Tod Sloan Movies

A goodly portion of this boxing drama was filmed on location at the real-life Madison Square Garden. Jack Oakie stars as Eddie Burke, a wise-guy pugilist whose talent is unevenly matched by his ego. Despite his character flaws, Eddie knows the meaning of loyalty. When his manager Doc Williams (William Collier Sr.) is offered the opportunity to stage a match at Madison Square Garden, but only if he gets rid of his stable of fighters, Eddie fabricates an alibi and stages a walkout on Doc. Our hero returns to the fold in time to foil a gang of gambler-bootleggers, headed by Sloane (William "Stage" Boyd) and Roarke (Lew Cody). Thomas Meighan, one of Paramount Picture's most popular silent-era leading men, made his last appearance for his home studio as the leader of the Garden's board of directors. Madison Square Garden includes cameo appearances by such famed athletes as Jack Johnson, Tom Sharkey, Ted Sloan, and Mike Donlin and by such stellar sports reporters as Damon Runyon, Grantland Rice, Westbrook Pegler, Paul Gallico, Jack Lait and Edward W. Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Zane Grey's novel, Wildfire, was filmed here, it somehow turned into a hoary Drury Lane-style melodrama, set in the West instead of England. While chasing an unruly colt through the hills, Lin Slone (Carl Gantvoort) is knocked unconscious. Lucy Bostil (Claire Adams) finds him -- a stroke of luck, since her father (Charles Arling), who owns a stable, has a formidable rival in the villainous Bill Cordts (Harry L. Van Meter). Cordts will do anything to make sure his horse beats out Bostil's in the next race, including drugging the steed. Slone has trained his colt, named Wildfire, to carry a rider, and he gives him to Lucy, providing she ride it in the race. She does, and Wildfire wins. But the story's not over yet -- in one last bit of villainy, Cordts and his half-wit accomplice, Joel Creech (a not-very half-witted Jean Hersholt), kidnap Lucy. Sloan, of course, heads into the mountains and rescues her for the requisite ending clinch. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi