Palooka (1934)

Director:

Benjamin Stoloff

Writers:

Ham Fisher (comic strip)
Jack Jevne (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 January 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Knobby discovers young hunk Palooka and trains him to fight the reigning champ, also drunken sot, Al McSwatt.

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Beautiful Woman | Singer | New York City | One Word Title

Cast

Jimmy Durante	...	Knobby Walsh / Junior
Lupe Velez	...	Nina Madero
Stuart Erwin	...	Joe Palooka
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Mayme Palooka
Robert Armstrong	...	Pete 'Goodtime' Palooka
Mary Carlisle	...	Anne
William Cagney	...	Al 'Mac' McSwatt
Thelma Todd	...	Trixie
Gus Arnheim	...	Orchestra Bandleader (as Gus Arnheim and His Orchestra)
Franklyn Ardell	...	Doc Wise
Tom Dugan	...	Whitey, Joe's Trainer
Louise Beavers	...	Crystal - Mayme's Housekeeper
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	...	Smokey (as Snowflake)

Also Known As:

Joe Palooka
The Great Schnozzle (UK)

Runtime:

86 min | USA:65 min (re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Edward Small Productions

Quotes:

Knobby Walsh: You'll find it different here than down on the farm, Mrs. Palooka.
Mayme Palooka: Don't small-town me. I shook a hip-load of beads in this burg while it was still teethin'

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Count Your Blessings

Full of clichés, but still very likable.

Wow. PALOOKA might have just about every boxing cliché known to films, yet somehow it manages to be very likable and a great film for lovers of old B-movies. Much of this is because the dialog hums and the stars do the most with the material.

Stu Erwin plays Joe Palooka--a farm boy who is discovered by a boxing promoter (Jimmy Durante) and becomes a nation-wide sensation. Erwin is good as a country boy though he is an odd choice to play the title character. In the comic, Joe was a heavyweight boxer but Erwin is pretty scrawny--and far from physically imposing. Despite the odd casting, Erwin is pretty good. Plus, able supporting characters help his performance quite a bit.

I am surprised to admit this, but probably the best actor in the film was Jimmy Durante. In the past I have been HIGHLY critical of some of his films, though the fault wasn't entirely Durante's. MGM foolishly paired him with Buster Keaton in sound films--even though Keaton's style was the polar opposite of Durante's. Keaton was a silent comic and Durante was brash and loud--very, very loud! Here, however, his insanely loud and dynamic persona actually works--much like it did in Hollywood PARTY. I liked how he constantly poked fun at himself and the ending with him and his new wife was wonderful--you just have to see it to believe it.

As for the plot, there are so many familiar plot elements--the bad woman who turns Joe's attention away from his virtuous girlfriend and boxing, the mother who is determined that her son won't throw his life away in the ring, the estranged father, etc., etc., etc.. Yet, despite all this it is also highly entertaining and fun throughout. A very good B film that is more enjoyable and fun than its score of 6 would usually indicate.