When Was The First Ballbusting TV/Movie Scene Produced?

[Cowboy Frank]

In 1970 the comedy movie Where's Poppa had a scene where actress Ruth Gordon plays a senile mother who punches her son in the groin. He puts on a gorilla costume and jumps on her bed trying to scare her while she is sleeping. She sits up and punches him square in the balls. She cracks a few jokes afterwards.

Does anyone know of an earlier one?

[Tommy T down in cali]

Not entirely positive, but I’ve heard that their was a Hollywood “film noir” drama from the late 1940’s (1947ish) which ends with the femme fetale shooting the antagonistic male in the groin (with a pistol) 

[Cowboy Frank]

I did not know that. Thanks man.

[2swollen]

LMGTFY

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/film/a-brief-history-of-movie-charact...

https://letterboxd.com/oh_dae_su/list/kicked-in-the-balls-a-cinemat...

[Cowboy Frank]

Thanks for that link. Very informative.

[Petron Lason]

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/film/a-brief-history-of-movie-charact...

- Thanks for it.

Ballbusting in films, that's interesting and there is a nice short interview at the end of the article:

----------------
But let's let a woman have the last word.

Cintra Wilson is a well-known cultural critic, novelist, and movie lover. Her take on all these shots at a guy's man-tonsils?

"... are pretty effective ways of humanizing a person — reducing them to their sex parts and their vulnerabilities."

OK, a positive spin. So what does Wilson wish to see someday in the cinema, regarding all this genitalia grappling?

"In the future," she says, "I'd like to see it happen every time a female character meets a male character. Just socko, right in the yarbles, out of nowhere, for no reason. I want this to be a pan-genre phenomenon."

----------------

- I agree with this woman. Today I also want see such films. :)  And also I'm surprised that she has the courage to say it so openly in public. She is perfect. Someone should her text send to Hollywood. 

[Piece Chalief]

That letterboxd.com link to a list is very extensive. It has entries that include verbal threats, offscreen kicks, M/M, and so forth. Still, I check out the whole thing, and no The Legend of Billie Jean??? Three kicks and a guitar jab in one movie? No Real McCoy??? The most brutal triple knee sequence maybe ever? No Summer Job either?Meh.                                           I couldn't find a direct reference to a scene with Barbara Stanwyck. I've seen it mentioned like 8 times, but still can't remember the name of the movie. Many of the mentions like to call it one of the first f/m self defense kicks to clear the editing room. Apparently she struggles with a man on a ship, trying to push her off, and she gets him. Tried to find that for 20 minutes and no luck. I hate when that happens.

[dph1970]

Strange Cargo from 1940 is the oldest movie I know about but that was Joan Crawford. I never heard of Barbara Stanwyck doing some ball busting on film but it would not surprise me if she did.

[Piece Chalief]

Cool! Good one.

[Chris C]

The Charlie Chaplin film The Adventurer (1917) includes a small kick to the coolies.  I know there is another silent film where a woman in a cowboy saloon kicks a man in the groin, but I don't remember the name.

[dph1970]

There is a apache dance filmed in 1912 that includes a groin kick. That is probably the silent movie that you're trying to remember. I didn't mention it because I didn't think it fit the subject.

[Piece Chalief]

I forgot about (The) Naughty Girl (1956) with Brigitte Bardot. She delivers an effective, somewhat comedic, and definitely sexy knee in a chase scene near the end.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049063/