Ham Hamilton (Jack Oakie) is a wrestling manager, but he’s not a man of wealth. In fact, he’s in trouble with his creditors, and in order to remedy the situation he tries to get champion wrestler Mike Scanlon (Gordon Jones) to throw his next match.
Mike, however, will do no such thing when he hears that lovely actress Marcia (Margot Grahame) is betting on him. He wants to impress her even though she’s already engaged to a singer named Robert (John Boles), so he wins the match.
Fight For Your Lady was directed by Ben Stoloff for RKO. It was written by Ernest Pagano, Harry Segall, and Harold Kusell.
I basically watched this film for Ida Lupino alone. I’m a big fan of her and when I come across a film of hers that I haven’t seen, I usually jump at the chance to give it a viewing.
I’d consider Ida to be the main attraction here — and not just because I’m such a fan. Her appearance is one of the only real reasons for anyone to tune in. Her role is a unique one, to say the least — a top hat-wearing, singing ventriloquist. She’s kind of sneaky, kind of manipulative, and very funny to watch.
The film improves remarkably when Ida takes center stage, though it is mildly amusing beforehand. And it actually gets very funny near the end. Jack Oakie dresses up as a mother; a duel takes place between a smarmy ol’ chap and Ida’s love interest, “Bob” (John Boles).
If only the whole film had been as zany and delightful as it gets in its final moments! The score: 1/5
The Motion Pictures 