Palooka (film)
Encyclopedia
Palooka is a 1934 comedy
film directed by Benjamin Stoloff
starring Jimmy Durante
. It is based on the comic strip
by Ham Fisher
. The movie was adapted by Jack Jevne
, Arthur Kober, Gertrude Purcell, Murray Roth and Ben Ryan from the comic strip. It was directed by Benjamin Stoloff
.
The film is also known as The Great Schnozzle in the United Kingdom.
) is a naive young man whose father Pete (Robert Armstrong
) was a champion boxer
, but his lifestyle caused Joe's mother Mayme (Marjorie Rambeau
) to leave him and to take young Joe to the country to raise him. But when a shady boxing manager (Jimmy Durante
) discovers Joe's natural boxing talent, Joe decides to follow him to the big city, where he becomes a champion and begins to follow his father's path of debauchery, much of it including the glamorous cabaret
singer Nina Madero (Lupe Vélez
). The film also stars William Cagney, the younger brother of actor James Cagney
.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
film directed by Benjamin Stoloff
Benjamin Stoloff
Benjamin "Ben" Stoloff was an American film director and producer. He began his career as a short film comedy director and gradually moved into feature film directing and production later in his career. Stoloff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
starring Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
. It is based on the comic strip
Joe Palooka
Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher in 1921. The strip debuted in 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers....
by Ham Fisher
Ham Fisher
Hammond Edward Fisher was an American comic strip writer and cartoonist who signed his work Ham Fisher...
. The movie was adapted by Jack Jevne
Jack Jevne
Jack Jevne was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 58 films between 1919 and 1956.He was born in Provo, Utah and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Air Raid Wardens * Barnacle Bill...
, Arthur Kober, Gertrude Purcell, Murray Roth and Ben Ryan from the comic strip. It was directed by Benjamin Stoloff
Benjamin Stoloff
Benjamin "Ben" Stoloff was an American film director and producer. He began his career as a short film comedy director and gradually moved into feature film directing and production later in his career. Stoloff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
The film is also known as The Great Schnozzle in the United Kingdom.
Plot summary
Joe Palooka (Stuart ErwinStuart Erwin
Stuart Erwin was an American actor. Erwin began acting in college in the 1920s, first appearing on the stage, then breaking into films in 1928 in Mother Knows Best...
) is a naive young man whose father Pete (Robert Armstrong
Robert Armstrong (actor)
Robert Armstrong was an American film actor best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong by RKO Pictures. He uttered the famous exit quote, "'Twas beauty killed the beast," at the film's end...
) was a champion boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, but his lifestyle caused Joe's mother Mayme (Marjorie Rambeau
Marjorie Rambeau
Marjorie Rambeau was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:Rambeau was born in San Francisco, California to Marcel Rambeau and Lilian Garlinda Kindelberger. Her parents split up when she was a girl. She and her mother went to Nome, Alaska where young Marjorie dressed as a boy, sang and...
) to leave him and to take young Joe to the country to raise him. But when a shady boxing manager (Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
) discovers Joe's natural boxing talent, Joe decides to follow him to the big city, where he becomes a champion and begins to follow his father's path of debauchery, much of it including the glamorous cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer Nina Madero (Lupe Vélez
Lupe Vélez
Lupe Vélez was a Mexican film actress. Vélez began her career in Mexico as a dancer, before moving to the U.S. where she worked in vaudeville. She was seen by Fanny Brice who promoted her, and Vélez soon entered films, making her first appearance in 1924. By the end of the decade she had...
). The film also stars William Cagney, the younger brother of actor James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
.
