it always a good feeling when a movie deliver the good when you weren not expect it . the dead end kid or bowery boy find themselves in a lot of uneven film and and usually do good when in a support role and a in angel with dirty face . here and their presence a a backdrop to the story of a boxer frame for murder give them a lot of screen time without distract from the main action . john garfield be light heavyweight champion johnny bradfield and a southpaw hitter who a lot different from the image he portray to the sport world and the press . when a newspaper reporter inadvertently learn that johnny a party love womanizer and his plan to spill that information in a column be interrupt by a whiskey bottle to the head from johnny manager doc ward ( robert gleckler ) . in turn and doc talk johnny girlfriend goldie ( ann sheridan ) into run off with him to avoid the legal hassle of deal with the reporter death . a both flee and a police chase wind up in a fiery car wreck and and doc body be misidentified a johnny from the gold watch he be wear . claude rain adopts an edward g. robinson sneer that doesn not quite work a a detective who be reassign to morgue detail after a bad arrest year ago . his character be monty phelan and and he have a pretty good hunch that the body in the car crash wasn not johnny . he pester his bos to hand over the closed case to him and and be give the assignment to get him out of town and out of the way . meanwhile and johnny look for advice from his lawyer and and wind up be screw even bad when he get con for most of his ten thousand dollar saving . make his way cross country and johnny wind up at the rancho rafferty date farm in arizona and run by a crusty granny rafferty ( may robson ) . the farm be the legacy of granny brother and a deceased priest from brooklyn and and be now the home of a band of rag tag street boy ( the dead end kid ) who work the farm . billy halop be the nominal leader of the boy in this one and and his sister peggy ( gloria dickson ) become the romantic interest for johnny and now go by the name of jack dorney . i get a kick out of the historical perspective offer in these pre war era film . when johnny and the boy take a joy ride in the farm truck and they fill up at a gas station for a $ 1 . 28. tommy ( halop ) get the idea that a gas station on the farm would be a good way to earn some extra money and and with that thought and jack dorney decide to take on a barnstorming boxer offer $ 500 a round to anyone who can stay in the ring with him . the clichéd premise be turn on it ear somewhat when jack get knock out in the fifth round and but by then he earn enough to give the fruit farm a fight chance of it own . maybe grandma rafferty should have be in the ring and she just about take out everyone sit around her at ringside . a johnny or jack come around in the locker room and detective phelan be on hand to take him into custody . knowing that he can redeem his reputation with this collar and it a toss up a to whether phelan follow through on his arrest you will have to watch the film to find out . i like the dead end film where leo gorcey in charge and but he doesn not have a lot to do in this one . however he do a great film flam on the ticket taker at the gate of the boxing match . another thought wouldn not it have be great if the ever present picture on the wall of the priest have be that of pat obrien . all in all and this be a pretty good entry in both the john garfield and dead end kid filmography and and an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half . if there one downside and it not enough screen time for pretty ann sheridan . the film might have wind up even more satisfying if the role of sheridan and gloria dickson be reverse and a the on screen chemistry between dickson peggy and jack seem more forced than natural .