In Spirit of Youth (1938), world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis plays a fictional character named Joe Thomas who is similar enough to the boxer himself that this film is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a biopic. Actually, Louis's film biography is The Joe Louis Story (1953), which stars look-alike Coley Wallace in a convincing portrayal of the "Brown Bomber." Louis appeared as himself in a handful of other films including This Is the Army (1943), The Square Jungle (1955) and The Phynx (1970).

Spirit of Youth, a Globe Pictures production originally intended for all-black movie theaters of the time, proved popular enough to cross over into "white" theaters, despite a warning from Joseph Breen, the director of the Production Code Administration, that the movie was "questionable" because it showed a black boxer beating white opponents.

The movie's fictional Joe is a poor young man who is devoted to his mother and his childhood sweetheart, Mary (Edna Mae Harris). After success in Golden Gloves competition, he becomes a rising star of the ring but is led astray by vampy nightclub singer Flora (Mae Turner). Dissipated after too much carousing with Flora, Joe loses a crucial fight and is about to go down for the count in a rematch when Mary arrives to offer him last-minute inspiration. Among those offering support are Mantan Moreland and Clarence Muse as, respectively, Joe's best friend and his manager.

Louis (1914-1981) was born in Lafayette, Ala., and held the title of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1937 to 1949. That 12-year championship stands as the all-time record in all weight divisions of boxing. Louis was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1980, and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Moreland (1902-1973), a character comedian often reduced to playing stereotypical black characters, later played Charlie Chan's chauffeur in many of the Chan films. Muse (1889-1979), although also receiving his share of demeaning roles, worked to bring dignity to his characters in a long and prolific career. In 1973, he was among those honored in the first Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Producer: Lew Golder, Edward Shanberg (Associate)
Director: Harry L. Fraser
Screenplay: Arthur Hoerl
Cinematography: Robert E. Cline
Art Direction: Frank Paul Sylos
Original Music: Elliot Carpenter, Clarence Muse
Editing: Carl Pierson
Principal Cast: Joe Louis (Joe Thomas), Clarence Muse (Frankie Walburn), Edna Mae Harris (Mary Bowdin), Mae Turner (Flora Bailey), Cleo Desmond (Nora Thomas, Joe's Mother), Mantan Moreland (Creighton "Crickie" Fitzgibbons), Jewel Smith (Duke Emerald).
BW-66 min.