''Spirit of Youth'' is a 1938 boxing film directed by

Harry L. Fraser Harry L. Fraser (31 March 1889 – 8 April 1974) was an American film director and screenplay writer. Biography Born in 1889 in San Francisco, Fraser directed over 80 films between 1925 and 1951, including the 1934 John Wayne film '' Randy Rid ...

and starring then-heavyweight world champion

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...

in a story with similarities to his own real life. (According to IMDb, the Spanish title is ''La vida de Joe Louis'', which translates to ''The Life of Joe Louis''.)

Plot

A rising boxer is led astray by a woman.

Cast

as Joe Thomas * Clarence Muse as Frankie Walburn *

Edna Mae Harris Edna Mae Harris (September 29, 1914 – September 15, 1997), sometimes credited as Edna May Harris was an American actress and singer. Harris was one of the first African–American film actress of the late 1930s and early 1940s, appearing i ...

as Mary Bowdin *

Mae Turner Mae is an American rock band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience", based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University. History ...

as Flora Bailey *

Cleo Desmond Cleo Desmond (born Minnie Matilda Hatfield, April 25, 1880 – October 6, 1958) was an American actress and vaudeville performer who had a long career on the stage and screen. She began acting and performing at a young age, appearing in plays an ...

as Nora Thomas * Mantan Moreland as Creighton "Crickie" Fitzgibbons * Jewel Smith as Duke Emerald *

Tom Southern Tom Southern, also known as Tommy or Thomas Southern, was an actor in American film and stage productions as well as a songwriter. He was a theater actor with the Lafayette Players. In 1933, he wrote several songs together with Lionel Hampton. Fo ...

as Dr. Bowdin *

Jess Lee Brooks Jess Lee Brooks (June 10, 1894 – December 13, 1944), also known as Jesse Brooks, was an American actor. He is perhaps most famous for playing the African-American church preacher in the critically acclaimed motion picture ''Sullivan's Travels'', ...

as Jeff Thomas (as Jesse Lee Brooks) *

Marguerite Whitten Marguerite Whitten (February 23, 1913 – December 25, 1990) was an American film actress appearing in 14 films between 1938 and 1943, often with actor Mantan Moreland. She was also billed as Margaret Whitten. Whitten was born on Februar ...

as Eleanor Thomas (as Margaret Whitten) * Clarence Brooks as Speedy * The Plantation Choir as Church Choir * The Creole Chorus as The Creole Chorus *

The Big Apple Dancers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

as Dancers

External links

* * * American black-and-white films American sports drama films American boxing films Films directed by Harry L. Fraser 1930s sports drama films 1938 drama films 1938 films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-drama-film-stub