H.C. Witwer

Alex in Wonderland

In this Warner Bros. short film, Alex visits his sister Belinda and her husband Fred. It looks like Alex is going to be around for a while, much to Fred's displeasure. Alex in is New York to look for a job and he sees an ad for a champagne salesman. He decides to crash a swank party given by railroad tycoon J.D. Swinnerton and his wife. Alex has his own zany way of getting an introduction to the man. Mayhem ensues when several of the guests come as Robin Hood and one of them is a jewel thief.

Cain and Mabel

A chorus girl and a heavyweight boxer are paired romantically as a publicity stunt.

The Champion

Leather Pushers #10

Money to Burns

After having difficulty coming up with a new story idea, a writer pays a fellow to allow him to follow him around in hopes it will encourage his literary juices to flow. Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for.

The Great White Way

Comic boxing tale was used as the basis for the 1936 Clark Gable/Marion Davies lark Cain & Mabel.

Fighting Blood

Al Santell silent sports boxing comedy series starring George O'Hara, and all star cast: Kit Guard, Al Cooke, Clara Horton, Mabel Van Buren, and Clark Gable (in one of his 14 uncredited roles prior to making his real debut in 1931's "The Painted Desert"). Note that this was one of a series of boxing films with the same characters, and each new film in the series was called a "round" (appropriate for a series of boxing movies!), but these movies were not serials, just connected by having the same characters. This card is from the second series, 11th round, "Beauty and the Feast".

Barnaby's Grudge

18th episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

Something for Nothing

16th episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

Don Coyote

Fifteenth entry in the Leather Pushers series of two-reel shorts.

The Widower's Mite

14th episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

The Wandering Two

13th episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

Fighting Blood

Al Santell silent sports boxing comedy series starring George O'Hara, and all star cast: Kit Guard, Al Cooke, Clara Horton, Mabel Van Buren, and Clark Gable (in one of his 14 uncredited roles prior to making his real debut in 1931's "The Painted Desert"). Note that this was one of a series of boxing films with the same characters, and each new film in the series was called a "round" (appropriate for a series of boxing movies!), but these movies were not serials, just connected by having the same characters. This card is the 4th round, "Two Sones with One Bird".

Fighting Blood

Al Santell silent sports boxing comedy series starring George O'Hara, and all star cast: Kit Guard, Al Cooke, Clara Horton, Mabel Van Buren, and Clark Gable (in one of his 14 uncredited roles prior to making his real debut in 1931's "The Painted Desert"). Note that this was one of a series of boxing films with the same characters, and each new film in the series was called a "round" (appropriate for a series of boxing movies!), but these movies were not serials, just connected by having the same characters. This card is the 3rd round, "Six Second Smith".

Joan of Newark

Twelfth episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

Strike Father, Strike Son

Eleventh episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

When Kane Met Abel

The "Kid" is in the studio playing the star role in a "super-feature." The director gets his cast to put extra snap into the big scene by making each of the fighters think the other is double crossing him. 10th episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

He Raised Kane

Kane, who does not want his father to know he is a fighter, thinking he objects, nearly loses the fight when he sees him at the ringside. In the end, it is the words of encouragement from his father which causes him to win. It develops that the "Kid's" father has known it all the time and has been getting reports on his son's prowess in the ring. Eighth episode in the first 'Leather Pushers' series of two-reel boxing shorts.

Young King Cole

Seventh entry in the Leather Pushers series of two-reel shorts.

Whipsawed

On the steamer going over to London the "Kid" falls in love with a senator's daughter and his manager is too sick to keep him in any training. After a week or two of training the "Kid" enters the ring only to find that his rival is one of his sparring partners. Knowing all the "Kid's" punches the opponent scores many points during the combat but suffers a punch in the jaw which loosens a tooth. The "Kid" waits for the moment when the terrible fighter must turn his head to spit out the tooth before he gives him the final knock-out punch.

Round Two

"The Leather Pushers" were a charming series of comedies based upon the story of a prize-fighter from the Colliers articles by H.C. Witwer. Each episode was self-contained and complete in itself. Formerly wealthy Kane Halliday, finds he must support himself with his fists in the ring after his father goes suddenly broke. A great mix of comedy and action set against the gritty world of the old New York boxing scene.

Let's Go

The first film in the first "Leather Pushers" series from Universal.