As I was watching this movie for the first time on TCM the other night, I kept thinking the actor who played Mr. Bonaparte (Joe's dad) sounded awfully familiar. Imagine how shocked I was when I saw the credits and learned that it was Lee J. Cobb under that heavy makeup and Italian accent. I seemed to recall that he wasn't much older than William Holden, and according to the IMDb listings, he was born in 1911, making him just six years older than his "son," William Holden, who was born in 1917. But the real kicker is that Barbara Stanwyck, who was admittedly supposed to be the "older woman" to Joe, is a whole 11 years older - making her older than her boyfriend's father!! Doesn't it seem odd that the producers would have chosen a 28-year-old actor to play the role of the Italian "Papa" in this movie? Or am I just being picky?
Review of Golden Boy