Cast
- Jimmy DuranteJimmy DuranteJames Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
as Knobby Walsh / Junior - Lupe VélezLupe VélezLupe Vélez was a Mexican film actress. Vélez began her career in Mexico as a dancer, before moving to the U.S. where she worked in vaudeville. She was seen by Fanny Brice who promoted her, and Vélez soon entered films, making her first appearance in 1924. By the end of the decade she had...
as Nina Madero - Stuart ErwinStuart ErwinStuart Erwin was an American actor. Erwin began acting in college in the 1920s, first appearing on the stage, then breaking into films in 1928 in Mother Knows Best...
as Joe PalookaJoe PalookaJoe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher in 1921. The strip debuted in 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers.... - Marjorie RambeauMarjorie RambeauMarjorie Rambeau was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:Rambeau was born in San Francisco, California to Marcel Rambeau and Lilian Garlinda Kindelberger. Her parents split up when she was a girl. She and her mother went to Nome, Alaska where young Marjorie dressed as a boy, sang and...
as Mayme Palooka - Robert ArmstrongRobert Armstrong (actor)Robert Armstrong was an American film actor best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong by RKO Pictures. He uttered the famous exit quote, "'Twas beauty killed the beast," at the film's end...
as Pete 'Goodtime' Palooka - Mary CarlisleMary CarlisleMary Carlisle was an American actress and singer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was a star of Hollywood films in the 1930s, having been one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1932. The archetypal blonde, Mary Carlisle was brought to Hollywood at the age of four by her...
as Anne - William Cagney as Al 'Mac' McSwatt
- Thelma ToddThelma ToddThelma Alice Todd was an American actress. Appearing in about 120 pictures between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films like Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, a number of Charley Chase's short comedies, and co-starring with Buster Keaton and Jimmy...
as Trixie - Gus ArnheimGus ArnheimGus Arnheim was an early popular band leader. He is noted for writing several songs with his first hit being "I Cried for You" from 1923. He was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s...
as Orchestra Bandleader - Franklyn Ardell as Doc Wise
- Tom DuganTom DuganTom Dugan was an Irish film actor. He appeared in over 260 films between 1927 and 1955. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and died in Redlands, California....
as Whitey, Joe's Trainer - Louise BeaversLouise BeaversLouise Beavers was an African-American film and television actress. Beavers appeared in dozens of films from the 1920s to the 1930s, most often in the role of a maid, servant, or slave. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Beavers was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, one of the four African-American...
as Crystal - Mayme's Housekeeper - Fred 'Snowflake' Toones as Smokey
- William Cagney, brother of James CagneyJames CagneyJames Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
as Al McSwatt
Soundtrack
- "The Band Played On" (Music by Chas. B. Ward, lyrics by John F. Palmer)
- Lupe Vélez - "Like Me a Little Bit Less (Love Me a Little Bit More)" (Music by Burton LaneBurton LaneBurton Lane was an American composer and lyricist. His most popular and successful work is the musical Finian's Rainbow, "the score for which Lane will always be most remembered."-Biography:...
, lyrics by Harold AdamsonHarold AdamsonFor the Toronto Police Chief see Harold Adamson Harold Adamson was an American lyricist during the 1930s and 1940s.- Biography :...
) - Jimmy Durante - "Inka Dinka DooInka Dinka DooInka Dinka Doo is a 1933 popular song with words and lyrics written by Jimmy Durante and Ben Ryan. By 1934 the song was a major hit record and it became Durante's theme song for the rest of his life....
" (Written by Jimmy DuranteJimmy DuranteJames Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
and Ben RyanBen Ryan (composer)Bennett A. "Ben" Ryan was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics to the popular song Heart of My Heart...
) - Jimmy Durante - "M-O-T-H-E-R, a Word That Means the World To Me" (Music by Theodore Morse, lyrics by Howard JohnsonHoward JohnsonHoward Johnson may refer to:*Howard Johnson's, a chain of hotels and restaurants*Howard Deering Johnson , founder of Howard Johnson's restaurants* Howard David Johnson, , American painter...
) - "Count Your Blessings" (Written by Irving CaesarIrving CaesarIrving Caesar was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. He was born and died in New York.Caesar, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew, was...
, Ferde Grofé Sr. and Edgar A. Guest) - "Palooka, It's a Grand Old Name" (Music by Joseph BurkeJoseph BurkeJoseph Burke may refer to:* Joseph A. Burke , Bishop of Buffalo* Joseph Burke , Irish cricketer* Joseph Burke , Illinois judge* Joseph Burke II , Anglo-American collector of plants and animals* Joseph C...
, lyrics by Ann RonellAnn RonellAnn Rosenblatt, known as Ann Ronell was an American composer and lyricist best known for the jazz standard "Willow Weep for Me" .- Biography :...
)