Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Hammond Edward "Ham" Fisher ( September 24, 1900 &ndash September 7, 1955) was an American comic strip writer With various assistants and successors, the strip lasted for over half of a century with spin-offs to radio, movies, television and merchandising.
In his home town of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Fisher devised the character in 1921 when he met a boxer outside a poolroom. Wilkes-Barre (ˈwɪlksbɛrə or /-bɛri/ is the central city of the Wyoming Valley and County seat of Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania As Fisher explained in an article in Collier's
| “ | Here, made to order, was the comic strip character I had been looking for -- a big, good-natured prize fighter who didn't like to fight; a defender of little guys; a gentle knight. Collier's Weekly was an American Magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957 I ran back to the office, drew a set of strips and rushed to the newspaper syndicates. | ” |
However, many rejections followed before Fisher's strip was finally syndicated. It debuted April 19, 1930, and by 1948 it was ranked as one of the five most popular newspaper comic strips. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After Fisher committed suicide in 1955, Tony DiPreta took over the art with Morris Weiss scripting. Tony DiPreta (born July 9, 1921 Stamford, Connecticut) is an American Comic book and Comic strip artist active from the Morris Weiss (born August 11, 1915, Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is an American Comic book and Comic strip Artist and sometime DiPreta drew the strip for 31 years until it ended its run on November 24, 1984. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar)
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 the image of the cowlicked blond Palooka remained unchanged. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Joseph Louis Barrow ( May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) better known as Joe Louis, was a heavyweight boxing champion. Though his adventures were mostly low-key, he was pumped up by a supporting cast led by girlfriend Ann Howe, boxing manager Knobby Walsh, his mute orphan sidekick Little Max, and lovable giant Humphrey Pennyworth, a smiling blacksmith who wielded a 100-pound (45 kg) maul. blacksmith is a person who creates objects from Iron or Steel by Forging the Metal; i 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. Ozark Ike was a Newspaper Comic strip about a dumb but likable rural mountain boy Ozark Ike McBatt Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each
The strip garnered much publicity when Ann Howe and Joe were married on June 24. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place 1949. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The engraved invitations for the event, sent to a select list of celebrities, read: "Mr. Ham Fisher requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of Ann Howe to Mr. Joe Palooka on the afternoon of June twenty-fourth in your favorite newspaper. " [1]
Found in print as early as 1923, the word "palooka" was widely used to mean a lout or an inept fighter. The word is heard in early Popeye cartoons, and in the film Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega sarcastically refers to Butch the boxer as "Palooka". Of uncertain origins, the word may originally have derived from the expletive "Polack". Fisher's use of "Palooka" for his gentle hero lifted the word from the muck, while accentuating its boxing connection.
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Radio
On radio Joe Palooka was broadcast on CBS from April 12 to August 18, 1932. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. With Teddy Bergman in the title role, the 15-minute series was heard on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sponsored by Heinz Rice Flakes. Elmira Roessler, Elsie Hitz and Mary Jane Higby played Ann Howe. Knobby Walsh was portrayed by Frank Readick and Hal Lansing. Others in the cast: Karl Swenson and Norman Gottschalk. Karl Swenson ( July 23 1908 – October 8 1978) was an American Theatre Radio The announcer was Harry Von Zell.
Comic books
Over decades, Joe Palooka appeared in comic books from several comic book publishers. Early comic books offered strip reprints, but eventually the character was seen in original comic book stories.
Film shorts, features and television
Joe Palooka made his movie debut in Palooka (1934) with Stuart Erwin in the title role, followed by a series of nine two-reel Vitaphone shorts (1936-37) starring Robert Norton as Joe and Shemp Howard as Knobby. Stuart Erwin ( 14 February 1903, Squaw Valley California &ndash 21 December 1967, Beverly Hills California) was an Vitaphone was a Sound film process used on features and nearly 2000 Short subjects produced by Warner Bros Shemp Howard ( March 04, 1895[http //shempcompanycom/Media/death_cert He returned to the screen in 1946, when Monogram Pictures launched a series of 11 low-budget films. Monogram Pictures Corporation was a Hollywood studio that produced and released films most on low budgets between 1931 and The Monogram films starred Joe Kirkwood, Jr. as Joe, Leon Errol as Knobby and Elyse Knox as society girl Ann Howe. Joe Kirkwood Jr (born May 30, 1920) is a former Professional golfer on the PGA Tour, and a Motion picture Leon Errol ( July 3, 1881 - October 12, 1951) was an Australian born comedian and actor in the United States, popular Elyse Knox (born December 14, 1917) is an American actress Early life Born in Hartford Connecticut, she studied at the Traphagen
The Joe Palooka Story was a 1954 syndicated television series starring Kirkwood and featuring former boxing champion Maxie Rosenbloom as Humphrey Pennyworth. Max Everitt Rosenbloom, known as Slapsie Maxie (born September 6, 1903, in Harlem, New York City – died March 6,
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)
Vitaphone two-reelers
- For the Love of Pete (1936)
- Here's Howe (1936)
- Punch and Beauty (1936)
- The Choke's on You (1936)
- The Blonde Bomber (1936)
- Kick Me Again (1937)
- Taking the Count (1937)
- Thirst Aid (1937)
- Calling All Kids (1937)
Listen to
References
Sources
- Strickler, Dave. See also Palooka (disambiguation Palooka is a 1934 comedy Film based on the comic strip Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
- Toonopedia: Joe Palooka
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