Joe Palooka
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Joe Palooka (April 1930 - November 24, 1984) was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. With various assistants and successors, the strip lasted over half a century and spun off movies, and a TV series. After Fisher's death in 1955, artist Tony DiPreta drew the strip and cartoonist Morris Weiss wrote the story line. DiPreta continued working on the strip until it ended.
Fisher originally changed the appearance of Palooka to fit each reigning real-life champ — until the coming of African-American Joe Louis in the 1930s, at which time Palooka remained unchanged as a cowlicked blond. Though his adventures were mostly low-key, he was pumped up by a supporting cast led by lovable giant Humphrey Pennyworth, a smiling blacksmith who wielded a 100 pound (45 kg) maul the way most would swish a walking stick. Like "Ozark Ike" McBatt in baseball, Joe Palooka was intended to exemplify the sports hero in an age when uprightness of character was supposed to matter most.
In 1932, the Joe Palooka radio show aired on CBS.
From 1933 to 1961, Joe Palooka was additionally published in comic book form by various comic book publishers. The early comics were often reprints of the daily comic strips, but later comic books featured original stories.
Joe Palooka was first seen in movies in 1934 with Stuart Erwin in the title role. He returned to the screen in 1946 when Monogram Pictures began producing a series of 11 B-movies. The Monogram films starred Joe Kirkwood, Jr. as Joe Palooka, Leon Errol as boxing manager Knobby Walsh, and Elyse Knox as Palooka's love interest, society girl Anne Howe.
In 1954, The Joe Palooka Story was made into a television series starring Kirkwood and featuring former boxing champion Maxie Rosenbloom.
[edit] Joe Palooka films
- Palooka (1934)
- Joe Palooka, Champ (1946)
- Gentleman Joe Palooka (1946)
- Joe Palooka in the Knockout (1947)
- Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad (1948)
- Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948)
- Joe Palooka in the Big Fight (1949)
- Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch (1949)
- Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey (1950)
- Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance (1950)
- Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle (1950)
- Joe Palooka in Triple Cross (1951)
[edit] Listen to
[edit] References
- Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
- Toonopedia entry
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