IRON MAN: no, not that one... the other one

More than seven decades before Robert Downey jr climbed into his armored suit to do battle with an evil arms trader, Lew Ayres played a very different kind of IRON MAN, using only his fists and some nimble footwork to protect himself from brutal punishment.

Made in 1931, shortly after he'd shot to fame in 'All Quiet on the Western Front', the 23 year old stepped into the ring as Kid Mason, a young boxer with a one way ticket to Palookaville until his faithless wife Rose (an equally young Jean Harlow) walks out on him and he discovers the secret to success. Under the guidance of his paternal manager George Regan (Robert Armstrong), the Kid vanquishes all comers and acquires the nickname IRON MAN for his ability to withstand whatever his opponent can throw at him. Of course, the moment he gets a sniff at the title Rose miraculously reappears on the scene professing undying love for the newly wealthy pugilist.
This is not a particularly great movie but it's interesting for a couple of reasons. First of all it's a chance to watch two stars on the way up. After the huge success of "All Quiet.." the previous year Universal were keen to exploit their handsome young star in every way possible. IRON MAN was just one of five films Ayres appeared in in 1931. He really doesn't have the build to play a boxer but director Tod Browning finds every excuse to shoot him shirtless both in and out of the ring. In an obvious effort to make a story about boxing palatable to as big a female audience as possible there are numerous scenes featuring a half naked Ayres in the locker room, in his bedroom and in the shower.

Harlow was not yet the huge star she was shortly to become and she is clearly still a work in progress here. Rose is a generic movie gold-digger and could have been played equally well by any number of young actresses of the time, but Harlow succeeds in calling attention to herself as much by the daring amount of cleavage on show as by her acting prowess.
Director Browning is best remembered today for the two horror films he made either side of IRON MAN.- 'Dracula' and 'Freaks' - and IRON MAN comes off badly in comparison. It's certainly less creaky than 'Dracula' but the characters are unmemorable, the pacing is lethargic and the sets look better suited to the stage of a theatre than a studio soundstage. 
The film is mercifully short - just an hour and thirteen minutes - and one reason Browning is able to cram so much story into this space is the title sequence. It lasts just 53 seconds and includes an opening card featuring not only the film's title but also the names of the three leading actors, the producer, the director, the studio and the studio boss. There may not be much that 21st century Hollywood can learn from a relic like IRON MAN, but it is a masterclass in how to keep the opening credits short and to the point.