. Free admission; $5 donation per person suggested to help defray costs. A poster promoting Alfred Hitchcock's early prizefight drama "The Ring."