''Afraid to Fight'' is a 1922 silent American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by William Worthington and written by Charles Sarver. The film stars Frank Mayo,

Lillian Rich Lillian Rose Rich Woodland, more commonly known as Lillian Rich (1 January 1900 – 5 January 1954) was an English-born actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1919 and 1940. Biography Rich was born in Herne ...

, Peggy Cartwright,

Lydia Knott Lydia Knott (October 1, 1866 – March 30, 1955) was an American actress of the silent film era. She appeared in more than 90 films between 1914 and 1937. Biography Knott was born in Tyner, Indiana, the daughter of Lambert and Clarissa Kn ...

, W.S. McDunnough, and Tom McGuire. The film was released on July 24, 1922, by

Universal Film Manufacturing Company Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Tom Harper (Mayo) is a former

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

soldier, handy with his fists, but suffering the effects of being gassed during World War I. His crippled little sister Sally (Cartwright), he learns, can be cured of her invalidism if placed in the care of a specialist. As Tom is out of a job, Sally prays that Congress will pass the law and send him his

bonus Bonus commonly means: * Bonus, a Commonwealth term for a distribution of profits to a with-profits insurance policy * Bonus payment, an extra payment received as a reward for doing one's job well or as an incentive Bonus may also refer to: Plac ...

. A fight manager picks Tom up and sends him to the mountains for a rest cure on the condition that he will fight the boxing champion when he is well. While there he finds himself in love with Harriet Monroe (Rich), but is forced to take a beating from a rival as he is under orders not to fight until he is pronounced well. When he recovers, he whips the champion, wins enough money to have his little sister Sally cured, and goes back to the mountains to hand a trimming to the rival who had previously humiliated him.

Cast

* Frank Mayo as Tom Harper *

as Harriet Monroe * Peggy Cartwright as Sally Harper *

as Mrs. Harper *W.S. McDunnough as Dr. Butler * Tom McGuire as 'Big Jim' Brandon *Harry Mann as Leonard *

Wade Boteler Wade Boteler (October 3, 1888 – May 7, 1943) was an American film actor and writer. He appeared in more than 430 films between 1919 and 1943. Biography He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart ...

as Phillip Brand * Al Kaufman as 'Slick' Morrisey *

Roscoe Karns Roscoe, also spelled Rosco or Roscow, may refer to: People * Roscoe (name) Places United States * Roscoe, California (disambiguation) * Roscoe Township (disambiguation) * Roscoe, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Roscoe, Illinois, a villag ...

as Bertie *Guy Tiney as Fat Boy *Charles Haefeli as Johnny Regan *

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 * Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

as Battling Grogan *James Quinn as Slim Dawson

References

External links

* *{{allmovie title, 83262, Synopsis 1922 films 1920s English-language films Silent American drama films 1922 drama films Universal Pictures films Films directed by William Worthington American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920s American films