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Tommy (George Wallace) has to fight the gigantic and very nasty criminal Slogger Lee (John Dobbie) in the ring, after bragging to the sergeant (Marshall Crosby) that he would fight anybody. The sergeant tries to referee a bout that has no rules.
Curator’s notes
Wallace’s inspired antics here show just how good a physical comedian he was. He’s like an Australian version of Chaplin in this scene, hopeless but indomitable, his emotions never far from the surface, his actions entirely unpredictable. He seems to benefit from the fight having an audience, but he also has a good opponent. John Dobbie, as Slogger Lee, had worked with him for many years on stage before they came to make films together.
