Kid Nightingale (1939)

An aspiring opera singer (John Payne) is talked into becoming a heavyweight boxer by a boxing scout (Walter Catlett). He agrees on the condition that he can also train for the opera. With his good looks and singing voice, he becomes known as Kid Nightingale and lures a legion of swooning female fans to the ring. Directed by the Oscar nominated film editor George Amy (THE SEA HAWK) who directed a few films but had more success as a film editor. This mildly amusing B programmer is bolstered by an eager cast and its brief running time (it's barely an hour long). Its two attractive leads, Payne and Jane Wyman as his girl, are early in their careers and stardom for both would be a few years away. I've always liked Payne who had a nice screen presence and movie star looks but who never quite made the upper tier of stardom while lesser actors did. Who said life was fair? It's silly and predictable but one would have to work awfully hard to dislike it. With Edward Brophy, Charles D. Brown and Harry Burns.