DVD Review: “Golden Boy”

Hit film version of Clifford Odets play was the first starring vehicle for Holden (young and beautiful, long before a hard-drinking lifestyle got to him). He was struggling with the part of a violinist-turned-boxer until Stanwyck insisted he not be fired; he claimed ever after that he owed his film career to her. Cobb (playing older than he was) hams it up as Holden’s Italian-immigrant dad, who wants his son to stick with music; veteran Menjou’s the married boxing promoter running around with Stanwyck; Levene has a few fun moments as the ne’er-do-well brother-in-law. Just forget about the probability of a violinist ever turning to boxing, and enjoy the melodrama. Extras include a cartoon parody, The Kangaroo Kid; a Ford Theatre episode from 1956, Sudden Silence (Stanwyck’s first dramatic TV appearance), original trailer, and more. One oddity: the cover photo of Stanwyck isn’t from the movie; it dates from the late ’40s.