"Boxing Gloves" is another Rascals short film and this one is from 1929, so almost 90 years old. Watching it makes really clear how they were on the transition from silent to sound films at that era and you can definitely make an argument for the kids from Our Gang being the first sound film stars in that new era, especially if you are only talking about short film. This one here is of course also in black-and-white. This is one of the rare Rascals movies when grown-ups are totally nonexistent: no crooks, no teachers, no parents - just the kids. Two chubby rascals go up against each other in the boxing ring, so if McGowan and Walker take on the subject of boxing here, you can see how popular a sport it already was a decade ago. Actually there are many silent short films from earlier even that deal with boxing. Anyway, another interesting aspect here is how one of the two boxer child actors went on to have a long life after his career ended, but the other died really soon an untimely death. The "love interest" only died very recently here. As for the film itself, I think it is weaker than most other Rascals films and I only recommend it to the biggest fans of the series, especially if they also care for boxing. At slightly under 18 minutes this is one of the longer Rascals films, but not the longest. I found it relatively forgettable. Thumbs down.
Review of Boxing Gloves
