Sport Films

A slapstick silent comedy spun from Ernest Thayer's baseball poem, with Wallace Beery as the legendary slugger Casey, here a small-town ballplayer beset by gamblers, romance, and his own mighty whiff. Ford Sterling, ZaSu Pitts, and Sterling Holloway (in his film debut) co-star. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Comedy · Sport

The cocky son of a champion racer killed at the Indianapolis 500 fights his way onto the track to redeem his father's name, alienating his loved ones along the way. Mickey Rooney stars in this independent racing drama, which features Hattie McDaniel's final screen appearance. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Drama · Sport

A college football hero is expelled after a scandal involving a vampish society woman and must redeem himself in the big game. Richard Barthelmess stars, with a young John Wayne among the gridiron extras, in this silent collegiate drama. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Drama · Sport

A biographical drama tracing the life of heavyweight champion Joe Louis, from his Detroit youth to his title reign and the racial pressures he bore as a Black sports hero. Coley Wallace portrays Louis in staged fight sequences. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Biography · Drama · Sport

The Ring is the only film Alfred Hitchcock wrote from an original screenplay, and he called it his second true picture after The Lodger. A love triangle set in the world of boxing, it follows a fairground fighter called One Round Jack who is beaten by a mysterious challenger, an Australian heavyweight champion who then becomes his rival for the girl he loves. The title refers to the boxing ring, the wedding ring, and the bracelet the rival gives the girl. Hitchcock was a regular at London fights and filled the film with the details he observed, the champagne sprinkled on fighters, the well-dressed crowds. The Ring was his first film for British International Pictures. It entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2023.

Drama · Romance · Sport · Silent